Klan quickly grew. A leader was soon needed to control the large group. Their first choice was Southern General Robert E. Lee. Although he supported the group and its cause, he was very ill and could not handle the task. Their next choice was a man named Nathan Bedford Forrest. Forrest, although he wasn't as well known as General Lee, he was a great leader. He was born in Mississippi and owned a plantation. He fought for the confederate army for a long time before they recognized his abilities. Although he didn't arrive early enough to greatly impact the war, he gained the respect of the top confederate leaders. After the war he was infuriated by the carpetbaggers and needed a way to fight back. He saw the Ku Klux Klan as a way to do it. He was quickly accepted as the "Grand Wizard". He had absolute power over the Klan members. The men were eager to do what he said, they trusted him. Many of the men were in need of a sense of belonging. The KKK gave them this. The Klan was very secretive, all of the members were safe from people knowing their real identities (if that was their wish). Because of this secrecy, they gained the alternate name of "The Invisible Empire". The Klan really began to take control in the year of 1868. They vowed to rid the south of carpetbaggers, blacks and any person who supported them. They stole the oppositions goods, beat them and even killed them. These murders were known as "lynching". They would drag the person to the center of the town and hang them in front of everyone. This method was very effective, people feared it would happen to themselves if they had anything to do with the carpetbaggers or blacks. After the U.S. government removed troops from the South in the late 1800's, the Klan achieved its goal. Many of the groups disbanded and Forrest left. After the turn of the century, it started again. This time the goal was much larger, freeing America of all non-white, Christian Americans. This is the Ku...
