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Ku Klux Klan And The Civil Rights Movement

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Originating in 1866, The Ku Klux Klan (KKK) was a major terrorist group that experienced a rapid expansion in the early 20th century and contributed to the modern social and political landscapes of the United States. Their goal was to achieve complete white supremacy and politically defeat the republican party. When the KKK rose for the second time post World War I, tensions were still high in America and this made the US somewhat susceptible to new ideas and the formation of major social and political groups occurred seeking a scapegoat for the hardships being endured. After its first surge and die out in the 1860’s, the resurgence was initiated by a group of influential figures including William J Simmons, who made the comeback by lighting …show more content…

This civil movement begun a large surge of participation in the Ku Klux Klan with racist southern values being carried through after World War I. With the members of the KKK terrorising, bombing and abusing black citizens in secret, this contributed to to the eventual win of the Civil Rights Movement as it’s affect and fear that it inflicted on the nation as a whole, infuriated national leaders. The win of the civil rights movement, and the southern blacks gain of political and civil power, outraged the Klan and other citizens, slowly causing an increase in numbers. The population of the group consisted of mostly extremely racist white americans, but also uneducated people who through the Ku Klux Klans secret propaganda, enjoyed the idea of “belonging” to a social or political group. However in the 1870’s, with the nation still outraged by the actions taken place during the Civil Rights Movement, the Ku Klux Klan were suppressed, however this did not significantly decrease the number of participants in the group, only made the many members still continue the terrorisation and cruelty in secret. By the 1880’s it became a social normality among white men to have proudly stated they had ridden with the KKK, and brag about their participation in “saving” southern america and georgia from a so called “negro domination”. The Ku Klux Klan however were smart in their hiding and had rules forbidding them from giving any information of themselves in relation to the Klan or anyone else, to avoid being exposed to police. With the Klan becoming more and more normal, and the violent activity significantly increasing in the 80’s, the Klan’s actions were somewhat romanticized by certain authors and directors, creating an extremely distorted society and mindset

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Founded in 1866, the (KKK) extended into virtually each southern state by 1870 and have become a vehicle for white southern resistance to the Republican Party’s Reconstruction-era policies aimed toward establishing political and economic equality for blacks. Its members waged associate underground campaign of intimidation and violence directed at white and black Republican leaders. Congress passed legislation designed to curb KKK, the organization saw its primary goal “the reestablishment of white supremacy” fulfilled through Democratic victories in state legislatures across the South within the decennary. Once an amount of decline, white Protestant nativist teams revived the KKK within the early twentieth century, burning crosses and staging

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496 Words | 2 Pages

The Ku Klux Klan first emerged in Pulaski, Tennessee following the Civil War. As we know today, the mere mention of the Klan triggers fear as the KKK is known for its various tactics of violence that came in the form if lynchings, murders, and mutilations. Following their emergence, the KKK were quickly symbolized and portrayed as the protectors of the South, following the defeat of the Southern states in the Civil War and the beginning of the period of Reconstruction by the federal government (Gurr, 1989, p. 132). During the 1920s, the KKK achieved its greatest political success and growth outside of the South. During this period, the membership of the Klan heavily expanded to the states of Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Oklahoma, Colorado, and Oregon, to which the KKK obtained two to two and one-half million members at its apex.

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416 Words | 2 Pages

By the 1920s, four million people were in the Klan. By 1970, the klan had branches in nearly every southern state (Ku Klux Klan). The Ku Klux Klan was a vehicle for the White Southern Resistance to deliver its message of “White Southern Supremacy”. The Ku Klux Klan dedicated itself to an underground group of attack against the Republican leaders and voter (both white and black voters).They did this to reverse the Radical Reconstruction and restore white supremacy in the South.

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Om Patel Mrs. Belle Freshman English 22 October 2017 Ku Klux Klan: The Persecution of Thousands The Ku Klux Klan is the largest and most famous white supremacist group in the United States consisting of three Klans across its span of activeness. At the peak, there were approximately 6 million members. Later the Klan supported White Nationalism, Anti-Immigration, Nordicism, Anti- Catholicism, and Anti Semitism.

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1469 Words | 6 Pages

“The Ku Klux Klan (KKK) is a the Secret Society based in the South. The original Ku Klux Klan was founded in Pulaski, Tennessee on December 24, 1865, during the Reconstruction Era following the American Civil War. The goal of the original Ku Klux Klan was to oppose the Reconstruction policies of the radical Republican Congress and to maintain white supremacy(“Ku Klux Klan History” 2016). Six young men organized as a social club or fraternity and spent their time in horseplay of various types, including wearing disguises and galloping about town after dark. They were surprised to learn that their nightly

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F. Ku Klux Klan The Ku Klux Klan, also known as the KKK was founded by Confederate veterans in Pulaski, Tennessee, in 1866 (“Ku Klux Klan.”). The KKK dedicated themselves to violence against almost any person who taught he didn’t believe in white supremacy or was just black (“Ku Klux Klan.”). A famous attack by the KKK was in South Carolina on January 1871 “500 masked men attacked the Union County jail and lynched eight black prisoners.”

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The Ku Klux Klan, made up of former Confederate officers who idealized an antebellum Southern heritage, became folk heroes by terrorizing outsiders who challenged race relations by assisting blacks. Catholics, foreigners, former slaves, and their sympathizers were targeted for wanting to push reforms that went against the Southern way of life. As one historian points out, the KKK gained sympathy because they were seen as defenders and policemen of the people who protected the prevailing values of society, including Protestantism, whiteness, and genteel southern culture (Kinshasa 15). The KKK and its sister organizations were even sponsored by state governments, such as Kentucky and Mississippi, as a police force to maintain the status quo (Parsons 160). The presence of the Klan and other forms of white resistance offered white residents a form of security during this uncertain time period.

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This paper will discuss the difference between the Ku Klux Klan and The Black Panther Party two extremist groups. The historical foundation of these two groups along with the comparison of their extremist activities, and the motivating factors which fueled and heighten their motivational actions. The movement of these two groups were prompted by the two different beliefs with the Ku Klux Klan motives being from racism, and the Black Panther forming for the protection of their communities from racial tension. The Ku Klux Klan was founded in Tennessee by veteran confederate soldiers lead by General Nathan Bedford in 1865 during the time of the Reconstruction Era as a result of resistance to the Republican Party’s support of the Reconstruction

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It was therefore at the time just after the end of the war between the states that the Ku Klux Klan was formed by ex-Confederate soldiers. Southerners at this time saw their way of life before the war completely turned upside down and took out their frustration on recently freed blacks.” The KKK got what they want by bringing terror and threat to those who the Klan disliked. Their overall goal is to restore white supremacy and they are willing to do anything to get what they want. “Its members waged an underground campaign of intimidation and violence directed

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156 Words | 1 Pages

As a result of the First Red Scare in the 1920s, the Ku Klux Klan was then able to rise and use anti-communism as an excuse to harass any group unlike themselves. It was brought back by a Methodist clergyman named William J. Simmons. The revival was inspired from the Old South, Thomas Dixon’s 1905 book “The Clansman” and D.W. Griffith’s 1915 film “Birth of a Nation.” With the fear of Communism rising the Ku Klux Klan was able to start to grow out of the South. Reasons the Ku Klux Klan was promoting to the people at this time was the ideology of “Americanism” with the idea of patriotism, loyalty, allegiance to the United States and to promote its culture, traditions and customs.

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1486 Words | 6 Pages

The Ku Klux Klan (KKK) is the oldest and most famous white supremacist American hate groups that emerged in 1865 and terrorized African Americans, but lost support during the 1870s due to the passing of the Congressional Ku Klux Act that declared martial law and imposed heavy penalties and military force against the KKK. However, during the 1910s and 1920s, the KKK experienced a national resurgence and recruited approximately five million supporters. The resurgence of the KKK in the 1920s had many radical changes to it, which is most notable in the ideology of the KKK. The ideology of the KKK during the 1920s was not just simply based on the notion of hating African Americans due to the bitter loss of the civil war that ended slavery, but had

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565 Words | 3 Pages

The Ku Klux Klan was the first ever terrorist organization to be formed in the United States which happened in 1865. When recognized of their motives the US quickly shut them down, but soon in the 1920’s they came back very prepared to terrorize people. Their main targets were African Americans and anyone that was gay

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1365 Words | 6 Pages

The History of the Revival KKK The Ku Klux Klan Revival is a horrific genocide lasted from 1915-2023, which unfortunately still hasn’t ended to this day. The Ku Klux Klan (KKK) Revival was the restart of the KKK in the 1920s. The KKK was a racist aggressive organization who expressed their hatred towards minority groups in violent ways. They wore white robes which came to a point at the top of their head to hide the identities of themselves.

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1605 Words | 7 Pages

Introduction The Ku Klux Klan (KKK) is America’s oldest and original domestic terrorist organizations who originated in the United States. The terrorist acts that we see from international terrorist today, is no different than what the KKK has been doing for the past 149 years. From kidnapping to bombing buildings, the KKK was already doing this well before ISIS and Al-Qaeda or any other terrorist group was in the picture. They are an internal terrorist organization that threatened the social stability in America. Like other terrorist group they base their violence on their religious beliefs.

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1080 Words | 5 Pages

Since their establishment after the Civil War, in 1865, the Ku Klux Klan is known as one of the most famous hate groups in America. The white cloaked Knights use lynching, riots, and demonstrations, to spread their hate filled messages toward any ethnic or religious groups who are not white, nor Christians. But despite their actions, the Klan still promoted themselves as “100% American” to gain support from United States citizens. Although they promoted themselves as “100% American”, the knights of the Ku Klux Klan sought to deprecate the rights of those whose views differed from theirs, through violent actions.

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