How Did The Ku Klux Klan Affect The History Of Mississippi?

The history of Mississippi involves slavery, the Civil War, and hate groups like the White Knights of the Klu Klux Klan. These things played major roles in developing Mississippi. Slavery started in the Natchez region and spread from there. The Civil War was hard fought in Mississippi especially in Vicksburg. The members White Knights were a vicious hate group responsible for some of the most atrocious crimes against Civil Rights workers.
The plantation system was first developed in the Natchez area. It was actually French colonists that introduced African slaves into this system in first part of the 1th century. The primary crop was tobacco at that time not cotton, but the invention of the cotton gin made it easier to exploit the rich soil.

Of course there were other groups of the Klan in Mississippi’s history, but this particular group started in Mississippi in the 1960s under the influence of Samuel Bowers, its first Grand Wizard. The White Knights of Mississippi were shaped around 1964, and included approximately 200 individuals from the another organization associated with Louisiana. The group was very secretive about itself and its workings. Though the White Knights of Mississippi were extremely undercover about their gathering their participation grew to around six thousand within a year. There were Klaverns in over 50% of the provinces in Mississippi. Some of the most egregious crimes against Civil Rights Workers were committed by members of the White Knights. This includes the assassination of Medgar Evers and the murders of three Civil Rights workers near Philadelphia, Mississippi. The sad thing is that law enforcement officials were members of the White Knights or turned the other way when the White Knights committed crimes. In some instances, law officials played a part in “delivering” victims to the Klan. But Mississippi society as a whole was guilty and let the White Knights have free reign. Charges may have been brought against Klan members, but usually they were not or the perpetrator was exonerated. But as the tide turned in favor of Civil Rights, the White Knights lost power. Later, Evers killer was convicted of the crime in 2005. Still, the White Knights left a brief but bloody footnote to Mississippi