Klan in the Southwest

The Ku Klux Klan began their violence on African Americans in the southern states before expanding their hatred towards blacks to the southwest region of America. Large cities in states such as Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma began to experience the kind of violence the KKK was capable of and how far they would go in order to reach their goals. By research of novels, and historical articles of the damage the KKK had on this region we can see they were just has brutal as they were where they initially started. We learn that they caused havoc on not only African Americans but also whites. They had their own vision of what America should be and wanted to enforce their beliefs by punishing those who did not abide by their beliefs, did not matter what race the offenders were. With the expansion of the Ku Klux Klan into the southwest region also came a larger population of targets for the Klan in order to establish their power.

Although the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) is best known for its lynching, and hatred towards colored people with their establishment in the South, there presence instigated a much larger role when the Klan decided to move into the Southwestern states. The Klan became more involved in wanting to make America a white supremacy nation. In order to achieve such a uniform population, they would begin attacking diverse groups of Americans rather than just African Americans as they once did in the South. Klansman Z. R. Upchurch was the chief agent for Edward Y. Clarke and Mrs. Elizabeth Taylor at the Klans Atlanta headquarters where he was considered one of the top kleagles. In September 1920, Upchurch was making a trip to Houston to represent the Klan in the annual reunion of the United Confederate Veterans. Although, Upchurch had other intentions planned while he was in Houston. Upchurch’s objective there was to recruit men in an effort to join the Klan in their new chapter in Houston. By the first week of October Upchurch had signed about 100