in the aftermath of the war, the civil war generation passed laws designed to protect america from insurrections in the future. those laws might once have seemed like historic relics. lately they ve been getting another look, and with good reason. last week a jury in charlottesville, virginia, awarded $26 million in damages against the white nationalists who organized and participated in the violent unite the right rally spearheaded by integrity first for america demonstrated that the defendants, including neo nazis and neo con fed rats were guilty of conspireing to commit acts of violence. while the jury deadlocked on federal skhacharges it was significant that they invoked an 1871 kkk law. it makes it a federal crime to commit racially or politically motivated violence.