The Ku Klux Klan And The Civil Rights Movement

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.

Some people who were associated with the KKK were lawyers, doctors, and some farmers and a few (specifically

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 source that proved most useful during the research process for this paper was the non-fiction White Terror by Allen W. Trelease. He was a recognized historian and Emeritus Professor in the Department of History at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Trelease specialized in southern history especially during the reconstruction and the civil war periods. This source features in this paper heavily, mostly because the chapters follow the KKK from the Klan’s beginnings all the way through the reconstruction period, which is the time period in discussion. In addition, the novel puts an emphasis on the success the Klan had in relation to what they aimed to accomplish with their actions. A limitation of the document would be that many of the Klan’s actions and motives were of a clandestine nature and therefore much of the dating and validity of information is estimated. The novel overcomes this drawback by referencing multiple primary sources such as a Ku Klux warning to Governor Henry Clay Warmouth of Louisiana on page 273.

Forever. 170). The Klan were white southerners who were organized and committed to the breaking down of Reconstruction. By methods of brutality, “the Klan during Reconstruction offers the most extensive example of homegrown terrorism in American history” (Foner. Forever. 171). The Ku Klux Klan as well as other groups killed or tormented black politicians or threatened the blacks who voted in elections. The Klan strongly disagreed with the northern idea that slaves should become part of the government. The Historian Kenneth M. Stampp states, “for their [the North] supreme offense was not corruption but attempting to organize the Negroes for political action” (Stampp. Era. 159). This corresponds with Foner’s idea that the South was not open to the idea of change but more so consumed with the idea of recreating a society similar to one of the past. However, the goal of white power groups was not just politics. The Klan wanted to restore the hierarchy once controlling the South. Foner observes that, “the organization took on the function of the antebellum slave patrols: making sure that blacks did not violate the rules and etiquette of white supremacy” (Foner. Forever. 172). Like the power the southern whites formerly held over the slave population, the Ku Klux Klan wanted to control the African American population still living in the South. They did not want the freedmen to become integrated into their society because they saw them as lesser people. By suppressing and

The main objective of a historiography paper is to research and define the distinct evolution of a historical viewpoint on a certain event or subject matter. The Ku Klux Klan was established during Reconstruction in 1866. Created as a vehicle for white Southern resistance against the Republican Party, the Klan was a perpetrator of violence and aggression towards African Americans. The main goals of the Klansmen were to overturn the Republication government of the South, drive African Americans out of politics, control African American labor, and restore black subordination. Though the Klan’s goals maintained a similar structure throughout its reign, the historical perceptions of the Ku Klux Klan as an organization and its origins have been

The Ku Klux Klan or KKK was founded in 1886 but by 1870 had spread to every southern state, its primary goal was to reestablish white supremacy, they did this through an underground campaign of intimidation and violence directed at white and black republican leaders, despite the lawlessness of its actions the KKK had almost unrestricted support from whites across the south.Jim Crow laws did not help this matter, Jim Crow laws were laws that mandated segregation in all public places. The conditions for African Americans were constantly inferior and underfunded compared to those of the whites Americans. In the pivotal 1896 Plessy VS Ferguson case the supreme court ruled that ‘Separate but Equal’ was constitutional however the facilities were never equal. In 1900 about 90% of blacks in America lived in the Southern States, where segregation was very strong. The Civil Rights movement of the 1960’s saw a rise in KKK activity, bombing black schools and churches, and violence against black and white activists. The treatment of blacks around America was another significant cause of the Birmingham movement, if blacks hadn’t faced such systematic and brutal discrimination then such direct action may not have been

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 illustrate 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.

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.

However, originating from the late 1860’s, the Ku Klux Klan, or KKK, was a secret society created by white southerners in 1866 that used terror and violence to keep african americans from obtaining their civil rights. In 1871, the United States Congress authorized an act that resulted in the arrest and imprisonment of Klan leaders and members. Though the Ku Klux Klan retreated their acts of violence slowly, the federal government's military presence was withdrawn from various Southern states. The Compromise of 1877 ordered remaining troops to extract themselves from remaining Southern states. With no troops to enforce the fourteenth and fifteenth amendments, Reconstruction came to an

“The first incarnation of the KKK formed just after the Civil War, using terrorist violence as a means of maintaining white supremacy, but its influence "waxed and waned," as Gordon puts it, over the decades that followed” (Waxman 2). The Ku Klux Klan, aka KKK, is a white supremacist group who has done many cruel things to African Americans. Throughout many years, the KKK has grown power over politics, the news, and television as ways to try and exterminate African Americans. The KKK is a group that think the white people have the power over the African Americans, and that African Americans should not be treated as fair. Overall, the Ku Klux Klan impacted society through violence, white supremacy, and the nationwide attention the group was

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

In order to achieve their goal of re-establishing white supremacy. Founded in 1866 by former confederate veterans, the Ku Klux Klan would be established as the most powerful terrorist organization of its time. Aimed at dismantling the possible overthrow of white supremacists in the United States by the increasingly powerful African-American community. The KKK would target black southerners and any white persons who would help them. Nathan Bedford Forrest would become the primary leader during this era titled the “Grand Wizard” he would push the organization's agenda throughout the United

One of the most infamous groups that emerge to prevent the growth of African American rights was the Ku Klux Klan; the Klan was founded in “an effort to terrorize the newly enfranchised black voter.” The Ku Klux Klan is still active today, more so in southern states, nevertheless, they still hold on to their white supremacy beliefs. In 1873 a group of whites murdered over 100 African Americans in an effort to keep Republicans out of office; Federal prosecutors indicted three of these men. As southern offices became dominantly Democratic, the violence against African American voters slowly

African Americans gained liberty and rights throughout the Reconstruction, which dissatisfied numerous of white southerners since most of them believed in white superiority. On that account, the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) was founded during 1866 in Tennessee. The KKK was a white underground terrorist group that aimed to regain white supremacy by starting a movement against the Reconstruction, targeting the African Americans and white Republicans. The constant attack caused by the KKK made numerous of black citizens fear to get involved in political activities such as running for a position in the office or vote. It also impacted the blacks socially by making the African Americans afraid to attend schools or go to churches. White southerners also