Throughout history, the Ku Klux Klan has been known as a racist hate group used to intimidate and offend the African American community. Although this is true pertaining to their initial existence, the Klu Klux Klan was against much more than just African-Americans. During their reprise in the 1910s through 1920s they reinitialized their mission therefore turning their organization into more than just intimidation towards the African American community but they were also now against Jews, Catholics, and Immigrants, as well as African Americans. Thus leading to violent acts in these communities which lead said communities to living in fear. While most believe that government officials and police officers would be a large help to these communities it was later revealed that many legislators, police officers, and other government officials were secret klansmen. …show more content…
Simmons revived the Klan after seeing D. W. Griffith's film Birth of A Nation, which portrayed the Klansmen as great heroes . Simmons’ first official act was restricting the group's membership to white American-born Protestant Christian men. Simmons designed the klan’s hooded uniform, composed an elaborate ritual for the secret order, and secured an official charter from the state of Georgia. At the dusk of Thanksgiving of 1915, Simmons and sixteen other members of the new Klan, (several of whom also belonged to the Knights of Mary Phagan), climbed Stone Mountain and ignited a flaming cross. Thus, proclaiming the rebirth of the Knights of the Ku Klux