Final answer:
Abram Colby, an African American legislator, was targeted by the Ku Klux Klan for his political role during Reconstruction. He faced intimidation and distress as tactics used by the Klan to suppress African American progress and maintain white supremacy.
Step-by-step explanation:
The person who was targeted by the Ku Klux Klan was Abram Colby, whom they wanted to bring down due to his position as an African American legislator during the Reconstruction Era after the Civil War. The Klan aimed to intimidate and suppress African Americans and their allies to regain white supremacy in the South. Colby's testimony in 1872 to the Joint Select Committee Report gives us insight into this. During the time when he wrote the document, Colby had experienced intimidation and distress, which was part of the Klan's method of using violence and terror to influence and control the political and social status quo.
The reasoning behind the Klan's target on Colby was his political influence and status as an example of African American progress during Reconstruction. They used methods such as whipping, beating, and threats to discourage him from continuing his political engagement and to instill fear in others who might follow in his footsteps.