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UNIT 13: Reconstruction
UNIT 13: Reconstruction
Lesson: Rise of the KKK
Lesson: Rise of the KKK
Tennessee State Standards:
Tennessee State Standards:
8.73 Trace the rise of the Ku Klux Klan and vigilante justice in the South and in Tennessee, including the role of Governor William Brownlow.
8.73 Trace the rise of the Ku Klux Klan and vigilante justice in the South and in Tennessee, including the role of Governor William Brownlow.
8.74 Explain the roles carpetbaggers and scalawags played during Reconstruction.
8.74 Explain the roles carpetbaggers and scalawags played during Reconstruction.
8.75 Explain the Compromise of 1877 and its role in ending Radical Reconstruction.
8.75 Explain the Compromise of 1877 and its role in ending Radical Reconstruction.
The Ku Klux Klan
The Ku Klux Klan
THE KKK IS ESTABLISHED
THE KKK IS ESTABLISHED
Most ex-Confederates were Conservative Democrats who resisted the changes forced on the south by Radical Republicans. They resented Republican attempts to disenfranchise them after the war. They thought the Freedman's Bureau was trying to convert former slaves to Radical Republicanism. But most African-Americans naturally supported the Republican Party because it had freed them from slavery and tried to ensure their rights as citizens.
In 1866, six Confederate veterans formed the Ku Klux Klan in Pulaski, Tennessee. At first it was a young man's social club.
THE 14TH AMENDMENT
THE 14TH AMENDMENT
That same year, Governor Brownlow tried to help former slaves by helping ratify the 14th Amendment. Some Tennessee legislators refused to vote on the amendment or attend the voting session hoping there would not be enough legislatures present for the vote to count, but Governor Brownlow found out!
He had to had legislators arrested and jailed in the state capital building. Therefore, even though they didn’t vote, they were counted as present. The legislature voted to ratify the 14th amendment, and Tennessee reenter the United States before any other Confederate state.
William BrownlowMilitary Governor of Tennessee
THE KKK RETURNS
THE KKK RETURNS
In 1867, the KKK reorganized and began terrorizing and killing former slaves, with the intent of keeping whites in power. Governor Brownlow activated the militia including 1,600 state guards to try to crush the Klan in Tennessee. However, the Klan began to spread throughout much of the south.
Klansman wore white robes and hoods, which struck fear in the hearts of many blacks. Klan members attacked, murdered, and lynched African-American men, women, and children, along with their white supporters. The Klan helped to bring white supremacy back to the south before temporarily disbanding in 1869.
THE 15TH AMENDMENT
THE 15TH AMENDMENT
Congress passed the 15th amendment in 1870. At that time, southern states used poll taxes, literacy tests, and other means to disenfranchise African-Americans. Poll taxes also kept many poor whites from voting. White officials often used a literacy test to decide who could vote. Most former slaves were illiterate, so were many poor whites.
If the person administering the test wanted a person to pass, he or she might ask only the easiest questions. If the administrator wanted a person to fail, they might require a person to answer all the test questions correctly in very little time.
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