The Civil Rights Movement: Jane Collective And The Klu Klux Klan

The people are fundamental to the continuation of a liberal government. America in the 20th century was a perfect example of people being at the core of creating change. With persistent resistance, change is bound to occur. It is often said that we have four branches of government: the legislative, executive, judicial, and the people. The pro-choice and civil rights movements were successful testaments to this saying; if the people are a part of this representative democracy, then they have the right to resist any injustice. The civil rights movement, Jane Collective, and the Klu Klux Klan were all insighted by people. The power of the people is stronger than that of the state because these movements resulted in landmark laws and Supreme Court

Most notably, they lynched people of color, burned their homes, and committed other egregious actions. However, the KKK is a perfect example of the negative power that people can hold. Behind the Mask of Chivalry: The Making of the Second Klu Klux Klan proved that recruitment was the second KKK’s most effective tool. By 1923, “nationwide, the Klan boasted that 500,000 Masons had joined.” Organizing and enlisting new members were two crucial methods that people have employed time and time again. In this case, the KKK was scarily good at recruiting new members by “routinely showings of Birth of a Nation… for it sent the message the Klan wanted to deliver.” This despicable film depicted black men as “beasts and white vigilantes were the saviors of American civilization.” By appealing to the public's sense of nationalism and racism, this propaganda was successfully used to convince people to join the KKK. Soon, the members became part of the “invisible army” that committed horrific criminal acts, mostly against people of color. The KKK had such a huge membership across the country that, in many ways, it was more powerful than the state. They fed people propaganda and killed, burned, and stole what they pleased. The group “most commonly, flogg[ed] men and sometimes women.” These revolting practices caused a sense of fear among people of color and the KKK utilized this fear to their advantage. At the time, the state did not have this “invisible” source of power that could recruit thousands and kill civilians for doing nothing at