Why Did White Southern Groups Such as the Ku Klux

Why did white southern groups such as the Ku Klux Klan charge that black men were sexual predators who sought access to white women?

A) To assert control over African American men in the aftermath of slavery
B) To win sympathy for the plight of women in northern newspapers
C) To protest the growing rate of interracial marriage that cost them potential marriage partners
D) To hide their shame over their inability to attract suitable marriage partners