The Ku Klux Klan (KKK)
"In world history, those who have helped to build the same culture are not necessarily of one race, and those of the same race have not all participated in one culture. In scientific language, culture is not a function of race" (Benedict). The sad fact is that many races are discriminated against. Discrimination is defined as the act of perceiving and making evident the distinctions between two different groups of people. There have been many groups that have been very discriminating, but the one that sticks out like a diamond in coal is the Ku Klux Klan.
The original Ku Klux Klan was formed, in April 1866, as a social organization for ex-confederates in Pulaski, Tennessee. This was during the time after the civil war, known as the Reconstruction period (Benet's). The name Ku Klux Klan came from the Greek word kuklos, meaning band or circle (Benet's). The Ku Klux Klan spread very rapidly through the south and soon got the nickname of the "Invisible Empire" (Ingalls). The Ku Klux Klan has been referred to by many different terms such as The Klan or KKK. In 1867, Nathaniel Bedford Forrest, an ex-confederate cavalry leader, and many other ex-confederates held a meeting and converted the social group to a group that opposed the Republican State government (Trelease). Nathaniel Bedford and many common group members, Klansmen, formed this group for three reasons. They wanted to keep white supremacy evident, make sure the black community didn't revolt, and make sure the black community stayed in "their place" (Trelease). The Klansmen were from every economic social class, but the leaders would usually be from the elite professional class (Trelease). The Klan was and still is present in both America and Canada (Ingalls).
The hierarchy of the KKK was set in the April 1867 meeting (Columbia). At this meeting, Nathaniel Bedford Forrest was made the Grand Wizard, which meant he was the leader of all of the clans (Columbia). A step lower than the Grand Wizard was the Grand Dragon (Columbia). A Grand Dragon and his Realm controlled each state (Columbia). The Realms were made up of eight Hydras, who acted as a staff to the Grand Dragon (Columbia). Below the Grand Dragon were the Grand Titans with their six Furies that controlled each county (Columbia). These rankings classified the duties of each one of the members.
The Ku Klux Klan us...
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...ade more damage by parading around the town.
The Ku Klux Klan, above any other group, is a very discriminating group. The KKK tries to spread hatred and prejudice. Now in the 20th century the truth came out and KKK power and membership has declined very rapidly in the recent years. In this millennium it is most important to focus on peace and unity that was set as a standard at the end of the 20th century.
Work Cited
"Blacks Face Off With Klan Marchers in Jasper, TX." Jet 13 July, 1998: 14-16.
"Hatred Turns Out Not To Be Color-Blind." The Week Society Multimedia Almanac. Minneapolis, The Learning Company, 1998 CD-ROM.
Ingalls, Robert P. "Ku Klux Klan." World Book Multimedia Encyclopedia. World Book, Inc., 1996.
"Ku Klux Klan." Benet's Reader's Encyclopedia of American Literature. 1st ed. New York: Harper Collins Pub., 1991. 574.
"Ku Klux Klan." The Columbia Encyclopedia. 5th ed. Philadelphia: Columbia University Press, 1993. 20869.
"The KKK." Times Magazine Multimedia Almanac. Minneapolis, The Learning Company, 1998 CD-ROM.
Trelease, Allen W. "Ku Klux Klan." The Reader's Companion to American History, 1991 ed. New York: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1991. 625.
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.
America in the 1920s was a fast paced society, technology was just starting to blossom with the development of the Model-T car, many recognizing they could achieve the “American Dream”, and live a more successful life than their parents. One group of the popular groups, or communities that was revitalized during this era was the KKK, Ku Klux Klan; six college students created this group in 1865 in the Reconstruction years. The group began as a get together of southern sympathizers, the Klan later began to start commotion for the recently released African American ex slave population, and southern whites that they felt betrayed the Southern way of life. The Ku Klux Klan’s popularity declined by the end of the 1800’s, by many acts of government intervention, of the crimes committed by the group. In the 1920s the Ku Klux Klan, gathered many followers, and became a major part of the Southern way of life. The Northern industrial boom, and the rise of nativism in America sparked this 1920’s popularity of the Ku Klux Klan in the years following the Great War.
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 .
Furthermore, Mrs. Dempster’s “hysteria” and deviation from such society norms by way of abnormal sexual behavior, and wandering nature, are comparable with her journey to sainthood; and this is made explicit when Ramsay sees “Mary wandering by herself” (Davies 143). The act of wandering, according to Goldman, is a perversion of the proscribed female role in society, and is thus an affront (Goldman 992). Mrs. Dempster’s non-conformity is key to understanding her transformation with the process of sainthood, as her being seen as a simple woman, reduced to “a series of hysterical crying fits” after being hit by the snowball, essentially sets her down the path to social deviance and eventual sainthood in the eyes of the Ramsay. This notion of “hysteria” is attributed to Ramsay as well, and Goldman writes that the isolation and loneliness generated from Ramsey’s time in the army, causes him to suffer from a kind of
"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.
The Ku Klux Klan is an extreme racist group founded in 1866 in Pulaski, Tennessee by six former Confederate veterans. The first two words in the name come from the Greek word “kyklos” meaning “circle.” The KKK used to be known as just the Klan or the Hooded Order. The group was formed due to the white Southern resistance to the Republican Party’s newly established policies for the economic equality for blacks; main beliefs of the group included white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration. The KKK met at a convention, the “Invisible Empire of the South,” in 1867. The first appointed leader in charge of the Klan was Nathan Bedford Forrest (a former Confederate soldier, slave trader, and plantation owner). By the time 1870 rolled around, the beliefs of the men were spread to almost every Southern state.
The Ku Klux Klan was established shortly after the American Civil War in 1866 and was prevalent in most southern states by 1870. The group was driven by violence and racism to combat the post war equality legislature that was beginning to pass in Congress. Since then, the Klan has had a long history that has had an impact on America on several levels. There has been a recent strong effort to put an end to their irrational destructive behavior towards African Americans, Hispanics, Jews, Homosexuals, and many more.
Fisher, Michael. "The Ku Klux Klan." The Ku Klux Klan. Washington and Lee University, n.d.
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.
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...
Sophocles’ background influenced him to write Antigone. One important influence on the drama was the author’s life in the “golden era” of Athens during fifth century BCE. In that time, Athens was experiencing much change in all facets, and drama was a major factor in Athenian culture. In his essay “Sophocles,” Ed Downey reports that Sophocles was born at the beginning of the “golden era” in Athens and lived a long life influenced by “the artistic and cultural achievements in the ancient Greek world”. Sophocles was a wealthy and highly educated, “happy man.” As a young man, Sophocles began his playwright career, eventually becoming one of the greatest writers in history although only seven of his works are still intact (1). Similarly, the setting
Sophocles. "Antigone." The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces. Ed. Knox and Mack. New York: Norton, 1995.
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