The Ku Klux Klan

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At one point in time in the 1920s, the Ku Klux Klan – KKK – had a total of more than 4 million members (History.com Staff)! Fortunately, its number of followers decreased rapidly throughout the century. However, this did not stop them from sticking their foot out in the path of the Civil Rights Movement. The Klan had many efforts to slow down the movement; but in the end, they failed to phase it. Actions that the Klan took were bombing and man-slaughtering (History.com Staff). The KKK also had a hand in the sabotage of the Freedom Riders (Fre14). Looking back on the Civil Rights Movement nowadays, some believe that the KKK actions actually gained support for integration.
The Ku Klux Klan was created in 1866 and was embedded into nearly all the American southern states. White southerners used the group as a way to take action against Reconstruction after the American Civil War. Its name originated from the word “kyklos,” which translates to “circle” in the Greek language. Members believed they were part of the “Invisible Empire of the South.” Within this empire there was a hierarchy that consisted of a leader, known as the Grand Wizard, along with lower-ranking grand dragons, grand titans, and grand cyclopses. The Klan reached its highest point in the early part of the 1900s. Its number of members declined following this peak. There was a revival of KKK activities in the 60’s due to the Civil Rights Movement. Actions after that decade were rare and scattered throughout the rest of the century (History.com Staff).
A very radical way that the KKK showed its opinions on civil rights for African Americans was bombing. A very infamous catastrophe was the bombing of a Baptist church in Birmingham, Alabama. Racism, discrimination, and ...

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...elt the pain of those who suffered, and their hearts were turned justice. No matter how many Klan members there are or what the Klan members did, the Civil Rights Movement saw no victory for the Ku Klux Klan.

Works Cited

Freedom Rides of 1961. n.d. 13 May 2014 .
History.com Staff. Birmingham Church Bombing. 2014. A+E Networks. 16 April 2014 .
—. Ku Klux Klan. 2014. A+E Networks. 29 April 2014 .
The KKK kills three civil rights activists. 2014. 11 May 2014 .
Viola Gregg Luizzo Biography. 2014. A&E Television Networks. 13 May 2014 .

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