n quickly moved to more violent pranks. (Ingalls, 12) The Klan would now taunt and meddle with blacks. The Klan leaders proved unable to control their followers. It had gotten out of control and the “KKK” had become too large and spread out.Although the violence was often promiscuous, there was a method to all of the madness. The victims were almost always black, or if white, associated with the hatred of the Republican Party. The Klan had fear of black equality and sparked attacks on schools setup for freed slaves. The Klan would warn the blacks not to attend school, and would scare the teachers out of town. (Ingalls, 12-13) Many groups started forming around the south. They were often called Ku Kluxers. The Klan was being noticed as "The Invisible Empire". Klan’s of all sorts were being formed left and right yet they all formed just as the Tennessee Klan did. They were the basis and foundation for the whole “fad”. The Klan became the greatest terror in 1868, when their attacks were against Republicans and elect Democrats. Thousands of blacks and whites fell victim to the murders and beatings given by the “KKK” members. (Ingalls, 13) In 1869, General Forrest, the Grand Wizard of the “KKK”, ordered Klansmen to restrict their activities. The Klan was getting out of control fast. Congress passed a Ku Klux Klan Act in 1871. By the end of 1872, the federal crackdown had “broken the back” of the Ku Klux Klan. Although there was a restriction made and an act passed, the “KKK” activities still existed, but in fewer instances. The “KKK” was dead, and Reconstruction lived on in southern legend. This would not be the last of the Ku Klux Klan. On the night of Thanksgiving in 1915, sixteen men from Atlanta, Georgia climbed to the top of Stone Mountain and built an altar of stones on which they placed an American flag. They then erected a sixteen-foot long cros...
