Social change always creates a spark of controversy, and new attitudes will always have opposition. The Ku Klux Klan, which had died out in the 1870s, rose again to combat the turmoil that the nation was experiencing during World War I. The group came out resilient and often deadly, and members had influence in the United States that had not been witnessed before. Therefore, the second Ku Klux Klan that emerged during World War I was much more powerful than its former manifestation. The Klan arose because of social changes such as the increasing amount of immigrants, the movie The Birth of a Nation, and the highly-publicized murder of Mary Phagan. The combative nature of World War I triggered a rise in the feeling of nationalism among Americans, creating a gateway for the second generation of the Ku Klux Klan.
Before the war, immigration to the United States skyrocketed, angering many Americans. Most newcomers were from countries in Southern and Eastern Europe, like Italy, Russia, and Austria-Hungary. Rising feelings of nationalism, even before the United States joined World War I, conflicted with the immigrants’ arrivals, inspiring some to rise up and protest against the newcomers. Many Americans were afraid that immigrants would bring communism or socialism to the country. Opponents to immigration were Protestants and nativists who resented the foreigners’ Catholic religion and their lack of Caucasian characteristics. Intraregional migration in the United States also became common yet, troublesome as more and more rural residents moved to urban areas for job opportunities. People living in rural areas were often Protestant and native-born, so they collided with Catholic immigrants who arrived in big cities and never...
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On November 9, 1920, Byron de la Beckwith, an only child, was born to Byron De La Beckwith, Sr. and Susie Yerger in Sacramento, California. One of Beckwith’s early childhood memories was of the Ku Klux Klan marching through town, fully clad in their long white robes. During the twenties, there were over two million known members of the Klan and at least two were U.S. Senators. Needless to say, this left quite an impression on the young boy. Beckwith’s father died in 1926, his debts exceeding the value of his estate, leaving Susie and Byron Jr., whom they had nicknamed “Delay”, destitute. Susie left California, along with her son, for her native Greenwood, Mississippi. Beckwith’s mother passed away a few short years later, leaving Beckwith rearing to one of her cousins.
Eibling, Harold H., et al., eds. History of Our United States. 2nd edition. River Forest, Ill: Laidlaw Brothers, 1968.
Edward, Rebecca and Henretta, James and Self, Robert. America A Concise History. 5th ed. Boston: Bedford/ St. Martin’s, 2012.
Henretta, James A., and David Brody. America: A Concise History. Vol. 1. Boston/New York: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2009.
The Ku Klux Klan is a United states based white supremacy group. It was originally conceived in the Reconstruction Era (1867) by former confederates. After being disbanded for their numerous murders, the group was revived decades later in the 20’s. The KKK would go on to be disbanded and revived one last major time in the 50’s-60’s. These major periods of historic Klan activity will be addressed in waves based on time period; first, second and third, respectively.
Walens, Susann. A. United States History Since 1877. Western Connecticut State University, Danbury, CT. September 2007.
The KKK is the hooded legend of the past, present, and likely the future of the United States. Their stories of death and destruction across the United States and the midwest have frightened many of color and those of certain backgrounds and delegations for years.The history of the secret organization known as the Ku Klux Klan, goes back to 1865. The Ku Klux Klan began as a social group for Confederate veterans after the end of the civil war. On December 24th of the year 1865, the secret society that would change a nation, was born .
Many of us know the Ku Klux Klan as a group who used violence and cruelty to daunt former slaves. What people often do not know is that the Ku Klux Klan made its comeback in the early 1920’s. This version of the Ku Klux Klan focused on the moral and ethical wrong doing. Although the terror was still brought on the minorities. Many of the three-million members of the Klan took part in rallies, parades, and they even advocated for republican candidates during elections. Women also played a bigger role in the Klan, considering they began receiving the right to vote. They even went as far as to create the Women’s Ku Klux Klan (WKKK). Their views matched the men of the Klan at most times, but they also sought to fix things in the sphere of education and children. Some parts of the Women’s Ku Klux Klan found homes for youth and raised money for less fortunate families in the Klan. These women mostly took ideas of the men of the Klan and did their own work on that
Newman, John. UNITED STATES HISTORYPreparing for the Advanced Placement Examination. Second Edition. New York: AMSCO SCHOOL PUBLICATIONS, INC, 2010. eBook. .
In the spring of 1866, a year after the civil war had ended, six confederate veterans formed a social club in the town of Pulaski, Tennessee. Just out of the war and looking for excitement, they formed a secret society which they named the Ku Klux Klan. The name comes from the Greek word Kuklos, meaning circle. This small group started as a harmless, fun loving group, and developed into one of the largest, most violent groups in American history. The original group only lasted a few years, and left a permanent impression, rituals that people today still use.
The Ku Klux Klan was founded in May of 1866, in Pulaski, Tennessee by six veterans of the Confederate Army. The early years of the Klan's existence were focused mainly on restoring white power in the government. The Klan often spoke against Radical Republicans, the political party that most supported the rights of former slaves. At first the Klan seemed relatively harmless. But as time went on, the so called white supremacists showed how far they were willing to go to fulfill their craving for America to go back to its former ways.
George Browm Tindall, David Emory Shi. American History: 5th Brief edition, W. W. Norton & Company; November 1999
The Ku Klux Klan At the end of the American civil war in 1866 the Ku Klux Klan formed. It is a white supremacist group that uses violence and intimidation to reassert white domination in the United States. The Klan's attacks have been aimed at African Americans, Jews, Catholics, immigrant and other minority groups.
3. Divine, Breen, Fredrickson, Williams, eds., America Past and Present Volume II: since 1865 sixth edition (New York: Longman 2002).