1871 KKK act

Question

I am trying to find information on the 1871 KKK Act that congress passed. I am wanting to use it for a blog post that I am working on it. I am trying to help others learn about the past of the US that isn't commonly known

Legislative Archives · Answer

Hi Lisa -- thanks for posting to History Hub!

The Enforcement Act of May 1870 was signed on May 31, 1870 and originally introduced as H.R. 1293, and the Second Force Act was signed on Feb. 28, 1871 and originally introduced as H.R. 2634 -- both were in the 41st Congress. The Third Force Act, also known as the "Ku Klux Klan Act," was originally introduced as H.R. 320 on March 28, 1871 and signed on April 20, 1871 in the 42nd Congress. The first page of the signed law is available on the Capitol Visitor Center website.

You can find both floor debate and voting records in the Congressional Record and it's predecessor publication, the Congressional Globe (23rd-42nd Congresses). The Globe is freely available through A Century of Lawmaking, a Library of Congress website that's brought together online the records and acts of Congress from the Continental Congress through the 43rd Congress.

Both the House and Senate websites have highlights on these Acts -- see the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871 and the Enforcement Acts of 1870 and 1871.

If you need help digging into legislative research, the Law Library of Congress has put together a series of very helpful legal research guides. In particular, I want to highlight Debates of Congress: A Beginner's Guide and Compiling a Federal Legislative History: A Beginner's Guide.

I'd also recommend you check with a local library for secondary sources.

If you have specific questions you're welcome to contact the Center for Legislative Archives directly by emailing legislative.archives@nara.gov.

Cheers!

Sarah