Republicans and the Ku Klux Klan in North Carolina

The end of the Civil War brought an era of Reconstruction to North Carolina as well as the rest of the south. The task of Reconstruction involved creating a society in which everyone was equal regardless of race. The struggle between the Republican and Democratic parties made this process difficult. The emergence of white rebellion groups, such as the Ku Klux Klan, made it nearly impossible, especially since Republicans were key targets of Klan violence. Governor William Woods Holden and the Republican Party had the strenous task of suppressing the Klan violence. This task became a political war known as the Kirk-Holden War. Governor Holden carried out the decisions of the Republican Party, and these actions lead to his impeachment and the downfall of the Republican Party in the state.