Ku Klux Klan

The Ku Klux Klan (KKK) was and continues to be a US terrorist organisation, formed in 1865 shortly after the end of the American Civil War. At this time, its goal was to oppose the Radical Reconstruction which had given rights to African-Americans. The KKK hoped to restore white supremacy in the South of the country.

There have been three distinct periods of high Klan activity throughout history: the late 1860s to oppose Reconstruction; the early 1920s after the First World War; and the 1950s and 60s during the Civil Rights Movement.

Ku Klux Klan Origins

The KKK was founded in 1865 as a social club in Pulaski, Tennessee. In the summer of 1867, local branches of the Klan met in Tennessee and established an ‘Invisible Empire of the South’. An ex-Confederate general, Nathan Bedford Forrest, became the first leader of the Klan, called the Grand Wizard.

Fig. 2 - Nathan Bedford Forrest.

The organisation was formed after the defeat of the Confederacy (the South) in the Civil War. The abolition of slavery destroyed the southern way of life, as the economy was dependent on slave-run agriculture. The bombing had caused destruction to major southern cities like Charleston, South Carolina. Defeat by the North meant that Northern laws, such as equal rights for African Americans, were introduced in the South. The Klan was formed in this atmosphere, determined to resist this transformation of the South.

Between the late 1860s and the early 1870s, the Klan was very influential and, in some places, became an invisible government. They were most powerful in areas where African-Americans were a minority or a small majority, such as South Carolina.

Ku Klux Klan Violence

The KKK directed attacks at both Republican politicians and black institutions such as schools and churches. Members usually carried out attacks at night and in disguise. However, it was more common for them to wear costumes from folk traditions rather than the white robes and hats which came to symbolise the group. Members wore hoods and sometimes robes, but it was not until the revival of the KKK that the organisation adopted its infamous look.

Fig. 3 - Dr Samuel Green, KKK Grand Dragon, and some children at an initiation ceremony in Atlanta, Georgia, 24 July 1948.

Examples of KKK violent activity during this first wave of Klan activity include:

• During the 1867–68 constitutional conventions, around 10% of the black legislators elected were victims of violence, and seven were killed.

• In 1871, 500 masked men attacked a Union county jail in South Carolina and lynched eight black prisoners.

• In 1872, local Klan leaders and members rode a float in the Memphis Mardi Gras parade and staged a mock lynching of a man in blackface.

This first wave finally came to an end in 1871 with the Ku Klux Klan Act. Republican President Ulysses Grant used federal troops to suppress the Klan. Whilst this measure was effective against the KKK, this use of federal authority outraged Southerners.

Fig. 4 - Official White House portrait of President Ulysses S. Grant, 1875.

Ku Klux Klan History Revival

Despite the Ku Klux Klan Act in 1871, the KKK would be revived in the early twentieth century. It was first revived in Georgia in 1915. By the mid-20s, the Klan reached its peak membership. Some events that motivated the rebirth of the KKK were:

1. Anti-black sentiment

In the 1890s, the populist People’s Party became a major force in the South and the Midwest as it represented the interests of agriculture workers. Attempts to create a coalition of blacks and poor whites against owners, landholders, and elites, were met with outrage from the aristocracy, who championed white supremacy. This riled up anti-black sentiment in both the aristocracy and many poor whites.

The 1890s also saw the enforcement of racial segregation and an increase in violence against African-Americans. At this time, lynchings became common.

2. Immigration

After the dismantling of the KKK, there was large-scale immigration to the US. Industrialisation led to the creation of large numbers of both skilled and unskilled jobs, and around 23 million people entered the country, with huge opposition from many Americans.

There was a fear that the US was being taken over by ‘aliens’, and this was reflected by the American Protective Association. Formed in 1887, the group set the stage for the return of the KKK in the Midwest.

3. The First World War

The First World War led to an increase in nationalism across Europe. It also led to a resurgence of white American nationalism in the South.

The below quote describes how these factors led to the revival of the Klan, and more generally what conditions precipitate its rise and fall.

William Simmons led the new KKK, and although the basis of the group remained the same, there were many differences. For one, it was not only anti-black but also against Roman Catholics, Jews, Asians, immigrants, nightclubs, pre and extra-marital sex, and any ‘anti-American’ behaviour.’

Later, under the new leadership of Hiram Wesley Evans, the Klan’s campaign of terrorism took over many communities. They used lynchings, shootings, whippings, and cross-burnings to spread terror. Though targets were usually Black, Jewish, Catholic, or immigrants, it was not uncommon for the KKK to target those they considered ‘immoral’, such as women who sought independence.

Fig. 5 - Cross-burning by the KKK in 2005

Notable Klan events in this period include:

• In 1922, Klansman Earl Mayfield was elected to the US Senate.

• The Klan assisted with electing governors in 12 states.

• 40,000 Klansmen paraded in Washington DC in August 1925.

Ku Klux Klan summary of the activity during the Civil Rights Movement

The Klan was finally revived following two important attempts at equality in America: the Supreme Court’s order of desegregation in schools and the emergence of the Civil Rights Movement. By 1958 it had up to 15,000 members.

In 1960, Robert Shelton became the new Grand Wizard and formed the United Klans of America. The United Klans coordinated the beatings of freedom riders – those who rode buses throughout the South to protest racial inequalities. The Klan also began to use bombs. They bombed Dr Martin Luther King Jr.’s home in 1956. Another notorious attack occurred in 1963, in what was called the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church bombing. This attack killed four young black girls.

By 1965, the total membership reached 50,000 members. The same year, the FBI had infiltrated branches of the Klan and were receiving intelligence, which helped to prevent some violence and arrest some Klansmen. The FBI however, was criticised due to informant involvement in Klan crimes.

President Lyndon Johnson condemned the KKK in 1965 and announced the arrest of Klansmen for the murder of a white civil rights worker. Two Klan leaders, including Shelton, subsequently spent a year in prison after being found guilty of being in contempt of Congress, meaning they obstructed the work of a congressional committee, specifically by refusing to hand over membership details.

After this, the organisation became fragmented, with some aligning themselves with neo-Nazis or other extremists. A former neo-Nazi, David Duke, formed the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan in 1975. They became very popular after portraying the organisation as a ‘white civil rights’ group, which led to a rise in Klan membership. The KKK continued to be influential for a time, but by the late 1980s, it was once again declining.

The Klan still operates today, with a membership of around 8,000 people across the US. However, it no longer exercises the same influence it once had.