Civics & Coffee: A History Podcast · Alycia Asai

The Posse Comitatus Act Explained

·15 min·1 clip

As Rutherford B. Hayes took office, federal troops in the South sparked a political crisis that led to a controversial law.

This episode explores the Posse Comitatus Act, a law passed during the Gilded Age that limits military involvement in civilian law enforcement. Host Alycia sets the scene with post-Civil War politics, federal troop deployments, and the act's origins, relevance, and evolution.

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