One fallout of the Reconstruction Program in the south was the rise of a secret organization called the Ku Klux Klan. This organization was formed by a group of men who were opposed to the Reconstruction Program. The organization hated the Carpetbag rule and despised the rise of Blacks in the political arena. They attempted to strike terror in the hearts of the former slaves and whites who supported freedom for the blacks. The Klan members masked their faces and carried arms. They resorted to violent night raids and terrorism.

The radical group in the Congress in an attempt to check the Klan, introduced a series of measures called the Third Enforcement Act on the Ku Klux Klan (1871). This act gave the President the power to declare martial law in any state and send armed forces to crush any conspiracy. Due to this act, federal troops were sent to the south quite often. By 1871 the strength of the Ku Klux Klan was destroyed.

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Table of Contents

6.0 - Chronology of Major Events in this Period
6.1 - 14th Amendment to the Constitution
6.2 - The President's Impeachment
6.3 - The 15th Amendment
6.4 - Radical Reconstruction in the South
6.5 - The KU Klux Klan
6.6 - The Civil Rights Act
6.7 - The Compromise of 1877
6.8 - The Impact of Reconstruction
6.9 - Points to Remember

Chapter 7