Bernard Powers

I'm calling from Princeton, New Jersey.

I am a smarter, more informed, and probably more interesting person.

Having found and started listening to your podcast, you are listening to ThruLine on NPR.

In South Carolina, the state militia is organized by the Republican administration.

The state militia essentially becomes a black militia.

It is comprised of black men because southern white men would not really join it.

It went off like an explosion in South Carolina.

The final one of these acts was also known as the KKK Act, the Ku Klux Klan Act.

When you see this at the top level, at the congressional level, you say, oh my goodness, well, Congress is...

doing things, it's acting, except the problem is at the implementation level.

And so you see these measures occurring that have been passed by Congress, seeming to indicate growing strength and commitment to Reconstruction, except at the state level,

And the Grant Administration will begin to more aggressively implement the Enforcement Acts, working along with the newly organized Justice Department that Amos Ackerman will head.

Ackerman's most important job was to prove that the Ku Klux Klan was a conspiracy.

South Carolina was seen as kind of a test case.

This is Todd from Minneapolis.

Part three, wins and losses.

So Merrill goes after him.

He just starts rolling him up.

He goes to the house of a very big leader of the Klan.

He sends one of his lieutenants there.