When Was the Ku Klux Klan Formed?
When Was the Ku Klux Klan Formed?
Initially created as a Confederate Army veteran social club in 1865, the Ku Klux Klan used the Greek word for “circle” (kyklos) and the English word “clan” as inspiration. It only took two years before the Klan to was referred to as the “Invisible Empire of the South” during a Nashville, Tennessee, convention where previously Confederate state delegates were present.
The KKK was led by General Nathan Bedford Forrest, who is thought to have been the first Grand Wizard (head of the organization). Lower ranking officer positions included Grand Dragon, Grand Titan, and Grand Cyclops.
What Was The Ku Klux Klan's Primary Focus?
The Klan wore robes and sheets to avoid being identified by federal troops occupying the state (and scare blacks). The KKK was a terrorist organization serving the Democratic Party and white supremacy only four years after its establishment.
The Ku Klux Klan’s primary focus between 1869 and 1871 was to end Congressional Reconstruction by murdering blacks (and whites) who were fundamental in progressing Republican politics or educating black youth.
How Did Federal Government Fight The Ku Klux Klan?
The Klan torched churches and schools and caused thousands of people to flee their homes. Congress passed the Force Bill in 1871 because local law enforcement could (would) not stop the Klan.
The Force Bill allowed the federal government to prosecute the Klan. Devoted prosecutors won convictions and broke up Klan action. While the Force Bill punished a small group of people, most Klan activities were not stopped.
When Was The Ku Klux Klan Reorganized?
William J. Simmons was a Methodist preacher from Stone Mountain, Georgia, who arranged a new Klan in 1915 as a nationalistic, Protestant fraternal group. This reorganized Klan widened its funnel against immigrants, Jews, and Roman Catholics.
The KKK experienced exponential growth, accruing over two million members nationwide by the mid-1920s. D.W. Griffith’s film THE BIRTH OF A NATION, which adored the Klan and belittled blacks, was a central enlisting mechanism.
To learn more about the KKK from the 1920s to 1940s, continue reading The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow: Ku Klux Klan.
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