Ku Klux Klan Research Paper

There are over a hundred different Klan chapters around the country, with a combined strength of members and associates that may total around 5000. The Ku Klux Klan was a violent group of people that supported white supremacy. While researching the Ku Klux Klan also known as the KKK we can find how the clan was founded, what they support, and recent occurrences of the KKK. To start off, the clan had a strong foundation and start, which caused it to grow in size quickly. An example of this is six former confederate soldiers founded the KKK in 1865 (“The Ku Klux 1”). The clan was founded in Pulaski, Tennessee shortly following the Civil War (“Ku Klux Klan 2”). Various factions formed in different towns, which led to a meeting in April 1867

The KKK was against white supporters of the Republican Party (“Reconstruction Era of”). They also used power to keep blacks from voting (“Klan in the”). The clan targeted African Americans who sought to take advantage of there by voting or buying property (“Klan Is Founded”). The KKK used violence such as whipping and lynching (“Reconstruction Era of”). The clan would frequently harass and kill blacks in the United States (“Reconstruction Era of”). Also, in 1867 Georgia tallied 336 cases of murder or assault with intent to kill (“Klan Is Founded”). The clan also targeted Freedmen’s Bureau agents as well as blacks that would have been able to vote for the first time and were expected to support the Republican Party (“Klan Is

One reason to show how they have not gone extinct is there are still members left today. There are between five and eight thousand active members left today (“Ku Klux Klan 4”). 99% of these members are non-violent and have not committed any major crimes (“Ku Klux Klan 5”). These members support white supremacy, and anti Semitism (“Ku Klux Klan 4”). As they were in the past, the KKK is democratic (“Ku Klux Klan 4”). Although the KKK wielded almost no political influence in the twenty first century, it survived as an example of the racial discord that had existed in the United States for centuries (“Ku Klux Klan 4”). Recent occurrences of the KKK have included recent actions that they have taken. In the early 2000’s the clan protested against Mexican immigrants who are settling into new cities (“Ku Klux Klan 4”). The anti-immigration theme once again became a major issue used by he clan to both recruit new members and attract publicity (“Ku Klux Klan 4”). Also, the new clan took a wider view of white supremacy as part of a political reform minded response against Catholics, immigrants, Jews and Communists, all groups which were perceived by the clan as threatening to the white Protestant American way of life (“The Ku Klux