Mar 01, 2016 5:23 PM GMT

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/ku-klux-act-passed-by-congress
1871
Ku Klux Act passed by Congress
With passage of the Third Force Act, popularly known as the Ku Klux Act, Congress authorizes President Ulysses S. Grant to declare martial law, impose heavy penalties against terrorist organizations, and use military force to suppress the Ku Klux Klan (KKK).
Founded in 1865 by a group of Confederate veterans, the KKK rapidly grew from a secret social fraternity to a paramilitary force bent on reversing the federal government’s progressive Reconstruction Era-activities in the South, especially policies that elevated the rights of the local African-American population.
"Quote me as saying that that Imperial bastard will never set foot in Louisiana, and that when I call him a sonofabitch I am not using profanity, but am referring to the circumstances of his birth."
~~Huey Long. When the head of the Ku Klux Klan, Hiram W Evans, threatened to campaign against Long in Louisiana, circa 1930s
"I know nothing about David Duke. I know nothing about White Supremacists....I don't know what group you are talking about."
~~The un-American Donald Trump on former grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan when asked if he'd disavow the KKK's endorsement, circa today
