Final answer:
The redeemers utilized terror and intimidation as tactics to restore the antebellum social order and maintain white supremacy. They felt threatened by the changes Reconstruction brought and collaborated with the Ku Klux Klan and other groups to suppress African American voting and civil rights, leading to the collapse of Reconstruction.
Step-by-step explanation:
The redeemers resorted to terror in their campaign to regain political control of the South for several reasons. They desired to restore the antebellum social order and maintain white supremacy. Following the Civil War and during the period of Reconstruction, the Southern society was transformed, and many white Southerners, particularly members of the Democratic Party, were disgruntled with the new status quo which had African Americans in positions of power and introduced public services funded by taxing large landowners. To combat this, they leveraged organizations like the Ku Klux Klan to intimidate, assault, and even murder those who opposed their ideology or who threatened their desired social structure. Efforts to put down paramilitary terror in the South waned, and by using violence and intimidation, particularly during election times, the redeemers sought to reestablish political dominance and suppress African American civil rights and voting power.
Recognizable groups such as the Redshirts and the White League participated in overt acts of intimidation, while the women in the community showed support through symbolic attire like red flannel shirts and ribbons. Despite the proclaimed goals, the rampant corruption and violence by such groups only echoed the broader racial animosity in the South and contributed to the eventual collapse of Reconstruction.