Research Guides: Ku Klux Klan Hearings in the U.S. Congressional Serial Set: FAQ

U.S. Congress. Senate. Testimony Taken by the Joint Select Committee to Inquire into the Condition of Affairs in the Late Insurrectionary States. Mississippi, Vol. II. 42nd cong., 2nd sess., 1872. S.Rpt. 41, pt. 12, serial 1495, illustration following p. 1158. Via HathiTrust.

"Over the course of seven months in 1871, Congress did something extraordinary for the time: It listened to Black people."

Tiffany R. Wright, Ciarra N. Carr, and Jade W.P. Gasek. "Truth and Reconciliation: The Ku Klux Klan Hearings of 1871 and the Genesis of Section 1983." Dickinson Law Review 126, no. 3 (Spring 2022): 685.

Please be aware that this guide points to materials that portray and defend racism, oppression, and the brutality of oppression.

FAQ

Q. In how many volumes were the hearings published?
A. 13 volumes in the House reports and 13 volumes in the Senate reports. The sets should be largely identical. List.
Q. How many pages total in the 13 House reports?
A. 8264 pages.
Q. How many witnesses?
A. "A total of 586 witnesses testified, including African American men and women who spoke at significant risk to themselves and their families, white Republicans, ex-Confederate generals, and members of the KKK." Source: Portraits in Oversight: Congress Investigates KKK Violence During Reconstruction, Levin Center for Oversight and Democracy, Wayne State Law School.
Q. I'd like to learn more about the witnesses.
A. Begin with Alexander (cited on the "Other Resources" tab). You might also try biographical sources, other scholarly sources, and the U.S. Decennial Census.
Q. What was the charge of the Joint Select Committee on the Insurrectionary States?
A. Examine the concurrent resolution on the Home tab and on the "Other Resources" tab, 7 April 1871.
Q. What members were on the Joint Select Committee on the Insurrectionary States?
A. See the "Joint Select Committee" tab and sources cited there.
Q. I'd like some biographical information about the members of the committee.
A. See Congressional Directory and Biographical Directory of the United States Congress cited on the "Other Resources" tab. Ask us for more sources of biographical information.
Q. What were the findings of the committee and the outcomes of the hearings?
A. See Part 1, pp. 1-100.
Q. When did the 42nd congress begin and end? A.

Congress & Session	Begin Date - Adjourn Date
42nd congress, 1st session	Mar 4, 1871 - Apr 20, 1871
42nd congress, Special session	May 10, 1871 - May 27, 1871
42nd congress, 2nd session	Dec 4, 1871 - Jun 10, 1872
42nd congress, 3rd session	Dec 2, 1872 - Mar 3, 1873

Source: Dates of Sessions of the Congress, U.S. Senate.