Final answer:
The KKK pushed to pass laws against African Americans and controlled Southern states, serving in Congress between 1921-1924. They supported Jim Crow laws and anti-immigration legislation to maintain white supremacy.
Step-by-step explanation:
The correct answer to the student's question is C) African Americans and Southern. The Ku Klux Klan (KKK) was a white supremacist organization that was particularly active during the early 20th century. In the period from 1921 to 1924, the KKK influenced politics significantly, pushing for laws against African Americans and exerting control over Southern states. Members of the KKK not only served in state legislatures but also had a presence in Congress during this era. The group was instrumental in perpetuating the system of Jim Crow laws that enforced racial segregation and disenfranchisement of African Americans in the South.
Discrimination and Anti-Immigration Legislation
Throughout the late nineteenth century and into the early twentieth century, immigrants and minorities in the United States faced significant discrimination and restrictive legislation. This included the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and subsequent efforts like the Asiatic Exclusion League to prevent further immigration from Asian countries. Nativist groups such as the American Protective Association and the Immigration Restriction League campaigned against immigrants from central and southern Europe, advocating for barriers like a literacy test as a condition for entry. Although immigration policies began to shift with the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, which lifted restrictions and favored family ties and skills, the history of anti-immigration sentiment has been a recurring theme in American society.