The Ku Klux Klan Act, officially known as the Civil Rights Act of 1871, was a U.S. law aimed at combating the violence and intimidation perpetrated by the Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacist groups during the Reconstruction era. It allowed individuals to sue for damages in federal court if their civil rights were violated, particularly in cases of racial discrimination and violence. The Act was part of a broader effort by the federal government to protect the rights of newly freed African Americans after the Civil War. It empowered the federal government to intervene in states where civil rights were being denied, marking a significant step in the fight against racial injustice in the United States.