After the Civil War, former slaves who were now free men and women, were legally entitled to vote. However, many people in the south who were once slave owners, found it intolerable for African Americans to vote like white people. The Ku Klux Klan terrorized and even killed black men and women who tried to vote. In the south after the war, white former slave owners lynched "hung" African Americans for voting or trying to vote. However, Northerners did want former slaves to vote for the candidates that these Northerners, called Carpetbaggers, wanted to put into political office. Even in America during the 1960's, African Americans were afraid to vote for fear of being harassed or even killed.
