KKK Not a Fringe Movement Essay

The Ku Klux Klan was founded in 1865 and was made to resist the Reconstruction of the Civil War. They believed whites were racially superior to blacks and held this belief fiercely. Raiding African American homes, lynching innocents, and burning down African American farms. With rises and falls of members, the Ku Klux Klan always was apart of US history after the Civil War. They

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.

The Ku Klux Klan flourished in the South at the beginning of the Reconstruction succeeding the Civil War. There remained numerous ex-Confederates that were still strongly opposed to the Reconstruction and sought to preserve white supremacy in the South. Directly after the Civil War the government in the South was weak and vulnerable. The Ku Klux Klan leveraged this and used violence and threats to try to reestablish white supremacy. They were most successful in playing upon fears and superstitions. They not only brought terror to the black communities but they also targeted carpetbaggers and scalawags. They used these threats and fears in effectively keeping the blacks away from the polls so that the ex-Confederates could gain back political control in the

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

it was just the South. the Ku Klux Klan was not ever based on Scottish clans evan though

The Klan gained popularity all over America and the members in the Klan topped 5 million men

The Klan included mayors, judges, sheriffs, and often common criminals. They murdered black politicians and political leaders. The men beat and murdered thousands of people. And they intimidated tens of thousands of others (The Rise and Fall of Jim crow; Jim Crow stories). The KKK vowed to defend their own white-Protestant culture against any group that seemed to be un-American. The Klansman’s Manual stated “Klansmen are to be examples of patriotism. They are to organize the patriotic sentiment of native-born white, Protestant Americans for the defense of distinctively American institutions. Klansmen are dedicated to the principle that America shall be made American through promulgation of American doctrines, the dissemination of American ideals, the creation of wholesome American sentiment, the preservation of American institutions.”. As the Klan grew power, many Southern politicians relied on their power (BBC – Higher Bitesize History).

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?

There was even more Turmoil with the rising status of the new KKK. Even though with the rise of the new KKK they were still seen as a group of violent troublemakers who are not ready for a new diverse world. (Pegram page ix). But they were way more serious than that, The Klan would do such acts as burn crosses, lynch, and burn entire neighborhoods down. One instance of them doing so is in 1925 where the Klan members burned a cross in front of a public school. (Pegram para. 1). But the scariest thing about the Klan Is not the heinous acts they committed but who they targeted. Some of the ethnic groups that the Klan targeted were African Americans, Jews, and foreigners (Digital History

The KKK was a racist who put fear in those that opposed their beliefs. It was one of the most recognized groups in America. It started as a social club in Pulaski, Tennessee by Confederate veterans. The KKK was one of the most iconic groups for their tactics of putting fear in nonwhites. The KKK fell apart and was revived several times. In the 1920’s, the KKK reached nearly 4 million members.The KKK appointed General Nathan Bedford Forrest as Grand Wizard. The KKK was dedicated to keeping blacks from having any rights. They murdered and tortured blacks to instill the fear.

The KKK is still alive and has dreams of restoring itself to what it once was which was an invisible empire. This year marks 150 years of existence, the Klan is trying to reshape itself for a new era. Klan members still gather by the dozens to set fire to crosses in the dead of night, and KKK leaflets have shown up in suburban neighbourhoods from the Deep South to the northeast in recent months. Perhaps most unwelcome to opponents, some independent Klan organisations say they are merging with larger groups to build strength(“Apparently the KKK is Coming Back” 4). Klans who have existed at one time or another consist of three different from the years of

The Ku Klux Klan was originally founded in the summer of 1866 by veteran Confederate Army soldiers, and its rituals and ceremonies were largely based off those used in college fraternities. According to a Christopher Klein, the Klan’s original goal was the “reestablishment of white supremacy–fulfilled through Democratic victories in state legislatures across the South”. However, this quickly evolved into radical actions that both went against the law and threatened the lives of both African-American and white people across southern states.

Admittedly, the Ku Klux Klan did become out of control in later years, but when it was first created it had no specific meaning; it was a way just to have fun. After the members saw the effect the group's appearance had on people, they began to use the results to their advantage. Because the Klan resembled ghost, many of the citizens of Pulaski believed them to be dead soldiers of the Confederate Army when they saw them riding on their horses through the small town. While Negroes were busy avoiding the Ku Klux Klan, its purpose changed. The Ku Klux Klan began aiming its violent actions toward Negroes, Jews, Orientals, and various other members of society that did not belong to the white race. Although

KKK or the Ku Klux Klan was a big problem of the blacks and the sympathetic whites. They took voting away, burned down schools, and destroyed houses. The black kids had to use the torn and out- of- date textbooks. Instead of have one teachers of each grade like the white kids. All of to black kids have one teacher for all of the grades and they were all in one room.

The KKK expanded into about every southern state. The KKK in the early 20th century burned crosses and had parades talking bad about immigrants and Blacks.