Night Riding With the Klan: The Spread of the KKK

- 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 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

Frustrated confederate soldiers made their way back home after losing the war that they had been fighting for four years. These men formed vigilante groups, attacking black people. While soldiers did this, wealthier men who had avoided fighting in the war formed agricultural and police clubs for the same purpose; both groups soon took shape and evolved into one large group, known as the Ku Klux Klan and Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest became the first leader, known as the Grand Wizard. The name Ku Klux Klan is derived from the Greek word, Kyklos, meaning circle. The Ku Klux Klan, often shortened to the KKK, was founded in Tennessee in 1866 and grew to be one of the most feared terrorist groups in the United States, before dying off in 1869, but later being revived in 1915 (History.com Staff). The Ku Klux Klan negatively impacted the Reconstruction period through terror, intimidating Republican voters, and killing Republican officials.

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 Ku Klux Klan was formed in Tennessee shortly after the Civil War, and was mostly made of up southern Civil War veterans. The Ku Klux Klan was entirely made up of whites that targeted the African

The KKK (Ku Klux Klan) was formed in Pulaski, Tennessee, in 1865. It was originally founded as a social club for former confederate soldiers, the Klan evolved into a terrorist organization. By 1868 the Klan evolved into a hooded terrorist organization that its members called “The Invisible Empire of the South.” The reorganized Klan’s first leader,

The Ku Klux Klan that emerged in the early 1920’s was a structured, well organized group. Members ranged from individuals such as supreme court justices, church ministers, to average American citizens. The organization was promoted heavily and had anywhere from one to five million klansman at its’ peak. The KKK was not quiet about their motives and intentions, they openly believed in and promoted white supremacy. The most interesting aspect of the 1920’s klan was that such average American citizens were willing to become involved in such an extreme group.

The Ku Klux Klan was founded in the south, particularly In Pulaski, Tennessee. They were an organized secret society during Reconstruction to restore white supremacy. The name comes from the Greek word “Kyklos” meaning circle. This Klan was known as a brotherhood circle. The KKK was founded in the year of 1866 and extended into almost every southern state by 1870. The organization was brought about by the conditions which remained to be unsettled after the Civil War. The group was mainly composed of Confederate Veterans and started as a secret social club. The reconstruction policies of the Civil War intensified the group even more. They killed many blacks and any person who showed sympathy for them. Although the Klan was often able to achieve

The Klan began in 1866, in Pulaski, Tennessee. Just after the Civil War ended former confederate soldiers put together a secret social fraternity type group, which quickly expanded in to “a paramilitary force bent on reversing the federal government’s progressive Reconstruction Era-activities in the South. (history.com staff) Whites were nervous and fearful that the former slaves would vote “in self-serving “carpet baggers” into political offices”. (history.com staff) Whites quickly commenced to taking anger out on the blacks and black supporters of their towns. Once they began their view of violence there could be no end .After the Klan’s fast expansion they decided to get all of the groups together in April of 1867 to decide rules and leadership. Masked by their perception of white superiority they executed acts of violence and racial terrorism. These acts lead to the unfortunate deaths of many innocents, it was completely wrong and unnecessary for there to be this much hate and violence at this time. The Klan 's first Grand Wizard was General Nathan Bedford Forrest. Nathan tried to disband

The Ku Klux Klan, often referred to as the KKK, was born in the small town of Pulaski, Tennessee (cite). The group’s name is derived from the Greek word kuklos, which means “group or band” (cite). The Klan was founded in December of 1865, by a group of six college men that were also former Confederate soldiers. Initially, the group was started as a fraternity or social club, but it rapidly progressed into a vigilante group whose goal was to intimidate Southern blacks and anyone that was accused of assisting them. The men would wear white hooded disguises to represent the ghosts of fallen Confederate soldiers, and then ride their horses

They were formed right after the Civil War by Confederate men. The KKK not only discriminated against the blacks, but also many white southerners who stood up for the blacks. Their goals were to prevent all political actions that they did not agree on, to put an end to the schools that colored children were taught in, take the right to bear arms from the colored, and to keep the blacks as slaves. Many of the KKK’s victims were blacks who voted, ran for office, and people who stood up for their

Brief History of the Organization: The Ku Klux Klan was founded in 1866 by a group of men John D. Kennedy, Captain John C. Lester and Frank O. McCord, In the town of Pulaski, Tennessee. The name comes from

With the outbreak of World War I and the constant fear of a communist revolution, the Klan was reestablished and brought back into power in 1915, this time targeting more than African Americans. The Klan now fought against African-Americans, foreigners, Jews, socialists, Roman Catholics, and communists, with its main opponent being the NAACP. “All hyphenated groups - whether they be Negro-Americans, Jewish-Americans, Catholic-Americans, Italian-Americans or whatever must become American-Americans, or leave the country! The Ku Klux Klan is an American-American organization. As the Army of the Klan we Klavaliers are dedicated to saving America for Americans!”3

So the members of the Klan decided to have national convention to help organize and maintain order in the group. At this convention all of the Grand Cyclopes met to set up guidelines for all the groups and they even created their own constitution. Then they decided to appoint a Grand Wizard to be in control of all the dens of the Klan across the United States. Their choice for the position was Nathan Bedford Forrest. He was and ex-confederate general. With General Forrest as their leader they became more powerful than ever before. They became much more extreme and started killing people. The Black Americans in the southern states were usually the victims. In Georgia alone there were 43 shootings, five stabbings, fifty-five beatings and eight whippings. The African Americans became so terrified of the Klan that they were forced to sleep in the woods for safety. But eventually the Klan became so violent that martial law and congressional investigations dismantled it. But it had already accomplished one of its main goals to leave the Blacks with no power and the southern aristocrats and plantation owners’ back into power.

The Ku Klux Klan started on December 24, 1865. The KKK started after the civil war in Pulaski Tennessee. They started because blacks started to gain rights in society. The KKK was founded by 6 confederate war veterans. The founder's names are J. Calvin Jones, Frank O. McCord, John B. Kennedy, John C. Lester, James R. Crowe, Richard R. Reed. They started as a secret fraternity and over time started to run into a paramilitary force. They killed Blacks and burnt their property to reverse the government's reconstruction in the south especially things that helped African Americans. The kkk left a fearful impression on Black's for years to come.