Black Politicians

 Black politicians elected during Reconstruction had some successes ◦ Creating a foundation for public education ◦ Establishing state assistance for the disabled ◦ Reforming the criminal justice system  However, they ultimately failed to end racial discrimination in public facilities or bring about programs that significantly improved the lives of their constituents  They were divided among themselves and also in the minority to white Republicans that drove the agenda

 Republican politicians both white and black were divided and inexperienced  They continually disagreed over issues as well as who should be nominated for certain positions  This competitiveness limited their ability to be effective while in office

 Most white southerners led by Democrats remained completely opposed to letting black men run for political office  They sought to “redeem” the south by removing blacks from politics  They were determined to do this politically and/or violently

 The belief that black men did not belong in politics led to the creation of terrorist groups such as the Ku Klux Klan, the White Camellia, the White Brotherhood and the White caps  These were groups that used violence as a means to force black people out of politics and restore Democratic rule to the south

 The KKK was formed in Tennessee in It included men from all parts of white society including politicians  They were most active in areas where there was a large black minority that could influence the outcome of elections  They virtually took over parts of Alabama, Georgia and Florida  They never appeared in the Georgia and Carolina low country where blacks were the overwhelming majority

 The Klan reduced support for the Republican party and helped eliminate its leaders  They wore hoods and masks to hide their faces, they beat and killed hundreds of black people and many white people  Black churches and schools were burned. Republican leaders were routinely threatened and killed

 The Klan held such wide support that little was done to stop them  The Governor of S. Carolina refused to send aid to a community besieged by the Klan because most of the members of the militia were supporters of the KKK  Republican legislatures passed anti-klan legislation that made wearing a mask in public illegal but it was not well enforced  Outnumbered and outgunned black people in most areas did not retaliate against the KKK. But, the Klan refused to attack areas of where blacks had a majority and were ready to defend themselves

 Prejudice also existed in the Indian Territories in Oklahoma here former slaveholding Native Americans had fought for the Confederacy  Throughout the western territories struggles for the rights of freedmen existed similar to their difficulties in the south

 1. Why weren’t black politicians more successful after the civil war?  2. Why were Southerners so bitterly and violently opposed to black and white Republicans exercising political power?  3. What was the purpose of the Ku Klux Klan and how effective was it?  4. How did the KKK influence politics in the south?  5. How were African Americans treated in the West?