In this task, we ask you to rewrite a sentence in simple English without changing its general meaning. Essentially, you want to make the sentence easier to read by using simpler words, utilizing more straightforward sentence structures, and omitting non-essential information etc.

Q: Cygnus X-1 ( abbreviated Cyg X-1 ) is a galactic X-ray source in the constellation Cygnus , and the first such source widely accepted to be a black hole .

A: Cygnus X-1 was the first X-ray source accepted as a black hole .
****
Q: The local Ku Klux Klan , insurgent Confederate Army veterans , directed their violence at eradicating the Republican Party in the county , assassinating more than 150 Republican Party officials and other prominent African Americans as part of a successful campaign to retain white Democratic power in the county .

A: Ku Klux Klan members , including Confederate Army veterans , assassinated over 150 Republican Party officials and important African-Americans as part of a successful campaign to retain conservative white Democratic power .
****
Q: Any object that symbolically — or , more precisely , iconically — resembles a penis may also be referred to as a phallus ; however , such objects are more often referred to as being phallic ( as in " phallic symbol " ) .

A:
Any object that symbolically resembles a penis may also be referred to as a phallus , or as being " phallic " ( as in ' phallic symbol ' ) .
****