To reduce violence against African Americans after the Civil War, the government passed the Enforcement Acts. These acts were designed to combat the rise of violence and terrorism, particularly by groups like the Ku Klux Klan, against African Americans and their supporters in the South. The Enforcement Acts aimed to protect the civil rights of African Americans and enforce the provisions of the Reconstruction Amendments, specifically the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments, which granted citizenship and voting rights to African Americans.
While the ratification of the Fifteenth Amendment and the initiation of Reconstruction were significant steps toward ensuring civil rights and addressing systemic issues, the Enforcement Acts were specifically focused on addressing violence and intimidation faced by African Americans during that period.