The Hate Group In The Ku Klux Klan

Imagine living in a society where there are a multitude of people living in fear for their lives, simply because of the pigmentation of their skin. This is the case for many African Americans throughout American history. Although there has been a variety of different laws passed in order to protect certain rights of individuals, people somehow find ways to work around them and strike fear to vulnerable people. There is a certain group still around today, which by using fear tactics, is capable of being a dangerous force to the public. The Ku Klux Klan is viewed by many people as a hate group which targets mostly minorities. Given the history of violence that the Klan has, there should be no surprise that it is the most infamous hate group in
There were some members from the confederate army that wanted to create a small social group. The views of the group quickly changed and they started to look towards the fear factor that could be inflicted on those who were recently [African Americans] freed. The group stated that one of their views was to oppose the abolition of slavery. The group claimed that the African Americans were voting for the Republican Party, due towards influence from the Loyal Leagues. The Loyal Leagues helped promote the Republican Party, and was for the Union. Around this time, to intimidate others, the Klan would burn houses, assaulted and even killed African Americans. The Klan was trying to restore a white supremacy. Many people when asked to describe the Ku Klux Klan, would give a short and to the point response, that they were a hate group. This is indeed true, however, the Klan can also be tied to a political standpoint. The Ku Klux Klan sought to serve the Democratic Party’s views in a multitude of different ways. Some of the party’s views that the Klan attempted to uphold, was certain voting rights, education, and the second amendment right, that is implying to African Americans. Of course the Klan would not be pleased with the election coming up in 1868, which had a Republican candidate Ulysses S. Grant as the front runner. The Klan tried to reduce the Republican influence, and assassinated Arkansas Congressman James M.
“In the mid-twenties the Invisible Empire exercised dominion over more than three million subjects. By 1928, no more than several hundred thousand remained.” (Chalmers pg. 291) At the Klan’s peak, they boasted that there were over four million members nationwide. Having these numbers, the Klan “boasted huge social and political influence, with hundreds of KKK- backed candidates elected to local, state, and even federal office.” (The Week UK) In a recent interview in 2015 with a Klansman who wished to be called Henry, he stated that with the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) estimating that there are roughly 3,000 active members today, the Klan is happy, because that’s want they want people to believe. “We want the public to see us as a shadow, not to know where we are. That’s how it should be.” (CNN) Some possible reasons why the Klan is losing numbers in their members, could be that there is no national leadership, and that subgroups of the Klan, also known as Chapters are constantly forming and deforming, giving off the impression that there is a lack of solidarity in the group. Also, the racist youth of today’s generation, often thinks of the Ku Klux Klan as their “Grandfather’s hate group, and of its members as rural, uneducated, and technologically unsophisticated.”