Which secret organization used violence and intimidation to oppose Reconstruction and African American political participation?

• A. Ku Klux Klan
• B. Carpetbaggers
• C. Scalawags
• D. Exposition

Answer: (A)

This item tests understanding of groups that used violence to undermine Reconstruction and Black political participation. The Ku Klux Klan fits this description because it was a secret white supremacist organization formed after the Civil War that terrorized Black communities and their supporters. Its tactics—threats, beatings, lynching, arson, and intimidation at elections—were aimed at suppressing Black voting and dismantling Reconstruction efforts, with the goal of restoring white supremacy in the South. By contrast, carpetbaggers were Northern outsiders who moved south, and scalawags were Southern whites who supported Reconstruction; neither is a secret violent group dedicated to reversing Reconstruction. Exposition is not a group at all.