Reconstruction Era
Klu Klux Klan
The first Klan flourished in the South in the 1860s, then died out by the early 1870s. Their iconic white costumes consisted of robes, masks, and cone hats, and were designed to be frightening. The second KKK flourished nationwide in the early and mid 1920s, and adopted the same costumes and code words as the first Klan, while introducing cross burnings. The third KKK emerged after World War II and was associated with opposing the civil rights movement and progress among minorities. The KKK were extreme white supremacists who terrorized ex-slaves in the most brutal manner.The Klan attacked black members of the Loyal Leagues and intimidated southern Republicans and Freedmen's Bureau workers. When they killed black political leaders, they also took heads of families, along with the leaders of churches and community groups, because people had many roles. Agents of the Freedmen's Bureau reported weekly assaults and murders of blacks. The KKK killed and wounded more than 200 black Republicans, hunting and chasing them through the woods. The KKK made people vote Democratic and even gave them certificates of the fact.
Black Codes
The Black Codes were unofficial laws put in place in the south in an attempt to limit the basic rights of blacks. These included the poll tax and the literacy test.
