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Ku Klux Klan

Ku Klux Klan The Ku Klux Klan, or “KKK” as we all know today, was created in the spring of 1866. Six Confederate veterans who formed a social club in Pulaski, Tennessee founded it. This version of the “KKK” only lasted for six years, but it left enough tactics and rituals to last a lifetime. These rituals and tactics would be used in following generations of “KKK”-goers. (Ingalls, 9) The Klan, at first, was a very small group and kept everything in secrecy. The exact date the Klan began is ambiguous. Even though the Klan was in to this secrecy bit, the six “KKK” members initiated new members into their social club. (Ingalls, 9) A year after the creation of the Ku Klux Klan, the onetime social club joined the campaign against the Republican reconstruction. The Klan was now planning and organizing their platform and was ready to expand to a larger group. The Klan adopted a prescript. This was an organizational structure permitting the Klan to spread throughout the south. New members had to be over 18 years of age, pay $1.00, and then are sworn to secrecy. Recruits also pledged to "protect the weak, the innocent, and the defenseless, from the indignities, wrongs, and outrages of the lawless, the violent, and the brutal." The highly centralized plan for expanding the “KKK” spread so rapidly that most chapters operated alone. The founders of the Ku Klux Klan lost control, and it became impossible in meetings to talk about a single chapter or operation of the “KKK”. Yet Klan activities still followed a common pattern throughout the south. (Ingalls 11-12) The Klan now began their “infestation” into Tennessee. At first the Klan used tricks and tactics to keep blacks "in their place". Klan would ride around on horses, with their white robes, and white pointed hoods and tried to scare blacks. They would try to act like ghosts with their white uniforms. Unfortunately, the Klan 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 cross and torched the sucker. One week later, this group applied for a state charter making them "The Knights of the KKK, Inc." This was put in effect during the Reconstruction. The new Klan, at first, received little attention. In time, it grew to become the largest and most powerful Klan in history. Klan membership was limited to native-born, white, Protestant American men. The Klan message was clearly to appeal to people who were troubled by abrupt changes in American Society. (Ingalls, 16-17) Many believe that the biggest growth of the “KKK” began when Colonel Simmons, considerably the founder of the new “KKK”, linked up with Edward Young Clarke and Elizabeth Tyler. In June 1920, Clarke and Simmons signed a contract that guaranteed Clarke a share of the Klan’s profits. Clarke and Tyler would receive a good amount of money for each new “KKK” member. The fee for membership would be $10. The money was split up so that $4 went to the Kleagle (an official in the KKK), $1 went to the King Kleagle (state leader of the Klan), $.50 to the Grand Goblin, and $2.50 to Clarke and Tyler. The final $2.00 went to Colonel Simmons. This promotion brought over 85,000 new Klan members, and over $85,000 in Klan profits. The Klan still had more publicity to come its way. In the 1920’s many Americans felt threatened by the variety of recent changes, and in 1920 most Americans were living in cities. Many Americans were scared that Jewish and Catholic immigrants would dominate cities. Americans also thought their country was coming apart at the seams. The KKK presented itself as the "100 percent Americanism." This slogan proved popular because it acted as an alternative to the ever-changing society. By the end of 1922 there were approximately 1,200,000 members in the Klan. This time period supposedly had the highest number of Klan members ever recorded. (Ingalls, 24-25) One of the greatest Klan strengths came in 1925 when Klan members from all directions poured into the nation’s capitol Washington D.C. On August 8th, 1925 a mammoth parade began (not the animal…it was just a really large parade). At the head was the Imperial Wizard Hiram Wesley Evans, and 40,000 Klan members followed in their robes and hoods, but no masks. 200,000 friendly spectators lined the parade and applauded as the Klan made their way to a rally at the Washington Monument. The impressive demonstration was intended to show “The Invisible Empire” never lost any of its strengths. (Ingalls 63-64) Even though the parade was grander than expected it could not conceal the fact that the Klan was diminishing. The empire that once thrived was now falling. The peak of the Klan was actually in 1924. The Klan was forced to admit its growing weakness. By 1930, the Klan was almost invisible, fewer than 40,000 members existed nationally. The story of the collapse is very complicated. (Ingalls, 63) In 1924, Congress responded to the growing hatred to foreigners by restricting immigration into the U.S. Before the restriction, immigrants were pouring in at over one million immigrants a year. This was before World War I. When the Congress restricted the immigration it was a major reason for the collapse of the KKK. (Meltzer, 60) Another main reason for the collapse was that Klansmen also had quarrels and skirmishes amongst each other. In 1927, Wizard Evans resorted to a lawsuit. This divided the group deeply. The lawsuit that Evans filed was for $100,000 which sent his Pennsylvania opponents into submission (Pennsylvania had the largest Klan membership). It seemed that the Klan was falling apart in many areas. In New Jersey the Mayor of Atlantic City called for an anti-Klan meeting. 4,000 angry rioters showed up for the anti-Klan meeting. Only several hundred Klan members came to support the Klan. The anti-Klan rioters began to maul the Klansmen and whipped up on them so bad that the Klan barely escaped. In Chicago, a council made up of a Jew, a Catholic, and a black (note: not a joke) was appointed to recommend legislation on the Klan. Illinois passed a state law saying that no one was allowed to wear a mask in public. In New York there were anti-Klan acts as well. However, after all of the media surrounding the Klan they still managed to stay alive, as did their prejudices. (Ingalls, 65 and 69) The Klan was weakening and fell into what was called “the depression years”. With the growing poverty in America, Klan member’s fees became a luxury that only a few Americans could afford. Even though it looked like everything was going wrong for the KKK they still stayed alive. The north was almost totally stripped of Klan inhabitants. There were still some Klan rallies on Long Island, in the Hudson River Valley, and in cities in New Jersey, Ohio, and Michigan, but only at most 1,000 Klan members were in each area. (Meltzer 64-65) Meanwhile in the south, Klansmen still continued to resort to violence. They would beat any whites that would cater to blacks. They still sought to ensure white supremacy. The KKK also tried to keep blacks from voting. Klansmen would invade black sections of cities and leave messages on cards for blacks to stay away from the voting polls. (Meltzer, 66) By 1936, the Klan started calling communism the main enemy. During this time, Florida's “realm” became the biggest “KKK” movement, with around 30,000 members. The Klan started to show light of coming back again. In the fall of 1946 the Klan burned its first cross atop Stone Mountain. The Klan was getting back into full swing. From California to New York the Klan stated showing signs of life. (Meltzer, 55) Since the Klan was making a comeback, it began to meet strong opposition once again. Attorney General Tom Clarke of Texas said he would use every law in the book to break up the Klan. In many states and cities laws and ordinances were designed to hamper the Klan’s acts of meddling. The Klan continued to be violent by using terrorist acts. They planted bombs in churches and in schools that would be used by Jews, Catholics, or blacks. (Ingalls, 66) After that, the Klan went back and forth starting to gain members and then losing them again. They would start to rally in certain areas but then die out again. The Klan always has and still does have violent attacks against Jews, Catholics, and blacks. For example, in the 1970’s and 1980’s, whites began to worry about losing their jobs, and special programs were being set up for blacks, and this concern led to new Klan activity which is still in effect today. Today in the Klan there are approximately 10,000 Klan members. (World Book Encyclopedia J-K, 310) In conclusion, the Klan has formed and diminished many times in the past. If the Klan keeps up their antics, there will always be opponents there to try and stop the Klan. It is a real shame that a social group only made for the purpose to scare freed slaves turned into such a horrible group that will always continue to haunt America. It seems that the Klan will never give up on trying to regain their power. The U.S. must do something about this in our country today. We need to all learn when a simple taunt has gone too far. People have to realize that everyone is equal and it will be that way forever. Nobody can take that away from us. We are Americans and we are all born free. Bibliography:

Word Count: 1918