Ku Klux Klan And The Civil Rights Movement

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

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