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Brief essay on ku klux klan
The Ku Klux Klan and its role in the USA
The Ku Klux Klan and its role in the USA
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The Invisible Empire By Nathan Harsey Eleventh Grade English III 5 B Mrs. Russell/Mrs. Garnett November 20, 2013 The Ku Klux Klan, otherwise known as the KKK, was flourishing with its second era in the 1920’s. The KKK was reinvigorated by William J. Simmons, a man who was a frequent joiner of clubs, through the period of the 1920’s, The KKK launched a campaign of political correctness as well as a hidden, dark movement which included lynching, beatings, tarring and feathering, and at some points, even murder of what they believed was the inferiors. Although this status was short lived, it was a dark, mysterious portion of the United States’ history and should never be forgotten. The KKK was once an African American hate group in the late 1800’s, created by Confederate generals who wanted to continue suppressing their former slaves with terror. It was shut down after their leaders were plagued with scandals, and their business dealings put out into the open, for all to see and read. People finally understood what the Klan was about and obviously did not want it. Although in 1915, William J. Simmons watched D.W. Griffith’s “Birth of a Nation” which depicted the story of what happened after the Civil War, through the eyes of a glorified Klansman. He was stargazed at how Griffith depicted the Klan, and as him being a long time joiner of clubs, he decided to bring back the Ku Klux Klan. A surprising fact is how a man like this could lead a group of hate, as he used to be a minister. (“Ku Klux Klan -- Extremism in America”) This second generation of the Klan created almost an “Invisible Empire” by their high point. Their members were scattered across state and federal government, and one could say that they “co... ... middle of paper ... ...hin the upper echelons of their organization. Many of their members that were still with them finally had enough and their membership plummeted into the thousands. The leaders were cracked down on by federal prosecutors, and by that time, the Klan was dissolved. (Lay) Some could say that in the 1920’s, the Ku Klux Klan led by William J. Simmons, was the most influential and powerful group in that time period. With a huge membership base, reaching into the millions, their attempt at trying to create a “White America”, and the huge body count the Klan had, it shows to believe that the Klan was in fact at its most influential time period. With most of the people from the 1920’s dying off and the racist beliefs that still happen today, it’s safe to say that, while the Klan still lives on with some people, It will never reach the capacity that it was in the 1920’s.
A few years ago, my mother told me something thought provoking: we had once lived on the same block as the leader of the local Ku Klux Klan chapter. That had been in Charlotte, North Carolina, around 1994. The Ku Klux Klan, according to Blaine Varney in Lynching in the 1890’s, used to “…set out on nightly ‘terror rides’ to harass ‘uppity Negroes’….” They are far more infamous, however, for their “lynching”—nightly “terror rides” that included murder—of African Americans. Varney tells us lynching levels reached their pinnacle in 1892, with 161 recorded murders that year. In modern times, most Americans would agree that the Klan, along with any form of white supremacy, has no place in society—and pointing out its survival is a good way to imply that we, as a people, are still not perfect.
The population of African Americans from 1865 to 1900 had limited social freedom. Social limitations are limitations that relate “…to society and the way people interact with each other,” as defined by the lesson. One example of a social limitation African Americans experienced at the time is the white supremacy terrorist group, the Ku Klux Klan or the KKK. The KKK started as a social club formed by former confederate soldiers, which rapidly became a domestic terrorist organization. The KKK members were white supremacists who’s objective was to ward off African Americans from using their new political power. In an attempts to achieve their objective, Klansmen would burn African American schools, scare and threaten voters, destroy the homes of African Americans and also the homes of whites who supported African American rights. The greatest terror the KKK imposed was that of lynching. Lynching may be defined via the lesson as, “…public hanging for an alleged offense without benefit of trial.” As one can imagine these tactics struck fear into African Americans and the KKK was achiev...
Hooded Americanism: The First Century of the Ku Klux Klan: 1865 to the Present by David Chalmers records the history of the Ku Klux Klan quite bluntly, all the way from its creation following the civil war, to the early 1960’s. The author starts the book quite strongly by discussing in detail many acts of violence and displays of hatred throughout the United States. He makes a point to show that the Klan rode robustly throughout all of the country, not just in the southern states. The first several chapters of the book focus on the Klan’s creation in 1865. He goes on to discuss the attitude of many Americans following the United State’s Civil War and how the war shaped a new nation. The bulk of the book is used to go through many of the states, and express the Klan’s political influence on both the local and state governments. The author starts with Texas and Oklahoma, and goes through the history of the Klan geographically, finishing with New Jersey and Washington. The author stresses that the KKK did not just commit acts of violence towards minorities, but also carried political power. He continues to discuss the impact of the Klan on Civil Rights movements in the 1960’s, and various other important political controversies between the 1920’s and 1970’s. Towards the middle of the book, David M. Chalmers focuses on portraying the feelings of governments and state legislatures, as well as normal citizens towards the Klan. To do this more effectively, the author uses excerpts and quotes from editorials and newspapers, along with several dozen pictures. The conclusion of the book was used mainly as an overview of all of the major incidents and deaths involving the Klan, and how their persistence has allowed them to still exist today despite a lack of resources and support.
The Ku Klux Klan was the most prominent organization and was established in 1865 in Pulaski, Tennessee. The original intent, a social club for former confederate soldiers, soon altered and changed to a terrorist organization. After the Klan was transformed into a terrorist organization, they were responsible for thousands of deaths and remarkably weakened the political power in the south of blacks and republicans. WGBH 1) Although many Americans associate Klan activity with the South, particularly Georgia and Alabama, the largest, most powerful states of the organizations were those of the Midwest, and especially Indiana in the early 1920’s where the Klan gained its greatest influence and highest level of membership for any state (Moore 2 ).
...manding, and we expect to win, a return of power into the hands of the everyday, not highly cultured, not overly intellectualized, but entirely unspoiled and not de-Americanized, average citizen of the old stock. The KKK has now come to speak for the great mass of Americans of the old pioneer stock" (Document D.) By 1923, Klan membership grew to five million. However, there was a sharp decline in members within a decade, showing how the new frameset of mind took over the old quickly. Accept the new, changing world around them. They represented the old, racist values long thought to have been delegated to the South.
We study the beginning of America and the movement of settlers into a new land. Then we look at the formation of the United States through the Revolutionary War. But nothing has ever changed this country from the inside as much as the Ku Klux Klan invasion into the country. The Klan’s influence and ability to cause destruction within a society inspired leaders and dictators such as Adolf Hitler. During the height of the Klan’s power and influence, it was doing many things right. It had attracted mass amounts of people with a simple message and used them to complete a secret agenda. Had the KKK continued to find new ways of bringing people to their cause and working to achieve superiority first, they may have caused an unforeseen amount of damage to the United States. Mistakes that were made by the members grew attention to them and caused society to see them as they were. The Ku Klux Klan of the modern day is still alive. It is barely breathing but growing and changing everyday. The hate will live on through the young, but the good people in the world are the key to truly changing the world for the
Also, they suffered great poverty well into the twentieth century. It may seem that this was already a great oppression against the Black Americans, yet White supremacist organisations such as the Ku Klux Klan that had faded away in the late nineteenth century, had suddenly reappeared to abuse and in some cases, murder Blacks. The Klan became a powerful political force in the 1920s. It used parades, beatings, lynching and other violent methods to intimidate Blacks. It also attacke... ...
"Ku Klux Klan." UXL Encyclopedia of U.S. History. Sonia Benson, Daniel E. Brannen, Jr., and Rebecca Valentine. Vol. 5. Detroit: UXL, 2009. 882-884. U.S. History in Context. Web. 28 Feb. 2014.
According to Charles C. Alexander, the mention of the words Ku Klux Klan, “most people, including many historians, immediately conceive of a band of sadistic Southerners in white robes and hoods intimidating hapless Negroes” (Alexander, v). The negative stereotypes used against the Ku Klux Klan in America have become the literal definition of the faction as a whole. The stereotypes that have been placed on the group are not entirely true. While most of the stereotypes are based on fact, there are very few that actually describe the Klan fully. While most do not agree with the actions of the Klan, there are some that would be surprised at the true facts behind the matter. Even though negative actions are usually what are focused on, that does not mean the entire group necessarily believed in those actions. The stereotypes placed onto anything, whether that be a person or a group of people, whether positive or negative should never be how they should be identified. By searching deeper into the topic, this would eliminate the stereotypical, and result in a more factual definition.
Cries ring out in the dead of night from the black people of the southern states in Tennessee, as mysterious figures in white robes with hoods ride on their horses. To most they were thought of as the Confederate soldier’s ghosts riding and terrorizing the blacks. People wanted to know who these mysterious riders are and why they are terrorizing the black people of the south. Since they were wearing all white robes they could not tell their identity leading to more confusion. They became known as the Invisible Empire due to the fact that there were hundreds of them but nobody knew who they really were. Later in the Invisible Empires history we find out that these mysterious ghost riders are a part of the Ku Klux Klan. The Ku Klux Klan was an organization meant to preserve the southern way of life. They use forms of intimidation to scare the black people such as riding through the night on horses. It was first started as something for ex-confederate soldiers to do since they were not fighting the war anymore but soon these small threats and intimidation turned into a violent hate group. Through the Ku Klux Klan’s history we see its practices and beliefs evolve from a fun, social organization to a worldwide feared hate group.
In 1869 the Klan was disbanded by Forrest, this was the height of their membership with 500,00 members, because laws were created in the 1870’s to slow down their activities, such as the KKK Act and the Enforcement Acts, limiting their power in the south. Even though they were no longer active their threat was still lingering. They left a legacy in the United States of torture, havoc, white supremacy and black oppression that lasted for a century. The KKK were successful at achieving their goals of abolishing the Republicans ideas in the South and scaring many African Americans during the late
Cases like this were extremely common with Klansmen unlikely to be even arrested for serious crimes in the Southern states of America. Now the Ku Klux Klan still exists in smaller numbers across America and in some parts of Europe. It is estimated that there are 2500-3000 members of the Ku Klux Klan and other associated groups. However, strong law enforcement and zero tolerance for racist acts and crimes has meant that these horrific acts are very rare. Civil Rights Organizations have alo ensured equal treatment of all races.
Initially the First KKK was founded in 1865, six Confederate Army men in Pulaski Tennessee (PBS). The association had little organization above the local level, but was able spread throughout the South rapidly. The Klan was soon introduced to lawyers, sheriffs, mayors, and common criminals alike as a secret vigilante group (PBS). After a systematic period of decline, the Second KKK arose in 1915. They were composed of white Protestant nativists and established a modern business system of recruiting as members had t...
Black workers who had been confined to the South began to move to cities in the north to escape segregation, sharecropping, and racial violence. Access to jobs, housing, and public facilities became a major source of friction between blacks and whites. African Americans settled in all-black neighborhoods, and the largest was Harlem. Although it was a violent decade for African Americans, a powerful sense of racial pride gave birth to the Harlem Renaissance, the first self-conscious literary and artistic movement in African American history. However, the great migration of African Americans and the increasing visibility of black culture discomfited some white Americans. In consequence, a new version of the Ku Klux Klan emerged mainly due to post-war depression in agriculture, migration, religious intolerance, and nativism. Klan members considered themselves defenders of Prohibition, traditional morality, and true Americanism, and they were not only anti-black, but also anti-Catholic, anti-Semitic, anti-Communist, anti-immigrant, anti-alcohol, and anti-science. By 1924, the Klan reached its peak in members and influence controlling 24 state legislatures. However, in 1925, after David C. Stephenson, one of the leaders, was accused of a serious crime, followed by the prosecution of many Klan-supported politicians on corruption charges, the majority of its members left the organization.
As a free white man very involved with politics, I am a firm supporter of the KKK’s organization and beliefs.