Rise of the Ku Klux Klan
“The Ku Klux Klan...refers to three separate manifestations of an American political extremist organization. The KKK originally formed in the 1860s as a white-supremacist group bent on impeding the enfranchisement of American blacks. It disbanded after several years but reorganized in the early twentieth century to lobby again for white supremacy and the defeat of black empowerment. Both versions relentlessly harassed and killed American blacks. The third and current version of the KKK consists of numerous small groups scattered across the United States, advocating for white supremacy above all nonwhite and non-Christian Americans” (“Ku Klux” 1).
- Group of people that believe they are above other races
- “Ku Klux” =Greek word kyklos meaning circle
- “Klan” = English word clan meaning family
- started 1865, Tennessee- by confederate army veterans
- 1st leader (Grand Wizard) Nathan Bed-ford Forrest = general in the confederate army
- led a massacre of African Americans
- Uses disguises such as robes and cloaks
- The clan started to spread throughout the south
- Tried to keep the African American population away from politics, taking away their rights as citizens
- The Klan became a target of those who supported rights for every citizen
- The group grew and spread throughout the south
- Congress direct troops against the Klan to force down their power which was successful the group disappeared but only for a some time.
- Comeback -1915, started targeting more than just African Americans
"Ku Klux Klan." Gale Student Resources in Context. Detroit: Gale, 2015. Research in Context. Web. 5 Oct. 2015.
"Ku Klux Klan." Gale Encyclopedia of U.S. Economic History. Ed. Thomas Carson and Mary Bonk. Detroit: Gale, 1999. Student Resources in Context. Web. 2 Oct. 2015.
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