Essay about The History of the American Civil War

Their lives were not protected or valued as highly and this mindset resulted in the lynching and burning at the stake of countless blacks. (Document 8) Mobs of whites would violently attack African Americans with little reasoning other than their inherent racism. These attitudes led to the second resurrection of the Ku Klux Klan that had formed during reconstruction. The Declaration of the KKK includes their duty “ to maintain forever the God-given supremacy of the white race”. (Document 6) This belief led to the Klan’s and mobs senseless killings of unknowing African

Intimidation Tactics of the Ku Klux KlanTopic: Intimidation tactics of the Ku Klux KlanQuestion: What tactics would the Ku Klux Klan use to intimidate African Americans in the US?Thesis: The KKK would impose fear in African Americans by using violent and symbolic methods to intimidate them.Since the start of the Ku Klux Klan in 1865, members have used violent means to intimidate African Americans and other groups of ethically “unclean” people. The KKK would impose fear in African Americans by using violent and symbolic methods to intimidate them. Although these tactics worked for sometime, it ultimately led to their downfall.Immediately after the 13th Amendment was passed, which officially ended slavery in the U.S., many Civil War veterans, who had fought for the Confederate side, despised the idea of blacks living among them equally. This led to them to create the Klan, as a way to control the black population in the South. One way they did this was by carrying out attacks in order to intimidate them. These attacks were usually carried out in rural areas, during nighttime, which led to the members being nicknamed “nightriders.” The Klan would travel to the victim’s house, knock down their doors, whip them, and aim loaded guns at them.1 During these encounters, many women were even sexually abused or raped. Other methods used were hateful, racist rhetoric being shouted at blacks, along with ceremonial cross burnings and public lynchings to remind people of the KKK’s strong

In order to threaten the equality of African Americans, white Southerners formed different terrorist groups that were used to force former slaves to resist from trying to pursue their equality, one of the groups being the Ku Klux Klan. The Klan was formed based on the fear of economic competition that could be held between white and Black men. “The Ku Klux Klan targeted three main groups as part of their ‘Southern resistance’ to Radical Reconstruction. These people included carpetbaggers (Northerners who moved South following the war), scalawags (Southerners who voted for the despised Republican Party) and the millions of former slaves” (History Magazine, 13) The Klan knew who to aim for when it came to taking down the desire of having former slaves to become equals to their white counterparts, this would ensure that the Klan was not only heard by the government through their violence but also the people who took part of the three groups. In order to allow themselves to be heard, the Klan had more than one method of influence which included threats, whippings, beatings, and murder (History Magazine, 13). An example of the torture enforced by the Klan is through the incident of Elias Hill in South Carolina. Hill was a Black man who had no ability to use either his arms or his legs and was dragged

Chapter 11 delves into the racial injustices of the late 19th and early 20th centuries when reconstruction was underway in the South. During this time we still see the white race dominating the popular opinion, and remaining unchallenged as the South fights the North. The South held onto the idea that the black man should remain a slave, and the North fought for the black man’s citizenship. This task proved one of the most challenging the country had ever faced. The south did everything they could to undermine the workings of the North and keep the black man’s status as low as possible. The black codes were enforced which limited the rights of the newly freed slave. They were to have the rights of liberty and property, but not the right to vote, hold office, serve on a jury, testify in a white court, and many other rights that white people possessed. Constant tension existed amount the North and the South. Overall the North’s attempt to reconstruct the South yielded bad and good things. Public education, and women’s rights were gained, but most leaders and promoters were corrupt. Even though it had some shortcomings it still resulted in much needed reforms. During this time the KKK was formed. They were a group of people who went outside the lines of politics to make a change. They quickly turned into an aggressive group known for their aggressiveness against blacks. The struggle to admit the Southern states back into the Union continued until 1890, when the states were

The KKK would undermine blacks, even successful men were attacked. After WW1 KKK also became hostile towards Jews, Catholics, anyone who was foreign to them. ‘In March 15, 1925 a 29 year old White woman, kidnapped from her home, was filled with liquor against her will and repeatedly raped in a railroad car on its way to Chicago. Her name was Madge Oberholtzer, a school teacher in charge of Indiana’s literacy program. Her assailant damaged her body so brutally that when she was seen by professionals it appeared that she had been bitten by a pack of wolves. The lone attacker actually bit her nipples off and her genitalia were terribly damaged. On examination the attending physician noted that just the infection from these injuries could have been fatal. In time the teacher died. The assailant was found guilty of second degree murder and labeled a destroyer of virtue and womanhood.” The man who did this was David Stevenson, also known as the Grand Dragon of the Klan. There were many other brutal attacks and murders throughout history of the Klan, still killings occurring today. Even though this group is so violent and racist, “the KKK feel that what they do is God’s will and follows the word of Christ. By interpreting the Bible so that it parallels with their agenda of hate and racial discrimination the Klan sees itself as a group of good, moral, and responsible Christian American citizens.” (Michael

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

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,

During the Reconstruction Era, Congress passed many laws to provide equal rights to people of color. But at the local level, specifically in the South, many Democrats took the law into their own hands. They supported the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) hoping to restore the pre-Civil War social hierarchy. The texts in Going to the Source illustrates two groups of individuals who opposed the KKK. In testimonies given by white witnesses, Republicans from the North felt the KKK posed a political and social danger in the South, but did not feel intimidated. The testimonies given by black witnesses were people who had experience of the Klan’s violence, and felt their lives were threatened. The Klan’s attacks on whites were more inclined towards social harassment, while their attacks on blacks, which consisted of voting intimidation and night rides, were violent and abusive because the KKK’s main goal was white supremacy.

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).

One of the examples of racism that they still had to endure was the Klu Klux Klan or KKK as it would widely be known as. In “Klan Skepticism and Denial in Reconstruction-Era Public Discourse” by Elaine Frantz Parsons we hear just how bad the KKK was. “Klan violence began in late 1867 and remained at a substantial level” (Parsons 1). Elaine

After the infamous Civil War, a small group of young confederate veterans decided to make a little group to relieve the boredom of having nothing to do. This small group would swell to the dangerous and unpredictable hate grout known in many names like, white brotherhood, heroes of american, constitutional union guard, invisible empire. There most famous name was the KKK or Klu Klux Klan. Their history is of bloodshed, terror and racism that still haunts people to this day. In this paper, you will read about the three KKK appearances throughout america's history. First, we will have to start at where it all began.

At last people believed they didn’t. The Klan was formed in 1866 when the republican group began to fight for equality in the African American community. By the year 1870 the Klan was well spread around the southern states al with the same mindset of trying to keep the blacks under slavery. The group enforced white supremacy. According to Elizabeth Martinez, “White Supremacy is an historically based, institutionally perpetuated system of exploitation and oppression of continents, nations, and peoples of color by white peoples and nations of the European continent, for the purpose of maintaining and defending a system of wealth, power, and privilege.” The white people have always had the upper hand, and got the opportunities to become and do what they feel without being accounted for. The Klan has done major crimes, murders, and symbolizes a point in time of terror and death. Once the ending of the slavery, freedom, and liberty was granted for the black community. The Klan thought otherwise and formed the group to decrease the population of blacks, and keep them under the control of white people. As the KKK grew more casualties began to occur all over the south. Many blacks were found lynched, and killed. They targeted any colored men. The Klan went out at night burning crosses in front of people's homes. They showed no mercy making sure that their points were crossed. The Klan held secret

The Civil War lasted 5 years, took 600,000 lives and yet there exists doubt in what is the main reason behind it. I myself feel that the major issue that triggered the war was slavery, which for the South threatened economy. I am going to discuss how issues of slavery existed before the war, how it was in the minds of soldiers during the war, and then still existed after the war.

Throughout the 1920’s the Ku Klux Klan or KKK were a very powerful and influential group of white protestant men in the United States. This powerful group advocated white supremacy, racism, anti-Catholicism, and nativism just to name a few things. Many of the KKK members, as well as their followers disagreed with abolishing slavery and believed that immigrants, homosexuals, and southern Republicans along with many others threatened American values. The Klan hit its peak during the mid-1920s with millions of members across the country (Wormser, 2002). The groups’ popularity came from their violent reputations, as well as the print and media coverage they received throughout the years. This soon allowed the Klan to have a powerful political influence at both the state and local level. Although the media and newspapers were important elements in helping the Klan grow it was a double-sided blade, and soon was a leading cause in the group’s demise.

The American Civil War was from 1861 to 1865 it was a civil war between the United States of America and the Southern slave states of the newly-formed Confederate States of America under Jefferson Davis. The Union included all of the free states and the five slaveholding border states and was led by Abraham Lincoln and the Republican Party. Republicans opposed the expansion of slavery into territories owned by the United States, and their victory in the presidential election of 1860 resulted in seven Southern states declaring their secession from the Union even before Lincoln took office. The Union rejected secession, regarding it as rebellion. Hostilities began on April 12, 1861, when Confederate forces attacked a U.S. military