Ku Klux Klan

Shelby Drews
1-21-12
WH:1 History of the KKK

The Ku Klux Klan was on of our Nations most feared groups. As I look back on the history of the Ku Klux Klan I can’t imagine living in a society of hatred in which friends and family were killed just because of the color of their skin. The KKK established horrifying memories towards the African American race in which they did not merit.
After the Civil War ended, the Southern States went through a time period known as the Reconstruction, staring the KKK. Due to the Civil War the social order of the south was chaotic. The Ku Klux Klan, informally known as the KKK, was born in 1865 by a group of Confederate Civil War veterans Calvin E. Jones, John B. Kennedy, Frank O. McCord, John C. Lester, Richard R. Reed, James R. Crowe. The group of Confederate soldiers, angered by the outcome of the war started clan to scare the African Americans. When taken to the extreme these men used ferocity to keep their “enemies” over control. The Ku Klux Klan became a brutal and ruthless force that caused many people to live in fear of them. However, violence was not the intention of the formation of the KKK. The Ku Klux Klan had broken off into many different dens, causing member to act in a hostile manner. In April a Convention was he held to discuss the rules and guidelines for the KKK members. It was at this meeting where General Nathan Bedford Forest became the first grand wizard. Nathan was a Confederate general during the Civil War and was left in charge of all the dens throughout the United States. Soon after his rein, violence struck out over the South. The spread of violence and hatred towards the African Americans were seen as a threat to white southerners. The Klan members acted harshly to protect the white supremacy rule.
William J. Simmons founded the second KKK in Atlanta, Georgia in 1915. William intended many projects for the second KKK members in which he designed the infamous hooded uniform and was the first to set the cross on fire. The burning cross soon became the symbol for the KKK. The second KKK group adopted a modern business system of recruiting, which paid thousands of men to organize local chapters all over the country. A significant characteristic of the second Klan was that is was a group based on urban areas, and it reflected major shifts of population to cities in the North and South. The second Klan required its members to not only be white but Christians. The religion became the platform of the second KKK. The massive immigration of Catholics and Jews caused many people to become anti-Catholic, anti-racial, and anti-immigrant. The second KKK was a mass movement that invoked the memory of and built upon the first KKK. Some local groups took part in attacks on private houses and carried out other violent activities. By the 1920’s the Ku Klux Klan developed a woman’s Klan. Many women that were involved in the KKK participated in parades, cross lighting, and rallies. However, the popularity of the KKK fell during the Great Depression, due to the scandals resulting from prominent members crimes and support of the Nazis.