Congressional Hearings on the Ku Klux Klan - Essay Example

Blacks experienced a number of racial and political violence and injustice from the Ku Klux Klan. The inactivity of the government towards these injustices and the reports from the Joint Select Committee to Inquire into the Conditions of Affairs in the Late Insurrection States make it difficult for historians to understand what really happened among blacks as they intentionally blind their eyes from the activity and secretly support the Ku Klux Klan to preserve the Republicans and white supremacy. Failure of some sheriffs to make some arrests, refusal of juries to deliver verdicts, a few numbers of federal troops stationed in the South to pacify violence, and the lack of confidence among law enforcement were some of the evidence that lead to suppression of information during the Ku Klux Klan time (Brown and Shannon, 272-273).

Many historians considered the report as the richest source of history at that time. However, the Joint Select Committee to Inquire into the Conditions of Affairs in the Late Insurrection States has made it possible to pass the Ku Klux Klan Act. Under this law, the crime committed by a private person against another citizen becomes legal as long as its purpose is to preserve and protect the states. With these legal conditions, the Ku Klux Klan has gained more power to suppress the blacks and inflict violence, especially when it comes to their rights to suffrage as there will be a law that could exempt them from possible persecution. The lives of black citizens were put into danger as the Joint Select Committee report even endorsed the Ku Klux Klan together with federal troops, courts, and suspension of the writ of habeas corpus. Thus, this showed that even the most accurate facts can be corrupted when political biases are involved.

As you would notice, the majority of the witnesses during the Joint Select Committee to Inquire into the Conditions of Affairs in the Late Insurrection States were Republicans. Some also narrate their stories on hearsays which were accepted by the court. In general, all of the witnesses did not recognize any member of the Ku Klux Klan because they were in disguise. There was a belief that Republicans paid these witnesses to come up with the script about Ku Klux Klan. Read More