The Ku Klux Klan, also known as the KKK, is one of the oldest and most visible and prominent white-supremacist racial groups in the United States. Members of this organization have been known to devote themselves to opposing movements such as the civil rights movements, racial equality movements, and religious groups such as blacks, Hispanics, Jews, Catholics, and homosexuals (Celep 1). When the group was created in the late 1800’s it functioned as a loosely organized group of political and social terrorists (Bryant 1). At the start of the group, it extended into almost every southern state, where its members waged war on political campaigns using violence on black and white political leaders (History.com 1). The KKK is a hate group that, throughout …show more content…
The KKK was formed in Tennessee in 1866, when it became a political party lead by former Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest (Bryant 1). The KKK reached its height in 1870 when it had branches in almost every southern state. But, even at its height, the group was severely disorganized and did not have a clear leader. The members were people from different classes; members ranged from wealthy lawyers and merchants to small farmers and laborers, and even ministers. Physical attacks were usually carried out under the cover of darkness when there were fewer witnesses to the crimes. One of the most notorious Klan attack was in January of 1871 when five hundred masked Klan’s men attacked a county jail and lynched eight black prisoners in South Carolina (History.com …show more content…
“The organization has had three distinct periods of significant strength in the political history of the Unites States: in the late 19th century, in the 1920’s, and during the 1950’s and 1960’s, when the Civil Rights movement was gaining strength”, this proves that although the Klan has not been prominent throughout the United States History as a whole, it has had a severe impact on how history has played out (Celep 2). During the 1920’s revival of the Ku Klux Klan its peak membership exceeded four million people nationwide (History.com