North vs. SouthFrom 1861 to 1865, The Union faced secessionists in 11 Southern states grouped together as the Confederacy and waged war against America. It was the bloodiest conflict in U.S. history.
When recalling the history of the KKK (AKA the Ku Klux Klan), people often think of them simply as a white supremacist hate group. However, the truth behind how the KKK started is a bit more complex. Back in 1865, a group known as the Ku Klux Klan began its resistance crusade against Reconstruction-era policies that would create equality for African American people. At first, KKK members primarily included simple folks, such as farmers, laborers, and ministers, but it eventually gained the support of more prominent members of white society, including police officials, presidents, and other famous Klan supporters.
However, as the years passed and cultural tensions grew, group members strayed away from the KKK's original purpose, which ended up leading the group down a path of extreme violence and hate toward non-White-Anglo-Saxon-Protestant races, religions, and lifestyles. In fact, over the years, the group witnessed three distinctive phases due to particular events that forced the Klan to disband, revive, and evolve. While the mission of the group is an awful display of ignorance and hate for human differences, the origin of the KKK is fascinating to understand. Take a leap back into the KKK's history and discover how the world’s largest and longest-living hate group was born.
The KKK Started As A Social Club For Ex-Confederate Soldiers
In 1865, six Confederate veteran soldiers officially formed a recreational group known as the Ku Klux Klan. Established in Pulaski, Tennessee, the Klan offered white southerners a way to channel their post-Civil War resentment towards Republicans who were aiming to establish racial equality. At first, this social club channeled its vitriolic hate into nighttime terror rides and other intimidation techniques aimed at dissuading white and Black Republicans from working toward equality during the Reconstruction period. However, it wouldn't be long before intimidation turned into murder, and the US government would have to begin brainstorming ways to stem the group's hate and violence.
In 1867, the Klan appointed former Confederate General and slave trader, Nathan Bedford Forrest, as the first Grand Wizard (leader) of the Klan. However, in 1868, upon witnessing the growing violence of the Klan, Bedford chose to disband the group formally as he felt they were no longer in line with their original mission. This did not stop the Klan or divert their delusional mission, however. In reality, the Klan has never had a clearly defined structure or hierarchy, so it's easy for a sect or group of it to continue despite formal disbanding. And that's exactly what members did after Forrest ended it in 1868. They didn't just continue, though; the KKK also upped the ante on their violent and malevolent tactics.
By 1870, the racist mission of the KKK had reached almost every Southern state, and a lot of Southerners were on board with that mission. Dedicated members of the Klan established underground campaigns that were directed toward intimidating Republican leaders and the recent Reconstruction policies of the South, which concerned political and economic issues around equality and segregation. By 1920, there were more than four million KKK members nationwide. As the membership of the KKK grew, there was a serious increase in violent activities that targeted African American people as well as whites who accepted and stood for racial equality. In fact, at least 10% of the lawfully elected African American politicians suffered violence at the hands of the KKK, and seven were killed as a result.
Congress Had To Create Legislation Specifically Targeting The KKK's Hate Crimes
As the KKK's violence grew, the federal government decided to organize a committee to monitor the Klan's unspeakable activities. As a result, by 1871, Klan-member activities were profiled as hate-related crimes. This provoked Congress to create policies that would curb the extent of the KKK's terroristic behavior.
From this, three Enforcement Acts dubbed "The KKK Acts" were formed. Most significantly, these Acts would allow government officials to intervene and arrest Klan members to stop their malicious activities. In fact, under the direction of President Ulysses S. Grant, Federal troops were sent to suppress KKK violence in South Carolina where they successfully made over 600 KKK-related arrests.
The Klan Was Revived By Protestant Nativists After An Initial Die Down
After the initiation of the Enforcement Acts, violent Klan activity slowed and appeared to diminish greatly. For one thing, white supremacy no longer had to be conducted in secret groups under cover of darkness anymore; with the end of Reconstruction and the passage of Jim Crow laws, it was the de jure structure of the nation.
Still, by the end of 1876, covert white supremacy had once again reclaimed the Southern states. While illegal KKK activity could still be penalized, many Southerners remained loyal to the KKK's racist views. By 1915, Protestant nativists (who were also white supremacists) revived the Klan near Atlanta, Georgia. The second Klan revival was even worse than the initial iteration. Instead of opposing only the African American community, they were now against foreigners, Roman Catholics, Jews, and organized labor.
