Section 1983 - 1871 to 2014 The Justice Game Is The Same

Section 1983 was originally known as Federal Civil Rights Act of 1871.  It was supposed to help Black people enforce the new constitutional rights they won after the civil war.  The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution had prohibited slavery, established the right to "due process" of law and Equal Protection of the laws and guaranteed every male citizen the right to vote.

However, white racist judges in the state courts refused to enforce these rights, especially when the rights were violated by officials of state and local government.  The open-minded members who then controlled the U.S. Congress passed Section 1983 to allow citizens to sue in Federal Court when a state or local officials violates their Federal Rights.