Briefly, the origins were after the Civil War where Southern states resisted African Americans from becoming full citizens through things like the KKK and government official suppression by law enforcement and other government officials (see the Colfax Massacre, etc.). The original source for the language was the Civil Rights Act of 1866 and it has been amended multiple times since then. At first, the law was used in the FDR administration to go after law enforcement officers abusing prisoners and citizens. Later during the Civil Rights era starting in the 1950's, it was used by the federal government to help curtail local law enforcement trying to prevent integration from intimidating, harassing, and attacking civil rights protesters and affiliated individuals.
Technically, any abuse of a government official of an individual's constitutional rights could theoretically be prosecuted by the federal government but the rub is that a federal government seldom has prosecuted officials unless the issue has involved racial mistreatment under the constitution.
https://origins.osu.edu/article/policing-police-civil-rights-story/page/0/0
However, The Third Enforcement Act, also known as The Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871 and 42 U.S.C. § 1983 provides: a partial remedy where individuals who have been mistreated can sue a government official for violations of their constitutional rights,
"“Every person who, under color of any statute, ordinance, regulation, custom, or usage, of any State or Territory or the District of Columbia, subjects, or causes to be subjected, any citizen of the United States or other person within the jurisdiction thereof to the deprivation of any rights, privileges, or immunities secured by the Constitution and laws, shall be liable to the party injured in an action at law, suit in equity, or other proper proceeding for redress, except that in any action brought against a judicial officer for an act or omission taken in such officer’s judicial capacity, injunctive relief shall not be granted unless a declaratory decree was violated or declaratory relief was unavailable.”
https://steeringlaw.com/civil-right...urt-for-violating-your-constitutional-rights/
Have fun storming the castle boys!!! (Princess Bride movie quote).
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?...D39EE9DFE9650846A55CD39EE9DFE965084&FORM=VIRE