By the spring of 1865, Confederate forces had admitted their cause to secede from the union. The Union victory signified the end of an era in the South, abolished slavery, and completely disrupted Southern society. The once-prosperous South was now reduced to rubble, massive cities like Charleston and Richmond were ravaged by war, and their economies were crippled by inflation and unproductive agriculture. In this turmoil, newly freed slaves had a particularly difficult task of finding their place in society, and many Southern whites were concerned about the implications their freedom would have on them, so the Ku Klux Klan was formed. Terrorist groups like the Klan were able to thrive in the South because of the turmoil resulting from the war, the South was in disarray, and the outrage over emancipation made blacks targets. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original EssayIn 1868, the Ku Klux Klan made it clear that its purpose was to prevent free blacks from exercising their rights and to fight the new social structure that had emerged. While campaigning in South Carolina, they demonstrated that they would not tolerate the black vote and ended up killing eight black men, two of whom were members of Congress. From 1870 to 1871 the Klan's activities were particularly alarming, intended to "oppose Negro rule, bayonets... and legislators." During this 9-month period in South Carolina, six murders were attributed to the Klan and the whippings and beatings could have been counted in the hundreds. As the actions of the Ku Klux Klan were becoming more heinous and frequent, the federal government needed a way to protect citizens' constitutional rights. . The enforcement law was initially passed to prevent their rights from being violated, but it proved ineffective in doing so. Congress later passed a much stronger law, the Ku Klux Act, aimed at those who conspire to deprive citizens of their legal rights. This act would allow President Grant to declare an area under martial law and suspend habeas corpus, but across the nation people opposed this bill. Democrats argued that the bill gave the president tyrannical and unconstitutional powers, but Republicans such as Robert B. Elliot argued that because citizens were being denied a republican form of government, action needed to be taken to grant it to them. Klan violence had forced refugees, both white and black, to hide in the woods from Klan attacks. The situation had become so serious that it was publicized by the New York Times, and Attorney General Akerman urged President Grant to use forceful action to end this crisis. Ultimately, Grant was persuaded to take decisive action by warning the Klan to disarm within 5 days, but to no avail. After the 5 days Grant suspended habeas corpus and Akerman began putting together a list of possible Klansmen. His strategy was to strike several cities suddenly and simultaneously, while supported by the 7th Cavalry. Akerman and Grant's strategy was intended to instill panic throughout the Klan and was enormously successful: within 10 days of the proclamation, 100 arrests were made, and by the end of November, 600 arrests had been made. The first people to be tried at the Ku Klux court cases were Robert Hayes Mitchell. Mitchell was an ordinary farmer, a subordinate of the Klan, but he provided important testimony to the federal government detailing the inner workings of the Klan and itscrimes. The case also revealed an elaborate series of signs and passwords used by the Klan to maintain secrecy and identify each other, as well as the Klan's constitution and its deadly oath of secrecy. Another conspiracy charge against Mitchell involved assaulting a black man and his family, ultimately defense attorney Reverdy Johnson could not dispute the Klan's charges of violence and stated they were "... brutes, callous to the obligations of humanity and religion". Throughout 1872, Klan arrests continued to be made in South Carolina, but it appeared that the government's war against the Klan was coming to an end. There was a lack of funds for the ongoing prosecutions of the Klan, and in January 1872 Attorney General Akerman resigned his position. Akerman's successor was less concerned about Klan violence, even when a federal marshal was murdered and a prosecution witness had his throat cut. That same year, Congress decided to reinstate habeas corpus, which hampered authorities' ability to detain and criminally prosecute suspected Klan members. In August, Ku Klux convicts began to be pardoned, and the war ended when Rutherford B. Hayes ordered an end to Reconstruction in 1877. The government's decision to suspend habeas corpus in South Carolina was a controversial issue at the time. Some have argued that the suspension of habeas corpus was a tyrannical decision, but I believe it was necessary to put an end to the Klan's terrorist behavior. By suspending habeas corpus the government could imprison suspected Klan members more efficiently and help protect the rights of those they terrorized. In 1876, the Supreme Court decided that the Ku Klux Act was unconstitutional and had unfairly superseded states' rights. Although the Supreme Court made this decision, the suspension of habeas corpus was necessary to ensure that blacks, and everyone else the Klan terrorized, had a republican form of government. Although they take place in disparate contexts, the 1871 war on terror against the KKK and the current war against Al-Qaeda share some similarities. They are similar in that the terrorists' main goal was to terrorize the enemies of their ideologies; Southern white supremacists wanted to terrorize blacks and their sympathizers while Al-Qaeda terrorizes the enemies of their version of radical Islam. Both groups also came to prominence after major unrest shook their respective regions; in the South, the KKK was created after the American Civil War, and Al-Qaeda was formed following a war against Russia. These regions were devastated following wars and extremism managed to grow in its ruins, and in response, the American government took drastic measures to combat both terrorist groups. Grant suspended habeus corpus to end the KKK's reign of terror, and the United States invaded Iraq in part to combat terrorist organizations. In summary, the end of the Civil War left the South in chaos and Southerners now had to deal with the fact that blacks were now free and could advance in society. The outrage of this truth led Southerners to take action against freed blacks and to take whatever measures were necessary to keep them in subjection. The Ku Klux Klan was a terrorist organization formed in response, and their aim was to terrorize freed blacks and anyone who opposed their racist ideologies. For a time the Klan operated unopposed, killing, beating, and whipping people in the South, but a public outcry against these terrorists forced the government to act. Please note: this is just an example. Get one now.