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The Ku Klux Klan came into existence after the Civil War in 1865. The Klan was started by a Confederate general. Their target was at first African Americans and Republicans an their main goal was to bring back white supremacy in the south. They were very violent and often went on night raids and would kill and torture African Americans through lynching and whipping. The KKK basically disappeared shortly after because they had basically achieved white supremacy in the south. However, another Ku Klux Klan group came into existence after the first world war. By 1925, there were over 4,000,000 members and they targeted African Americans, Jews, Roman Catholics, and immigrants. Their attacks were very violent, much like the attacks done by the first KKK group in the 19th century. The Ku Klux Klan became basically dormant during the Great Depression. However, the KKK still exists today with over 8,000 members.

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The Ku Klux Klan affected society in many ways. By 1925, there was over 4,000,000 members in the KKK. Only on rare occasions were members arrested for crimes. But, they were unlikely to be convicted by local Southern juries. This group encouraged discrimination against other cultures. This was eventually seen as no big deal. Mainly because people realized they had no control over such a big group. But, they did not get away with everything they did. Soon their leader of the Klan got convicted with second degree murder. This lead to many members withdrawing from the Klan. Once the Civil Rights Movement started to become popular, the KKK rose again. The KKK began to carry out mass murders and targeting African American churches. They have a very strong influence on society and still exists today.

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In this source, William Robinson Pattangal , former legislator & attorney general. He shared his thoughts on the KKK. He explains how he thinks the Klan is Un-American. I agree with this because America is a place were everyone should feel welcome. This is what America is all about, welcoming other cultures to be a diverse nation. Hiram Wesley Evans was an Imperial Wizard for the Ku Klux Klan. He argued that  America should belong to Americans. But, we should see America as a diverse nation filled with many cultures and respect all the different cultures.

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This was a speech given by LeRoy Percy, a United States Senator. The Klan revived in 1915 after the movie "The Birth of a Nation" was released. This movie showed members of the Klan as heroes. But this time, the Klan targets expanded to Jews, Catholics, and foreign people. With the ultimate goal of bringing back White supremacy. My thoughts on this speech is how did people get on board with this? It is crazy to me how people think creating something like this is okay and how it has became so popular and is still alive today.

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Anti-Semitism- to discrimination against Jews or other religious groups
Condemn- to express complete disapproval of, or sentence (someone) to a particular punishment, especially death
Decade- every member of the Klan was responsible for recruiting ten people to vote for Klan candidates in elections
Dens- were the basic level of organization for the Reconstruction Klan
Empire - constituting the whole area of the Klans' activities.

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The KKK was made by a Confederate general after the civil war. They mainly targeted African Americans and Republicans. They wrote threats and went on night raids trying to intimidate and scare African Americans. This primary source is a letter written to a black, Republican who was just elected Sheriff. The letter includes a threat from a KKK member and their plans to straighten the recipient out. They threaten to attack them in the night if they do not vote right. This shows the true horror that the KKK brought to African Americans and other races other than white.

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Reconstruction politics was a catalyst for widespread racism and hatred that freed people experienced throughout the South. The Ku Klux Klan, founded by a Confederate general in 1866, became known as the "invisible empire of the South" in which members represented the ghosts of the Confederate dead returning to terrorize African Americans and Republicans. Although it was a covert organization, the Klan's displays of violence and intolerance were anything but discreet. Many murders and beatings were never reported due to fear of reprisal from the Klan. This document is an example of the type of threats for which the KKK became known. In this case, the target was Davie Jeems, a black Republican recently elected sheriff in Lincoln County, Georgia. The language of the document evokes a ghostly menacing presence; even the handwriting is reminiscent of a ransom note. The word "notice" and the two holes at the top indicate that it was most likely posted in a public place. Someone has written on the back of the sheet that "similar threats have prevented all the other Republican officers to take their [commissions]." With the passage of the Civil Rights Act in 1871, the already weakened Klan became dormant, but it resurfaced again in 1915.

A full transcript is available.

Excerpt

Notice

To Jeems, Davie. you. must. be, a good boy. and. Quit. hunting on Sunday and shooting your gun in the night. you keep people from sleeping. I live in a big rock above the Ford of the Creek. I went from Lincoln County County [ sic] during the War I was Killed at Manassus in 1861. I am here now as a Locust in the day Time and. at night I am a Ku Klux sent here to look after you and all the rest of the radicals and make you know your place. I have got my eye on you every day, I am at the Ford of the creek every evening From Sundown till dark I want to meet you there next Saturday tell platt Madison we have, a Box. For him and you. We nail all, radicals up in Boxes and send them away to KKK - there is. 200 000 ded men retured to this country to make you and all the rest of the radicals good Democrats and vote right with the white people

Questions for Discussion

Read the document introduction and transcript and apply your knowledge of American history in order to answer these questions.

1. Why was this notice addressed to Davie Jeems? Explain why the notice was apparently posted publicly.

2. How did the author(s) of the note use fear of the supernatural to frighten the reader?

3. To what extent does this note show the frustration and anger of some white Southerners to the policies of the Radical Republicans?

A printer-friendly version is available here.

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Reconstruction politics was a catalyst for widespread racism and hatred that freed people experienced throughout the South. The Ku Klux Klan, founded by a Confederate general in 1866, became known as the "invisible empire of the South" in which members represented the ghosts of the Confederate dead returning to terrorize African Americans and Republicans.

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ku klux klan informational video - Bing video

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Klux Klan Women Klux Klan Black Klux Klan Picturs Klux Klan Today Klux Klan Writing Klu Klux Klan Neighborhood Watch Klasp Kkk Branches of the Kkk Klu Klux Klan Logo Picture Klux Klan Music Kkk Southern Poverty Law Center Kkk Kennedy Family Fla Klux Klan Klux Klan 1910 Klux Klan Dead Klux Klan and the Difference Between Police Department Klux Klan 1963 Klux Klan Flags Klue Klux Klan

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This website gave a detailed history and timeline of the KKK. It goes over how the Ku Klux Klan first came into existence after the Civil War. It was banned due to Jim Crow laws and then emerged again in 1915. The first Klan  reached it's peak during the 19th century and the second Klan peaked in 20th century.

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Ku Klux Klan, either of two distinct U.S. hate organizations that employed terror in pursuit of their white supremacist agenda. One group was founded in Pulaski, Tennessee, immediately after the Civil War and lasted until the 1870s. The other group began in 1915 and has continued to the present.

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This website explained the many advancements this group is taking today. They are opening their group to African Americans and homosexuals. Even though, this group used to be strictly for White people. Now it is striving towards a "Strong America".

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White supremacist group Ku Klux Klan is re-branding as 'the new Klan'

Founder wants Jews, black people, gays and those of Hispanic origin to join

Rebranded 'Rocky Mountain Knights' claim to stand for 'a strong America'

New recruits will have to wear the white robes, masks and conical hats

It's a white supremacist organisation notorious for homophobic and racist violence, including the lynchings of black people.

But the Ku Klux Klan is now looking to diversify and increase its membership to include Jews, black people, homosexuals and those of Hispanic origin with a re-branding as 'the new Klan'.

All those wanting to join the extreme right-wing group will still have to wear the white robes, masks and conical hats and take part in rituals, according to founder John Abarr.

The rebranded organisation, called the Rocky Mountain Knights, claims to now stand for 'a strong America' rather than irrational hatred.

'White supremacy is the old Klan. This is the new Klan. The KKK is for a strong America,' said Mr Abarr.

The move comes after the Klan organiser met with the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People.

He said: 'I thought it was a really good organisation. I don't feel we need to be separate.'

But Klan members have said Mr Abarr is trying to make the changes to further his own political career.

Bradley Jenkins, Imperial Wizard of the KKK, said: 'That man's going against everything the bylaws of the constitution of the KKK say. He's trying to hide behind the KKK to further his political career.'

The Klan is classified as a hate group by the anti-semitism organistion Anti-Defamation League and the civil rights law firm Southern Poverty Law Center.

But some black people have apparently already expressed an interest in joining, after Mr Abarr organised a summit with civil rights groups.

The requirements for joining the new KKK group are to be aged over 18 and live in the Pacific Northwest.

The first Klan was founded in 1865 in Pulaski, Tennessee, by six veterans of the Confederate Army.

Similar groups spread throughout the South as an insurgent movement during the Reconstruction era in the United States.

As a secret vigilante group, the Klan targeted freedmen and their allies and sought to restore white supremacy by threats and violence, including murder, against black and white Republicans.

Today the organisation is made up of small, unconnected groups that use the KKK name and have emphasised secrecy and distinctive costumes.

Recent estimates suggest there are between 5,000 and 8,000 members.

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The Ku Klux Klan opens its door to Jews, black people and homosexuals

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White supremacist group Ku Klux Klan is re-branding as 'the new Klan' Founder wants Jews, black people, gays and those of Hispanic origin to join Rebranded 'Rocky Mountain Knights' claim to stand for 'a strong America' New recruits will have to wear the white robes, masks and conical hats It's a white supremacist organisation notorious for homophobic and racist violence, including the lynchings of black people.

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This website was very informational. It gave a background on how the Ku Klux Klan was created. The Ku Klux Klan was founded in 1866. It peaked in the 1920's. This is when over four million people were involved all over the nation. This was cult was created to bring back White supremacy.

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Following the Civil War, the Ku Klux Klan emerges to suppress and victimize newly freed slaves.

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This website gives a review of the history of the KKK during Reconstruction. It also gives a brief history and timeline of the KKK during the 1900's. The Ku Klux Klan started after the Civil War during the reconstruction era and its purpose was to intimidate African Americans in the south. Throughout the 1900's the KKK was banned many times but then came back into existence.

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Top takeaways

Continuing the same trajectory as years past, the number of active Ku Klux Klan hate groups again declined in 2022. The decline can be attributed to infighting that has long been a hallmark of the Klan, as well as the comparatively greater appeal of newer racist groups that feature more contemporary tactics and rhetoric that is focused online and on younger audiences.

There were very few Klan events of note in 2022, and there were 22 flyering incidents, which was the same amount in 2021. However, the subsequent news coverage they received helped maintain the false perception that the Klan is a dominant white supremacist group in America.

Key moments

Longtime themes of Klan rhetoric - including the need to "take back the country" - continued to permeate Klan propaganda in 2022. While there were Klan rallies throughout 2022, they were small, remote and operated by individual Klan organizations with little cross coordination or overlap between other groups.

Election denialism has played a role in Klan mainstream relevancy and messaging revolving around the country being lost to "undesirables." Former Grand Dragon David Duke's radio show continues to falsely promote that millions of votes were stolen in the 2020 election. The Klan activity is mostly confined to flyering and spreading propaganda online, most of which is spread on alt-tech platforms like MeWe and the neo-Nazi forum Stormfront. Old Glory Knights in Tennessee and the Loyal White Knights of North Carolina and Virginia were recorded as having contributed to most of the flyering in 2022, while the United Klan Nation was most active on Telegram. Stormfront remains a popular outlet for Klansmen with some updated daily channels focusing on recruitment and propaganda.

What's Ahead

KKK activity will likely remain stagnant or continue to decline in 2023. Platforms like Stormfront that are not very publicly accessible will likely be where much Klan activity remains, and Klan events are likely to remain equally insulated. Contemporary white supremacy movements will continue to eclipse the Klan in terms of recruitment, propaganda, events, and overall success and many within the movement view the Klan as defunct or out of touch.

Background

In 1865, at the conclusion of the Civil War, six Confederate veterans gathered in Pulaski, Tennessee, to create the Ku Klux Klan, a vigilante group mobilizing a campaign of violence and terror against the African American people that benefits from the progress of Reconstruction. As the group gained members from all strata of Southern white society, they used violent intimidation to prevent Black Americans - and any white people who supported Reconstruction - from voting and holding political office.

In an effort to maintain white hegemonic control of government, the Klan, joined by other white Southerners, engaged in a violent campaign of deadly voter intimidation during the 1868 presidential election. From Arkansas to Georgia, thousands of Black people were killed. Similar campaigns of lynchings, tar-and-featherings, rapes and other violent attacks on those challenging white supremacy became a hallmark of the Klan.

The first leader or "grand wizard" of the Ku Klux Klan was Nathan Bedford Forrest, a well-known Confederate general. Within the structure of the Klan, he directed a hierarchy of members with outlandish titles, such as "imperial wizard" and "exalted cyclops." Hooded costumes, violent "night rides" and the notion that the group made up an "invisible empire" conferred a mystique that only added to the Klan's infamy.

After a short but violent period, the "first era" Klan disbanded when it became evident that Jim Crow laws would secure white supremacy across the country. However, the legacy of the original Klan, and the figureheads of the Confederacy before it, have been enshrined across the country in the " Cult of the Lost Cause." Only in recent years - after gaining significant attention through large counterprotests and after deadly attacks from far-right extremists - have these statues started being removed and public spaces renamed. On July 9, 2020, Tennessee's State Capitol Commission voted to remove the bust of Nathan Bedford Forrest from the state capitol building. It was subsequently removed on July 23, 2021, and placed in the Tennessee State Museum.

In 1915, the Ku Klux Klan was revived by white Protestants near Atlanta, Georgia. In addition to the group's anti-Black ideological core, this second iteration of the Klan also opposed Catholic and Jewish immigrants. A growing fear of communism and immigration broadened the Klan's base throughout the South and into the Midwest, with a particular stronghold in Indiana. By 1925, when its followers staged a march in Washington, D.C., the Klan had as many as 4 million members and, in some states, considerable political power. A series of sex scandals, internal battles over power and newspaper exposés quickly reduced the group's influence.

The Klan arose a third time during the 1960s to oppose the civil rights movement and attempt to preserve segregation as the Chief Justice Earl Warren-led U.S. Supreme Court substantiated civil rights in multiple rulings. Bombings, murders and other attacks by the Klan took a great many lives. Murders committed by Klansmen during the civil rights era include four young African American girls killed in 1963 while preparing for Sunday services at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, and the 1964 murder in Mississippi of civil rights workers Andrew Goodman, James Chaney and Michael Schwerner.

Throughout the second and third eras of the Klan, many Black Americans left Southern states in the Great Migration. While those who moved North were seeking economic prosperity and social opportunities, they were also hoping to escape the racial terror centered around the Klan's ideological stronghold in the South. With over 6 million Black Americans taking part in this migration, the demographics of the country shifted dramatically.

With the conclusion of the Vietnam War in 1975 and the subsequent return of American soldiers, several key figures arose within the Klan. Louis Beam, upon his return from Vietnam, joined the Alabama-based United Klans of America. His teachings on "leaderless resistance" and early adaptation to technological advances helped bridge neo-Nazi and Klan groups into the organized white power movement. Similarly, David Duke - founder of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan in 1975 - maintained a distinctly antisemitic hatred that closed ideological gaps with neo-Nazis.

Through a series of court cases aimed at bankrupting the Klan and closing the group's paramilitary training camps, the organization has been greatly weakened. Internal fighting and government infiltrations have led to a seemingly endless series of splits, resulting in smaller, less organized Klan chapters. Given the Klan's insistence on remaining an "invisible empire," it is nearly impossible to estimate how many active members there are today. However, it is fair to assume that the infighting, rigid traditions and the uncouth image of the Klan are not attracting significant new membership.

2022 KKK hate groups

View all groups by state and by ideology.
* - Asterisk denotes headquarters.

American Christian Dixie Knights of the Ku Klux Klan
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Christian Revival Center Harrison
Arkansas

East Coast Knights of the True Invisible Empire
Pennsylvania

Honorable Sacred Knights of the Ku Klux Klan
Madison, Indiana

Loyal White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan
Pelham, North Carolina
Virginia

Old Glory Knights of the Ku Klux Klan
Santa Fe, Tennessee

United Klan Nation
Tennessee

White Christian Brotherhood of the Ku Klux Klan
Maryland

White Christian Brotherhood of the Ku Klux Klan
Dayton, Ohio

Klan glossary

AKIA: A password meaning "A Klansman I Am," often seen on decals and bumper stickers.

Alien: A person who does not belong to the Klan.

AYAK?: A password meaning "Are You a Klansman?"

CA BARK: A password meaning "Constantly Applied By All Real Klansmen."

CLASP: A password meaning "Clannish Loyalty A Sacred Principle."

Genii: The collective name for the national officers. Also known as the Kloncilium, or the advisory board to the Imperial Wizard.

Hydras: The Real officers, with the exception of the Grand Dragon.

Imperial Giant: Former Imperial Wizard.

Imperial Wizard: The overall, or national, head of a Klan, which it sometimes compares to the president of the United States.

Inner Circle: Small group of four or five members who plan and carry out "action." Its members and activities are not disclosed to the general membership.

Invisible Empire: A Ku Klux Klan's overall geographical jurisdiction, which it compares to the United States although none exist in every state.

Kalendar: Klan calendar, which dates events from both the origin and its 1915 rebirth Anno Klan, and means "in the year of the Klan," and is usually written "AK."

Kardinal Kullors: White, crimson, gold and black. Secondary Kullors are grey, green and blue. The Imperial Wizard's Kullor is Skipper Blue.

K.B.I.: Klan Bureau of Investigation.

KIGY!: A password meaning "Klansman, I greet you!"

Klankfraft: The practices and beliefs of the Klan.

Klanton: The jurisdiction of a Klavern.

Klavern: A local unit or club; also called "den."

Kleagle: An organizer whose main function is to recruit new members. In some Klans, he gets a percentage of the initiation fees.

Klectokon: Initiation fee.

Klepeer: Delegate elected to Imperial Klonvokation.

Klonkave: Secret Klavern meeting.

Klonverse: Province convention.

Kloran: Official book of Klan rituals.

Klorero: Realm convention.

SAN BOG: A password meaning "Strangers Are Near, Be On Guard."

Terrors: The Exalted Cyclops' officers.

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The Ku Klux Klan, with its long history of violence, is the oldest and most infamous of American hate groups. Although Black Americans have typically been the Klan's primary target, adherents also attack Jewish people, persons who have immigrated to the United States, and members of the LGBTQ community.