The Ku-Klux-Klan existed basically for three times. The first Klan was founded on the 24th December 1865 in Pulaski, Tennessee by six former officers of the Confederate army: Calvin E. Jones, John B. Kennedy, Frank O. McCord, John C. Lester, Richard R. Reed and James R. Crowe. To understand the reasons of the founding, we need to take a few steps back in American history: From 1861 to 1865 there was the American Civil War, a war between the North and the South of America, as a result of the controversy over slavery. The North won the war over the Confederate army of the southern states, slavery was banned and nearly four million black slaves were set free. Suddenly they had –at least in the law – the same rights as every other person in America. …show more content…
Under his reign, the Klan became a very powerful secret organization that was able to make hundreds of judges, mayors and sheriffs klan-friendly. Hugo Black for example was judge at the Supreme Court and former member of the Ku-Klux-Klan, but later he rejected the intentions and goals of the Klan and adjudicated for the purpose of the blacks. In 1922, the Klan had three million members and in 1924 the number of memberships reached its highest point with 4.5 million people. Also women were members of the Klan, during the emancipation they even founded their own group called “Women of the Ku-Klux-Klan” with 500,000 women, but the women were clearly oppressed by the men. In 1925, D.C. Stephenson, member of the Ku-Klux-Klan was accused of rape and murder and sentenced for life imprisonment. He published lists of bribes and the people were scared off of the Klan. The number of memberships declined and because of very negative press, “Grand Wizard” Evans had to sell the Klan in 1939. During the World War II, some members of the Klan tried to connect with the national socialists in Germany because they had similar ideologies, but due to the war declaration of Germany they weren´t