Junior Ku Klux Klan

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

A year into the Klan, leaders wanted to create a hierarchical organization. As a result, in 1867, Klan’s from all over the South gathered in Tennessee and gave former Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest full control of the Klan (The History Channel, 2005). Later interviewed by a Charleston newspaper, Forrest boasted that the member count exceeded 40,000 men in Tennessee alone and over 550,000 in all the Southern states (The Charleston, 1868). Never achieving organization, local chapters continued to go about their business, settling things in a way they deemed fit, this, in turn, would be one of the reasons for the decline of the Klan.

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

The Ku Klux Klan was a secret terrorist organization that was created by six well educated Confederate veterans in Pulaski, Tennessee in the December of 1865. Their main objective was to restore white supremacy through acts of violence such as murder, against both Black and White Republicans. The KKK had eventually spread to every southern state, and Klansmen would often terrorize republicans regardless of their race. Members of the KKK believed that African Americans were inferior to Whites and did not believe that Blacks deserved equal rights. Although the rebel groups were outlawed and made illegal, many of them remained in existence and appeared after the reconstruction had ended. This proved the Reconstruction to be ineffective as many Southerners were still fighting against the government and opposed them. In addition, African Americans were still deprived of their rights by these

The KKK was made up of “first class men”(Colby 513), which showed the amount of money and power the south had. The KKK got away with murder in the south while intimidating the northerners, and people who wanted to end slavery. They uses intimidation to the republicans and supporters to gain political power, as why the south is responsible for the end of

The Klu Klux Klan was formed in 1866 by a group of Confederate soldiers in Pulaski, Tennessee. It was a social club or fraternity for the veterans but later had different views and became a terrorist group (PBS). The name of the group came from the Greek word “kyklos” meaning circle and then they added Klan to make the name flow (History.com Staff). It did not start with the thought of malicious activity. They would have secret meetings and elaborate ceremonies to discuss how they could stop reconstruction after the civil war. The members would wear white sheets that covered their whole body and pointy white caps to make them appear taller. This was an all white group and ended up being one of the deadliest terrorist groups (EyeWitness to History). General Nathan Bedford Forrest was the Klu Klux Klan’s first “grand wizard,” also known as

The group known as the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) was first founded in 1866. The KKK was organized by white supremacist to go against the Republicans Reconstruction-era policies. The members of the group formed in the southern states. They met secretly and formed a campaign to intimidate and use violent acts of discrimination towards both white and black Republican leaders. The Ku Klux Klan had laws passed against them, to stop there acts of injustice, which was considered terrorism. The Ku Klux Klan was a group that formed three times, and had different phases. The reformatted in the early 20th century, and came back stronger than the were before. They held rallies, burned homes and people, burnt crosses, and held marches against immigrants and other religions. Another phase was after the Civil Rights movement in the 1960’s the activity was very violent

One of the Ku Klux Klan’s mains purposes was to protect the way they live from African Americans, Jews, and Catholics. They had the biggest impact on African Americans. The discrimination and the violence of the group was well known through different communities. The Klan was also known for crucial beatings and murders against the black population. They tried to emphasize that the blacks were a subpar race.

Intricate initiation services were carried out for new members and the practice of wearing white robes and hoods set the members apart from other members and provided them a special individuality. Cross burning was also a common shared exercise among the members of the Klan. The service was primarily used to intimidate against the people who hated by the Klan. The actions of the early KKK were proposed simply as a source of entertainment. Nightly activities consisted of posing as ghosts of Confederate dead to torment and frighten black freedmen. The KKK members pulled pranks on the blacks, though without any sinister inspiration. Post-Civil War reconstruction of the South transformed this lively boldness. The objective of the KKK was to help the White Anglo-Saxon Christian people flourish and be larger to all other races. They believed in helping one another in order to keep their people strong as a united race. With 1 being moral or spiritual intents and 10 being sensible, the KKK scored a 1, because it believed that white Christians were morally and spiritually

The KKK made their beliefs clear, and imprinted the memories of them by committing acts of hatred on those whom they opposed. Even though the KKK had reemerged in the South in 1915, it wasn’t until after World War I came to a close that the organization gained a national resurgence (Getchell). This version of the Klan was known as “The Second Ku Klux Klan.” The resurgent Klan of the 1920s was a short-lived but potent phenomenon. The second KKK was a mass movement that invoked the memory of and built upon the first KKK, which was a terrorist organization founded by white supremacists in the U.S. South (“The Ku Klux Klan In Washington State, 1920s”) The majority of klan members confined their opposition tactics to parading and burning crosses,

The largest threat to African Americans with after the Civil War and Reconstruction was the Ku Klux Klan. The KKK was founded in 1866, and extended into almost every southern state by 1870. The organization became a vehicle for white southern citizens to deny Republican Party’s Reconstruction-era policies whose ideas, that tried establishing political and economic equality for African Americans. The KKK flourished in some regions in the South where, African Americans were a minority of the population. The KKK also targeted any individual or organization that would support minatory groups. Even at its height, the KKK was not a well-organized organization or had a clear leader. The organization’s members where all types of people ranging

In contrast, the KKK, started in 1865 as a secret vigilante group made up of ex-Confederate soldiers who specifically targeted freedmen. The KKK was formed with the intent to intimidate, suppress, and victimize newly freed slaves used In addition to, intimidation and violence to stop white and black Republican political leaders, in favor of civil rights; from running for offices while electing Democrat state legislatures to try to reestablish white supremacy. Over the last 150 years, the KKK has been responsible for shootings, hangings, torture and bombings directed at Black people.

It was believed that the majority of the members were poor whites, however the members came from various social classes. Some of the members were thought to be pastors of churches, local government officials, business owners, and even law enforcement. This group set forth to make sure that white supremacy stayed in the utmost power. And if they were not a member of the KKK, local law enforcement would turn they heads to the actions of the KKK. The members would torture blacks, they set fires to churches and business that were owned by blacks. Whites who supported blacks were also targeted by the KKK. Many blacks were lynched by Klan members, the Klan would also rape black woman and kill them. The KKK set reign for many years of torture and fear for blacks (Ku Klux

The second Ku Klux Klan and often regarded as the most influential and successful Klan was founded in 1915 by William J. Simmons, who was an ex-minister and a promoter of fraternal regulation. The second Klan’s first meeting was held on Stone Mt., Ga. The new Klan had a wider program than the previous one, for it added even more to "white supremacy”. The Klan added an intense nativism and anti-Catholicism closely related to that of the Know-Nothing movement of the middle 19th century. Consequently it’s appeal was not sectional, and, with the help soon after 1920 by the activities of professional promoters such as Elizabeth Tyler and Edward Y. Clarke, the Klan’s appeal and influence spread quickly throughout the North as well as the South. It provided an outlet for the militant patriotism evoked by

     The Ku Klux Klan has been around since the end of the civil war. It is a roller coaster of a history. From extreme power, to rapid decline, and slow reemergence. The clan, who is notorious for its violence, has a relatively innocent beginning. It was formed from some veterans from the confederate army and was first called the Kuklos Clan which, in Greek, meant Circle Clan. One person thought it would be a good idea to call it the "Ku Klux Klan" as a parody of the fraternity names which always had three Greek alphabet letters in it. They created the Clan to be mischievous and to do it without anyone knowing who they were which accounts for their costumes