Force Acts

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The four Force Acts passed by the Congress of the United States shortly after the American Civil War helped protect the voting rights of African-Americans.

The Force Acts were mainly aimed at limiting the reach of the Ku Klux Klan. Through the acts, the government gave itself the power to prevent the Klan from using its scare tactics to influence voters or prevent them from voting. The Klan mainly accomplished this by standing around outside the voting area in their white sheets with their shotguns threatening and slandering any African American that attempted to enter the voting area.

The Force Act of 1870 (which it came in effect in 1871) was an act that ended most of the Ku Klux Klan. The military enforced the laws and by 1871, most of its terrorism seemed over.

The KKK became powerful during early Reconstruction. The Klan was one of several secret organizations that tried to keep African Americans from using their civil rights.

The KKK began in Pulaski, Tennessee, in 1865 as a social club for returned soldiers. However, it very quickly changed into a force of terror. Members dressed in white robes and hoods so no one would recognize them. They moved at night and frightened blacks with whippings and murders.

By 1868, The KKK was active in Georgia. It tried to disfranchise blacks (keep them from voting) or keep them from participating in the government. The Klan became so powerful in the South that Congress later passed laws to end it.