KK: The First Generation

How was the Klan’s reincarnation different than the original group? The first Ku Klux Klan, created after the Civil War during the Reconstruction Era, began in Tennessee in the fall of 1866. The group was originally a social fraternity, but it was taken over

- The most notorious organization was the Ku Klux Klan. The Ku Klux Klan was organized in Pulaski Tennessee, in 1866 to intimidate former slaves who voted and apprehended political offices during Reconstruction. The Ku Klux Klan history came all about with the situation in the South following the harsh Civil War. The Southern States were in distraught and the defeated white people were humiliated and felt like they had to get revenge and gain their power back. The goal of the original Ku Klux Klan was to fight against the Reconstruction policies of the radical Republican Congress and to maintain "white supremacy. The Klan was led by merchants, planters, and Democratic politicians. They considered themselves as the most respectable citizens

The Ku Klux Klan had three eras, an era ends when the Ku Klux Klan movement dies out or they loss the need for it. Each era may have its own intentions or what their main goal is, but white supremacy is still their goal just trying to accomplish it in different ways, while also opposing thing that may go against their moral code, like gay marriage. The Ku Klux Klan is an origination focused on having white supremacy, it has existed for many years and has had three eras, it is most known for its act violent acts of terrorism.

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

This turn to violence was how the first Ku Klux Klan rose. The Klan was formed by six ex-Confederate Veterans in Pulaski, Tennessee, this organization started off small but began absorbing most of the other anti-Reconstruction groups in the south, like the Men of Justice, the Pale Faces, the Constitutional Union Guards, the White Brotherhood, and the Order of the White Rose (Infoplease.com). The Ku Klux Klan was created in fear of an insurrection by the ex-slaves, now the freedmen. The most recognized founder of the Klan was Nathan Bedford Forrest. Their white robes and masks are supposed to be a representation of ex-Confederate soldiers who died during the civil war. One of the Klan’s biggest goal was keeping the freedmen away from the voting polls to assure the success of ex-Confederates in gaining back their political control in many states. In 1871, President Grant took an aim at the Klan for their interference in black suffrage but by this time the support for Reconstruction was beginning to diminish because racism was still very much alive in both the north and the south. As time progressed the Democrats regained control of the House of Representatives. The democrats waged a campaign of violence to take control of Mississippi to which President Grant responded with a refusal of federal troop intervention which ended support of the Reconstruction era. In the election of 1876, Republican, Rutherford B. Haynes, reached a compromise with

The first meeting was organized in Nashville with the intention to “develop the principles that would guide all dens”. They did so in a secret constitution in which they called a Prescript. In this document, they recognized the supremacy of the “Divine Being” while also acknowledging the supreme laws of the United States government. The klan referred to themselves in the prescript by using two asterisks - ** -

The second group was discovered in 1915, and developed public in the early 1920s, they disrupted Catholics and Jews, and dwelled on conflict to the Catholic Church. The first Klan that evolved was in the southern United States in the delayed 1860s, then distinguished by the early 1870s. This Klan supported radical traditional currents such as white dominance, white ethnocentricity, anti-immigration, anti-Catholicism, and anti-Semitism, classically communicated through terrorism and at individuals or groups whom they opposed. especially in later repetition, specifically in unknown areas of the Midwest and West. Although the crew of the KKK swear to confirm Christian honesty, practically every Christian faith has completely denied the KKK. This second formation for the klan interacted the similar code words as the first Klan, while adding mass flaunting and cross combustions. They focused on engagement to the Civil Rights Movement, often using homicide and brutality to abolish anyone they disliked. It is camouflaged as a hate group. The third and recent manifestation of the KKK occurred after 1950, in the form of small, local, isolated groups that use the KKK

Life for African Americans in the United States has never been easy. First they were enslaved and later became free. Lastly they just needed the same rights as everyone else. The Klu Klux Klan wasn’t going to let that happen. The Klan wanted to stop all political and economical equality for African Americans. They were violent and terrorized all African Americans and anyone who tried to help them acquire equality. The Klu Klux Klan is a harsh and is extremely racist. They had a part in economic and social problems in the United States in the late 1860s (History.com Staff).

The Klan started in the year 1866, as a social club. The first Klan was founded in Tennessee and soon began to expand throughout the southern states. In 1868 the Klan quickly became one of the most feared terrorist groups. The first leader of the clan was Nathan Bedford Forrest who was a past general in the confederate army. Soon the clan evolved into almost every state in 1870. The second Klan began in 1915, and ended in 1944. The third clan started in 1946 and is still active today. (PBS)

The Ku Klux Klan was known as the biggest hate group in American History, and they are responsible for thousands of innocent blacks’ deaths. The Ku Klux Klan made it very hard for the blacks, Catholics, Jews, immigrants, and homosexuals to live a normal life. The Klan made them live in fear.

The Ku Klux Klan is a gang with a notorious past. The clan started off as a group of people defying the southern state’s laws, but it turned out to be one of the most terrifying gangs of the nineteenth century. It all started during the election of Ulysses S. Grant, when most of the democrats in the south created groups to terrify the African Americans. It was a violent gesture to any of the minorities who wanted to gain political attention. They banded together in Pulaski, Tennessee in 1865, consisting of former confederate soldiers. They soon began to weaken the blacks and republican political power. It fueled hatred and riots throughout Tennessee, as members of law enforcement often joined in with the gang. All whites from the southern states joined the Klan as an attempt to intimidate the blacks (Herb Peek 2013). As an effort to intimidate the newly freed blacks they burned school houses and whipped teachers. The KKK wanted to get rid of the republican leverage in the southern states. They murdered and terrorized party leaders and all those who voted (Herb Peek 2013). It created an atmosphere that helped gain new recruitment for the Ku Klux Klan. What made this particular group such a threat? What is the history behind this group? Do they still intimidate the south?

     Ku Klux Klan started out as a secret club in 1866, just after the war,

     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