one denies that the Ku Klux Klan became a brutal force over the years, but the fact remains that violence was not the reason the group was founded. It is true that all groups and clubs must go through changes, but many of these changes, which the Ku Klux Klan endured, were not necessarily the best for everyone. Shortly after the Ku Klux Klan’s first ride, its members began to cause a major impact on society. Many members decided that the Klan could be used as a way of discrimination. Many members also saw the Ku Klux Klan as a way for the South to regain control and keep the “Northern Folk” out. Another reason the Ku Klux Klan changed is that members broke off from the original den and created their own dens (Invisible Empire, p. 11).At this point in time, any “roughouser” could joint the Ku Klux Klan for only ten dollars. By 1879 the membership of the Ku Klux Klan had exceeded eighty-five thousand members (Knights of the KKK, p. 3). Many people believed this is the point when the Ku Klux Klan became uncontrollable and its ramifications engulfed the entire nation. Visitors to the town of Pulaski also inspired the growth of the Ku Klux Klan. These visitors went back home after their trips and began setting up their own dens and branches of the Ku Klux Klan. More than a dozen kindred groups were set up during this period. All of these groups were deeply entrenched in the Southern States (Imperial Klans of America, p. 2).Though the growth of the Klan was steady, it was undirected and undisciplined, causing many of the dens to become violent and unruly. The Ku Klux Klan had a great deal of external help in outgrowing the small town of Pulaski. Newspaper and magazine articles added fuel by publishing propaganda and stories about the mysterious order, which had taken over the South (Knights of the KKK, p. 4). Indeed the Ku Klux Klan had surpassed the expectations of the original members. Members o...
