This “Portraits in Oversight” video discusses the Ku Klux Klan’s reign of terror during Reconstruction and the congressional investigations that exposed their violence. This episode highlights the Klan’s tactics of intimidation and brutality against formerly enslaved citizens and their allies, as well as the courageous individuals who testified before Congress, risking their lives to speak truth to power. Through primary-source images and expert commentary, the video brings to life the struggle for civil rights in the post-Civil War South and underscores the importance of congressional oversight in protecting the rights of all citizens.

The “Portraits in Oversight” video series is a product of The Carl Levin Center for Oversight and Democracy. The Center was established in 2015 to carry on the legislative oversight legacy and public vision of U.S. Senator Carl Levin. Our civic education program, Learning by Hearings, provides US History and Civics teachers with materials for inquiry lessons and in-class simulations, using noteworthy congressional investigations and hearings to bring to life principles of accountable governance and historic figures central to the development of our democracy. These FREE resources are made available through the support of the State of Michigan and the Michigan Department of Education and the work of Detroit PBS.