The Ku
Klux Klan was the most notorious of a large number of similar
organizations which spread throughout the South. Negroes and
white sympathizers were beaten and lynched. Some had their
property burned, and others lost their jobs if they showed too
much independence.
In 1869 Congress took action against the Klan and other white
supremacy organizations, The Klan was officially disbanded, but,
in fact, it only went underground. Most of these organizations
were spontaneous local developments, and this made it difficult
for either federal or state governments to find and destroy them.
Often their tactics were successful in shaping election results.
Their propaganda was also useful in influencing public opinion.
They insisted that they were only protecting women, children,
and civic morality. The federal military forces stationed in the
South were too small to be effective against such widespread
guerrilla activities, and many of the soldiers, though
they had fought against slavery, were still in sympathy with
white supremacy.
Although Reconstruction did protect some of the political and
civil rights of the Afro-American community, it achieved almost
nothing in improving the social and economic situation.
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