The Reconstruction was to be a time of rebuilding and healing for the South following the Civil War, but was marked by the continued strong hatred and hostility between liberated African Americans and angry Ku Klux Klan members.

This work deals with the Reconstruction-era Klan, a paramilitary group with political aims using violence and intimidation to achieve its goals. It addresses exclusively the Klan's activities in York County, South Carolina, during the years 1865-1877, and clarifies some misconceptions about the Reconstruction Klan and disentangles it from later organizations that used the same name.