Question

question 3 of 10

after the governments campaign against the ku klux klan, most klan leaders went into:

a. government office to change the laws.
b. business so they would be respected.
c. law so they wouldnt be prosecuted.
d. hiding for fear of being jailed.

Explanation:

Analyze the federal campaign against the Klan

Using the Enforcement Acts knowledge point, the federal government passed legislation in 1870 and 1871, specifically the Civil Rights Act of 1871 (also known as the Ku Klux Klan Act), to combat white supremacist violence in the South. Under these acts, President Ulysses S. Grant suspended habeas corpus in several South Carolina counties and sent federal troops to arrest suspected Klan members.

Determine the outcome for Klan leaders

The aggressive federal prosecution and military intervention led to the arrest of thousands of Klan members. To avoid prosecution, federal trials, and imprisonment, most Klan leaders and active members fled their communities or went into hiding, which effectively dismantled the first incarnation of the Klan during Reconstruction.

Evaluate the given options

• A. government office to change the laws: Incorrect. Klan leaders were being actively prosecuted as criminals and did not transition into federal or state offices to change these specific enforcement laws.
• B. business so they would be respected: Incorrect. Their primary concern was avoiding criminal prosecution, not seeking respectability in business.
• C. law so they wouldn't be prosecuted: Incorrect. Entering the legal profession would not protect them from active federal criminal charges.
• D. hiding for fear of being jailed: Correct. Fearing federal arrest, military detention, and jail time, most leaders went into hiding or fled.

Answer:

• (A) government office to change the laws.
• (B) business so they would be respected.

<mcq-option>(C) law so they wouldn't be prosecuted.</mcq-correct>

• (D) hiding for fear of being jailed. (Correct answer)