The Ku Klux Klan has brought terror in America by completing violent acts around the United States. Throughout the history of the Ku Klux Klan, the white supremacist group has used acts of terrorism to oppose the granting of civil rights to African Americans. Some of the Ku Klux Klan is still apparent today and still ready to fight, which poses a threat to the American people. The Ku Klux Klan is a racial group who stands for white supremacy and even though their numbers have decreased they still stand as a racial group in modern society.
To begin, the Ku Klux Klan is a white supremacist group who had many different members. This white supremacist group was widely known and greatly feared. The members of the Klan sought the restoration of white
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The people involved in the Klan and the secret meetings ranged greatly, anyone from professions of small farmers to fancy lawyers became apart of the group. At one point in the history of the Ku Klux Klan there were four million to five million people enrolled. According to Columbia Electronic, by 1930 the Klan membership decreased to 300,000 people. The Klan decreased mostly due to the Great Depression and lack of money in the system because many members were not able to pay the fee. In the article Ku Klux Klan written by Explora staff it is stated that there were many Klans who were not just apparent in the South but in the Midwest as well. The Ku Klux Klan is a large part of American history and would carry out their beliefs through segregated races they believed were inferior and …show more content…
The Klan has attempted to exploit fears in America over contemporary issues. Some of the big parts of the modern day KKK is now they mostly stand for illegal immigration and same sex marriage. Currently, the local chapter of the Klan got support from the South Carolina Government in support of continuing to display the controversial Confederate flag in that state (Explora). As stated in the article “The Modern KKK”, because of advanced technology and the importance of politics in today’s world, the KKK and groups associated with the KKK can spread their message without using
The Ku Klux Klan had virtually disappeared for the last part of the 19th century, so the widespread and violent resurgence of the movement took many by surprise. In its earlier incarnation, it had been only
- 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 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
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 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 Klu Klux Klan was introduced when the foreign immigrants began moving to America and eventually gained popularity among those who disliked the black population (Clemens 30: 390-398). The Klan had a lot of members after it gained popularity and had a total of 14 million member, whom were all opposed to the blacks as well as anyone who was different from them. In most cases the members of this hateful organization against blacks and others who were different were often noted to be white males (Clemens 30: 450-467). It is said that they lynched around 200 blacks and that they are still a group even in today’s society (Clemens 30:
The Klu Klux Klan was formed in 1866 by a group of Confederate soldiers in Pulaski, Tennessee. It was a social club or fraternity for the veterans but later had different views and became a terrorist group (PBS). The name of the group came from the Greek word “kyklos” meaning circle and then they added Klan to make the name flow (History.com Staff). It did not start with the thought of malicious activity. They would have secret meetings and elaborate ceremonies to discuss how they could stop reconstruction after the civil war. The members would wear white sheets that covered their whole body and pointy white caps to make them appear taller. This was an all white group and ended up being one of the deadliest terrorist groups (EyeWitness to History). General Nathan Bedford Forrest was the Klu Klux Klan’s first “grand wizard,” also known as
How many Klansmen does it take to screw in a lightbulb? None, they just beat the room for being black. The Ku Klux Klan is an essential part of United States history for many reasons, they were a widespread organization, they were the reason for many laws, but most importantly they spread awareness to civil rights and racial equality. Because of the xenophobic, racist, and nativist acts of the Klan in the past, we can now enjoy our peaceful country and know how to face racial inequality. Over the years there have been three main branches of the Ku Klux Klan, but the first may be the most important due to its
The Ku Klux Klan is a group of secret societies that opposed the growing of blacks, Jews, and other group. They wore long white robes and pointed hoods to look like a ghost to scare Slaves and other non-whites.
The Ku Klux Klan (KKK) is still residing in America today. Although America has made large steps towards greater racial freedom, a lot of racism and white supremacy still remain in parts of the nation. In the almost 100 year old picture showing Rank and File Radicalism within the Ku Klux Klan of the 1920's, the views and actions taken by the KKK were much different than they are today. But on one sunny Sunday many years ago, members of the Ku Klux Klan dispersed bags of paper candy with handouts telling people to join the KKK and save America as a response to the increased illegal Central American immigrants coming to the U.S. borders. Which raises the question, what is the Ku Klux Klan and what do they believe?
“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
The Ku Klux Klan was a racial hate group in the south that made sure blacks did not get any civil rights. Members in the Ku Klux Klan believed whites were superior to other races. The KKK hated the blacks because they believed slaves, who were the blacks, are to be less than human. Only white Anglo-Saxon Protestants or known as “WASPS” could become members. The members also had to pay monthly fees so they could “adopt a highway” to look good in the eyes of the communities.
Topic: In 1866, the Ku Klux Klan was founded by many former confederate veterans in retaliation to their current Republican Party’s Reconstruction-era policies aimed at establishing political and economic equality for blacks. The Reconstruction era sparked by President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation clearly defined that the days of white superiority were in dissolution. Through a willful ignorance and an insecurity of what might postlude the civil rights movement, the KKK rose, using terror in pursuit of their white supremacist agenda. Nathan Bedford Forrest, a former Lieutenant general in the Civil war, became the KKK's first Grand Wizard. Now with a steady leader the klan became a persistent political party aimed at dismantling the increasingly
The KKK, like many cults, are very similar to mainstream societies. However, the KKK’s views tend to collide with some of our social values/norms and they tend to disrupt the peace of our society. Consequently, their beliefs, rites, and rituals result in crime-filled and tragic endings. Therefore, the beliefs, rites, and rituals of the KKK are very controversial issues.
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?