n that may people decided to join the Ku Klux Klan movement. Certainly, if the Ku Klux Klan had held to its original goals and purposes, it could have avoided many problems and negative publicity it began to have in later years. As the Ku Klux Klan's membership grew, it obtained a wide range of enrollees. The Ku Klux Klan had members from all social classes. Not all of the members joined to cause trouble; many joined to keep from being victims. Ku Klux Klan members admitted that they were a "rough bunch of boys" and a ten dollar joining fee had allowed anyone to join; no person was responsible for monitoring motives for joining. For instance many politicians had joined just so they would have the help of the Ku Klux Klan in campaigning for the election. General Forrest tried to be strict on membership requirements, but his objective failed. As the Ku Klux Klan began to branch out, the rules seemed to be forgotten. The spurt in growth of membership was soon disrupted, and just before the 1900's the Ku Klux Klan broke apart and would not officially come back until the year 1915. The Ku Klux Klan never hit any significant growth period again until the 1950's when the civil rights movement cause a large increase in membership of the group. Even though the Ku Klux Klan dwindled in membership, it never died in the eyes of the people who truly believed in it. The Ku Klux Klan has not drastically changed since the origination of the group. The Ku Klux Klan today is an institution of chivalry, humanity, mercy, and patriotism which are all characteristics of the original Klan.("Southern Cross White Knights", p.2) Also, the Ku Klux Klan is dedicated as preserving the maintenance of White Pride and the rights of the White Race, which was also a goal of the original founders.("North Georgia White Knights",p.1) The activities of the modern Ku Klux Klan vary from den to den depending on the inclination of its members. Some dens of the Ku Klux Klan t...
