Separate but equal
After the passage of the reconstruction amendments, things began to get worse for black people in the South. Many whites would not accept the new changes. The economy in the south was stagnant and taxes were high. There was a good deal of corruption which was made worse by carpetbaggers from the north and southern supporters of reconstruction called scalawags. Out of fear and hatred, white supremacy groups such as the Ku Klux Klan were born. Through the use of violence including lynching, rape, murder and terrorism, they sought to control African Americans and keep them from using their new rights.