"It shall be unlawful for any person to conspire... to deprive any person of the equal protection of the laws." — Enforcement Act (Ku Klux Klan Act), 1871
Federal legislation like the act quoted was undermined by the late 1870s primarily because:
- Acheck_circle
Northern political will faded and the Supreme Court narrowed federal civil rights enforcement (e.g., Slaughterhouse, U.S. v. Cruikshank)
- B
The KKK voluntarily disbanded after 1872
- C
The amendments were repealed by Congress
- D
Southern states adopted federal anti-violence statutes verbatim
Explanation
Although the Enforcement Acts initially curbed Klan violence, the Supreme Court restricted federal civil rights authority and Northern voters lost interest, allowing white supremacist violence to flourish into the Redemption era.