Carpetbaggers, Scalawags, and the Ku Klux Klan Guided Notes
Carpetbaggers and Scalawags:
By 1869, the Republican Party seemed stronger than ever

o however, most Republican officeholders were unpopular with white
southerners
 southerners referred to them as carpetbaggers name given because they supposedly rushed
south carrying all of their possessions in bags
made from carpet
o southern Democrats cared even less for scalawags southern Democrats believed these southerners had
betrayed the South by voting for the Republican Party

Ku Klux Klan:
Ku Klux Klan members known as Klansmen and wore hooded white robes to hide their
identities

 carried out activities at night

o KKK’s power was reduced, but less organized groups of whites would continue to
assault African Americans for decades to come

o 1915- movie called Birth of a Nation released, which retold the story
of the Reconstruction era

 membership surged, with an estimated 3 to 8 million members
in the 1920’s

 Civil Rights movement of the 1950’s and 1960’s, led by African Americans
such as Martin Luther King Jr., also resulted in an upsurge of KKK activity
o there were around 50,000 active KKK members at this time
o
 KKK members responded by beating and sometimes
murdering civil rights activists, bombing buildings used by the
activists, and burning crosses on activists’ property

 membership dwindled as civil rights laws were
enforced
