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| SOURCE : MADE IN WRLD |
The Ku Klux Klan was established in 1865 in Pulaski, Tennessee, initially as a social organization for former Confederate soldiers. Its name is believed to originate from the Greek word kyklos, meaning ''circle''. By 1867, the group had expanded its local chapters and convened a general meeting, forming what they referred to as an ''Invisible Empire of the South''. Nathan Bedford Forrest, a leading Confederate general, was chosen as the first ''Grand Wizard'', heading a hierarchy of grand dragons, grand titans, and grand cyclopses.
This period coincided with the second phase of Reconstruction, following the Civil War, when Congress, rejecting President Andrew Johnson's more lenient approach, passed the Reconstruction Act. The South was divided into five military districts, and states were required to ratify the 14th Amendment, ensuring equal protection under the law for former enslaved people and establishing universal male suffrage.
Violence and Intimidation in the Reconstruction South
From 1867 onward, African Americans began exercising political power, winning elections to state legislatures and Congress. The Klan responded with an underground campaign targeting Republican leaders and voters, both Black and white, aiming to reverse Radical Reconstruction policies and restore white dominance. Groups such as the Knights of the White Camelia and the White Brotherhood joined in these violent efforts.
At least 10 percent of Black legislators elected during the 1867-1868 constitutional conventions faced violence, with seven killed. Schools, churches, and other Black institutions, along with white Republicans labeled ''carpetbaggers'' or ''scalawags'', were frequent targets. By 1870, the Klan had spread to nearly every southern state, with members often masked and dressed in long white robes and hoods, carrying out night attacks independently but aligned with the group’s goals. Violence was most intense in areas where African Americans were a minority or small majority, such as South Carolina, where in January 1871, 500 masked men attacked a county jail and lynched eight Black prisoners.
Membership and Social Influence
The Klan's membership included individuals across social classes, from laborers and small farmers to lawyers, merchants, physicians, ministers, and planters. Many law enforcement officials were either members or unwilling to act against the Klan. Even when arrests were made, witnesses were often too intimidated to testify. Influential white citizens frequently stayed silent, offering tacit approval.
In response, Congress passed three Enforcement Acts after 1870, with the strongest being the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871. This law classified conspiracies to infringe on citizens' rights as federal crimes, authorized the president to suspend habeas corpus, arrest individuals without charge, and deploy federal forces to suppress Klan activity. President Ulysses S. Grant quickly used these powers to curb violence in South Carolina and other areas, temporarily weakening the Klan.
The Klan and the End of Reconstruction
Despite federal intervention, white supremacy gradually regained strength as support for Reconstruction diminished. By 1876, Democratic control had been reestablished throughout the South, and the Klan's objectives of maintaining racial hierarchy were largely achieved through political means rather than ongoing violence.
Revival in the Early 20th Century
In 1915, white Protestant nativists revived the Klan near Atlanta, Georgia. This resurgence was fueled by romanticized notions of the Old South and cultural influences, including Thomas Dixon’s 1905 book ''The Clansman'' and D.W. Griffith's film ''Birth of a Nation''. The revived Klan expanded its targets to include African Americans, Catholics, Jews, immigrants, and organized labor. Rising immigration and fears of communist revolution contributed to its appeal.
The Klan adopted the burning cross as a symbol and organized rallies, parades, and marches across the country. Membership reached over four million during the 1920s, demonstrating its national influence and reach.
Decline and Civil Rights Era Resurgence
The Great Depression depleted the Klan's membership, and the organization temporarily disbanded in 1944. However, during the civil rights movement of the 1960s, local Klan activity surged again in the South. The group was responsible for bombings, beatings, and shootings targeting both Black and white civil rights activists. These attacks, carried out in secret by local Klansmen, drew national outrage and helped galvanize support for civil rights reforms.
In 1965, President Lyndon Johnson publicly condemned the Klan and announced the arrest of members involved in the murder of a white civil rights worker in Alabama. Although violent incidents decreased in the following decades, some Klan factions aligned with neo-Nazi or far-right extremist organizations from the 1970s onward.
Modern Klan and Legacy
By 2016, estimates suggested Klan membership ranged from 3,000 according to the Anti-Defamation League to 6,000 according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. While no longer holding the widespread power of its early iterations, the Klan's legacy continues to influence hate groups, extremist ideology, and racial tensions in the United States.
The Klan's history demonstrates a pattern of violent enforcement of white supremacy, adaptation to social and political circumstances, and long-term cultural impact that has persisted across centuries.