How Did The Ku Klux Klan Affect Our Society

Forever. 170). The Klan were white southerners who were organized and committed to the breaking down of Reconstruction. By methods of brutality, “the Klan during Reconstruction offers the most extensive example of homegrown terrorism in American history” (Foner. Forever. 171). The Ku Klux Klan as well as other groups killed or tormented black politicians or threatened the blacks who voted in elections. The Klan strongly disagreed with the northern idea that slaves should become part of the government. The Historian Kenneth M. Stampp states, “for their [the North] supreme offense was not corruption but attempting to organize the Negroes for political action” (Stampp. Era. 159). This corresponds with Foner’s idea that the South was not open to the idea of change but more so consumed with the idea of recreating a society similar to one of the past. However, the goal of white power groups was not just politics. The Klan wanted to restore the hierarchy once controlling the South. Foner observes that, “the organization took on the function of the antebellum slave patrols: making sure that blacks did not violate the rules and etiquette of white supremacy” (Foner. Forever. 172). Like the power the southern whites formerly held over the slave population, the Ku Klux Klan wanted to control the African American population still living in the South. They did not want the freedmen to become integrated into their society because they saw them as lesser people. By suppressing and

The Ku Klux Klan, also known as the KKK, was thriving in its second generation during the 1920s. The Ku Klux Klan was reborn by William J. Simmons, with the intentions of creating a world with only one race. Simmons’ inspiration came from the film, “Birth of a Nation”. The Ku Klux Klan became more hateful and violent than ever, creating a sense of fear among not only African-Americans, but Jews, Catholics, and immigrants too.

Through research and evidence, it is clear that the historical interpretations of the origins of Klan and its establishment as an organization and its origins have changed over time. Starting in 1906, historians argued that the Klan was a benevolent, social organization, working as law-enforcers to help maintain a distinct social order between Southern whites and newly freed slaves. Completely ignoring the violence produced by the Klan, historians depicted the Klan as a positive, well-rounded organization. The second historical interpretation shone a new light on the Klan, exposing it for its violent and racially motivated actions. Historians argued that the Klan’s establishment was as a political organization that made a negative and lasting impression on all of U.S. history. The third and final interpretation argues that the Klan was established as a result of a struggling planter class. Historical interpretations during this time period describe the main goal of the Klan as wanting to answer to the desires and goals of the planters’ class. Because of this, historians during this era never saw the Klan as being an obstacle for newly freed slaves nor did they see the Klan having a negative effect on society. In conclusion, it is evident that historical interpretations develop and

Ku Klux Klan was officially a racial organization. They did not have a name yet , but

The goal of this investigation is to delve into the question of: to what extent was the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan during the 1920s a reflection of societal change? In order to assess this question from multiple perspectives on the topic, research is needed to further look into the Klan’s motives both prior to their revival as well as after. Events in the 1870s, when the Klan ended, as well as events in the 1920s, when the klan was reborn, will be considered in this investigation in order to make connections between the KKK and why their revival in the 1920s reflected societal change. Among these events include the end of Reconstruction, the Progressive Era, increase of immigration to the United States, as well as the “red scare” of communism.

Hooded Americanism: The First Century of the Ku Klux Klan: 1865 to the Present by David Chalmers records the history of the Ku Klux Klan quite bluntly, all the way from its creation following the civil war, to the early 1960’s. The author starts the book quite strongly by discussing in detail many acts of violence and displays of hatred throughout the United States. He makes a point to show that the Klan rode robustly throughout all of the country, not just in the southern states. The first several chapters of the book focus on the Klan’s creation in 1865. He goes on to discuss the attitude of many Americans following the United State’s Civil War and how the war shaped a new nation. The bulk of the book is used to go through many of

America’s history is full of groups of vigilantes set out to right the wrongs of society. A disturbing example of a very successful group of vigilantes is the Ku Klux Klan or the KKK. The KKK was seen in numbers reaching the millions in the late nineteenth century to the early twentieth century. The KKK can be identified as a group of vigilantes because they came about after the Civil War and the eradication of slavery. The founders of the KKK had the mindset of the vigilante because they believed in the superiority of the white race and thought it was justified to protect that superiority over blacks, Jews and other minorities. Although according to society’s standards the KKK were terrorists, racists and

This was a perfect time for the Klan to sell themselves to the American people, they offered everything Americans wanted at the time. The Klan acted on the heels of war and took advantage of the mind crippled Americans. Mecklin also points out that "Americans acted on their emotions very blindly"(Mecklin, 122). This was in turn a perfect fit for the Klan and America. The war torn Americans never wanted to feel in danger again, and for this reason they believed in the Klan. Americans followed The Klan with the hopes of eradicating any possible foreign dangers. The Klan deceived post war Americans and preached to them what they wanted to hear. The Klan gained millions of members during this time period and must attribute it to the conditions aroused by war.

The Ku Klux Klan was formed in 1866 by six former Confederate officers in Pulaski, Tennessee. The K.K.K was at first a social organization to play practical jokes on themselves and others, but then turned into a racist organization that threated the lives of African Americans. “The first two words of the organization’s name supposedly derived from the Greek word “kyklos,” meaning circle.” The members of the K.K.K hung African Americans to kill and show that all whites want to rule this country. Some modern historians call The Ku Klux Klan trials a great victory while others say it was an epic failure. The K.K.K. wanted white people to rule, even if they used “forced by force, to use force.”[Bartoletti, pg.13] By farming this group Klansmen

Imagine sleeping fearfully in a society where many friends and family are being constantly persecuted because of the amount of pigment beneath the skin. Would most know exactly what to do during the widespread of the 1900s despicable group known as the Ku Klux Klan? Those of prior time periods asked themselves a question, similar to one such as, What true impact does the Ku Klux Klan truly have on American society? When the Ku Klux Klan began, there was an enormous amount of fear infused into the hearts, minds, and souls of black America. The Klan, through growth and changing their principals, were able to entice racist American men into joining this heinous group of madmen. The Ku Klux Klan’s beginnings - how and why they came to be - their

Eight months after the Civil War, in the south the government was weak and there were no jobs available. On Christmas Eve of 1866, six confederate veterans started a social hate group in Pulaski, Tennessee. The six confederate veterans were John Lester, James Crowe, John Kennedy, Calvin Jones, Richard Reed, and Frank McCord. The group started off as just wanting to have fun and keep themselves entertained. The six founders were well educated and came from wealthy families. From their Greek knowledge, they use the word kyklos meaning circle and then added the word Klan. The Ku Klux Klan was then born. Nathan Bedford Forrest was the first leader of the Klan. He was known as the “Grand Wizard.”

Topic: In 1866, the Ku Klux Klan was founded by many former confederate veterans in retaliation to their current Republican Party’s Reconstruction-era policies aimed at establishing political and economic equality for blacks. The Reconstruction era sparked by President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation clearly defined that the days of white superiority were in dissolution. Through a willful ignorance and an insecurity of what might postlude the civil rights movement, the KKK rose, using terror in pursuit of their white supremacist agenda. Nathan Bedford Forrest, a former Lieutenant general in the Civil war, became the KKK's first Grand Wizard. Now with a steady leader the klan became a persistent political party aimed at dismantling the increasingly

Supreme Justice Thurgood Marshall once stated that “the Ku Klux Klan never dies. They just stop wearing sheets because sheets cost too much” (Biography Staff, 2017). With the birth of America in 1776 and the Klan emerging in 1866, the not-so-invisible empire has claimed a place in America’s history. During the centuries, three summits have risen and declined, each wave becoming more open about their appearance than the last, proving to a point, that Thurgood Marshall’s quote is correct. The Ku Klux Klan, also known as the ‘KKK’ or the ‘Klan’, is a native-born hate group and according to the FBI’s definition of domestic terrorism, stating “the unlawful use, or threatened use, of force or violence…within the United

The Ku Klux Klan is another violent attestation to the savagery of society. The Ku Klux Klan was a racist and white supremacist organization that lived in two incarnations. The K.K.K. used terror, violence and illegal tactics to achieve its goals (Schroder). The Klan appeared in the late 1800’s and later in the 1910’s, both times they featured the same brutal stratagem and mass following. Murder, beatings, and even sexual assault were used to push their ideals. Not only did the Klan live in these periods, but also in a modern setting. Twenty sixteen featured racist slander, and the acceptance of meme culture, which glorified the lynchings and rapings of African Americans. Meme culture is used to stereotype black citizens as drug users, and welfare receivers. The K.K.K. is still affecting modern culture whether it be a physical organization or a slight online influence. Ku Klux Klan illustrates how horrible people are.

The KKK was a Christian organisation formed in Pulaski, Tennessee on December the 24th, 1865. The name ‘Ku Klux Klan’ is derived from the Greek word ‘kylos’, meaning ‘circle,’ and the Scottish–Gaelic word of ‘clan’ - for the sake of alliteration. The 19th-century clan established to reverse the post-civil war laws which elevated the rights of the African-American population and to prevent the abolishment of slavery. The original KKK group reached its peak between 1868 and 1870, having introduced the first extreme aspects of racism and discrimination following the introduction of laws after the war.