The Klu Klux Klan

The Ku Klux Klan is a secret terrorist organization. They led underground resistance against the civil rights and political power of the newly freed slaves during the Reconstruction period after the American Civil War. The Klan was founded in 1866 in Pulaski Tennessee by Confederate veterans. It was meant to be a fraternity, social club; the Ku Klux Klan was reconstructed along the political and racial lines, a year later in Nashville, Tennessee. The Klan is sometimes called the Invisible Empire. The terrorist activities of the group began to increase with more kidnappings and murders in the South. The Klan is willing to do anything to obtain their ideal America.

The Decades", is a TV series on the History Channel that describes American History beginning with our founding fathers, to present day America. One segment on the Klan describes how the Klan started and how the Klan used violence against blacks, Jews, Catholics, and homosexuals to obtain their goal of white supremacy in the U.S.

The Ku Klux Klan affected society in the past in many ways. It began in 1866 when confederate veterans led an underground resistance against newly freed slaves, civil rights and political power ("Ku Klux Klan" 1). The Klan promoted violence to obtain their ideal white supremacy country. Dressed in robes and hoods designed to frighten and intimidate victims and also to prevent identification by authorities(" Ku Klux Klan" 1). Klansmen whipped and murdered freed slaves during nighttime raids. African Americans feared the Klan because of their inhuman intimidation (" Wikipedia" 1).The Klan drove them out of their communities destroying their crops and burning their houses and farms. The murders and kidnapping started to increase, so the Grand Wizard called for national disbandment t in 1869, but local groups remained active.("Ku Klux Klan" 1). The federal government passed the Force Act in 1870 and the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871, authorizing the president to impose heavy penalties on terrorist groups. This would not be the last of the Invisible Empire (The Decades Collection).

The Klan reorganized in 1915 near Atlanta, Georgia ("Wikipedia" 9) . Their a new leader was William J. Simmons, a preacher influenced by Thomas Dixon's Book, The Ku Klux Klan, and the movie, Birth of a Nation ("Wikipedia" 9). The second generation of the Klan was not only anti-black, but also took a stand against Roman Catholics, Jews, Homosexuals, foreigners and organized labor ("Ku Klux Klan history. com" 1). The Invisible Empire took as its symbol a burning cross and held rallies, parades and marches around the country ("Wikipedia" 10). At its peak in the 1920's, Klan membership exceeded 4 million people nationwide, under the leadership of Hiram W. Evans as the Imperial Wizard ("Ku Klux Klan Spartacus" 1). The National