Ku Klux Klan

Outline

Introduction

The Ku Klux Klan, a white supremacy organization originally founded in Tennessee in 1865, experienced resurgence in membership during the Civil Rights movement that took place in America during the middle of the 20th century.

Original objectives and strategies

Klan members believed in the innate inferiority of blacks and therefore resented seeing former slaves equal and often accessing social positions of political importance.

A secret convention held in Nashville (Tennessee) in 1867 designated the Klan as the 'Invisible Empire' and chose the great sorcerer of the Empire, who held the absolute power of the organization and was assisted by ten “geniuses”.

Local organizations, called Klaverns, became so uncontrollable and violent that the great sorcerer, former Confederate General Nathan B. Forrest, officially disbanded the Klan in 1869.

The original Klan seems to have had little religious motivation.

The Klan in the first half of the twentieth century

The name, rituals, and some attitudes of the original Klan were adopted by a new organization born in Georgia in 1915.

The revelations in the press and coercion crimes committed by the Klan led to an inquiry by Congress in 1921.

Ku Klux Klan (KKK) and its modern subgroups

As a movement, or more correctly, three different movements, the Ku Klux Klan dates back to 1866, when it was organized in Pulaski, Tenn., in response to radical Reconstruction.

The second and largest Klan was formed in Atlanta, Ga. in 1915 by Colonel William J. Simmons.

Recent Activities

On May 17, 1954, the United States Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation in schools and public schools was unconstitutional.

In the mid 1970's the Klan had regained some popularity in the South. Some members are recognized as candidates for public office, obtaining large numbers of votes.

Conclusion

The modern Klan is divided into three main groups: Robert Shelton's United Klans of America, headed by Robert Shelton, which is believed to be the largest of the three groups and the most secretive of the hooded organizations.

Introduction

The Ku Klux Klan, a white supremacy organization originally founded in Tennessee in 1865, experienced resurgence in membership during the Civil Rights movement that took place in America during the middle of the 20th century (Foner, 15-17).

After fading at the end of Reconstruction, the KKK was revived at Stone Mountain, Georgia, in 1915. The KKK was active in the 1920s, with its membership reaching millions of people. By the 1930s, however, Klan membership declined due to the Great Depression, feuding among leaders, and the exposure of terrorist activities undertaken by members. The racial turmoil ignited by the Civil Rights movement gave the KKK a window of opportunity to revive. While the Klan took aim at Jewish, Catholic, and black Americans in the 1920s, its focus by the middle of the 1900s was largely against blacks (Fischer, 7-10).

The “Invisible Empire,” another name for the KKK, was (and is) led by the “Imperial Wizard,” followed by leaders such as the “Grand Dragon,” “Titan,” and “Cyclops.” Over the years, the Ku Klux Klan has relied heavily upon the secrecy maintained by its members. Most of the acts that the organization ...