The Ku Klux Klan Organization - Essay Example

? The Ku Klux Klan, abbreviated KKK, is an extremist organization, which has existed in the US for a long time i.e. since 1865 to present. The was coined from a Greek word, Kuklos, which translated means circle, and therefore, KKK means a circle of brothers (Chalmers 20). The founders of this organization were college students and former confederate soldiers from Tennessee, who thought it awesome to form a group through which they would be able to engage in fun for example, through horse playing during the night. These people included; John Lester, James Crowe, John Kennedy, Calvin Jones, Richard Reed and Frank (Chalmers 26). Much of their activities included horse riding during the night while wearing costumes such as masks. As these innocent night expeditions continued, the society, especially former slaves, begun exhibiting fear since they did not know the real intentions of the group, which they thought was out to cause trouble for them (Parsons 814). Young people enjoy being in control and this has been noted as one of the major motivation factors behind gang formation and membership. It is therefore not a wonder to find that after realizing the effects they were having on the surrounding community, the group begun recruiting more people and expanding their territories to the neighboring towns thereby leading to the emergence of numerous factions, which did not have an agenda or any formal leadership to promote a unified course. The lack of leadership and direction especially after the expansion of the group necessitated the group members to come up with a strategy to exercise control over the operations of the group so as to facilitate harmony, which was necessary in strengthening the organization. As a result, a meeting was called in 1867, in which General Nathan Bedford Forrest was appointed as the commander (Parsons 817). Bedford was a former confederate soldier, who had a lot of experience owing to his involvement in the American Civil War from 1861 to 1865. Although he never had formal military training, Bedford had natural talent in war planning and this impressed his superiors as well as his colleagues, and soon he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and was given the role of training and recruiting new soldiers into the army. This means that with him on the helm, KKK was bound to reach great heights to become one of the most influential in the American society. Other members were elected as leaders of smaller groups in order to establish a chain of command similar to that of the army and which was to facilitate discipline and unity among the different factions (Artoletti 22). The American Civil War ended in 1865 and paved way for the reconstruction era. Among the policies, which were to be adopted in order to facilitate reconstruction of the country was to promote the rights of black people and former slaves by allowing them to vote and vie for various political offices (McVeigh 16). They were also to be allowed to compete with the white Americans in the job market. In general, all Americans were to be accorded equal rights and privileges irrespective of their color, ethnicity or religion. However, majority of the whites did not take this positively as they felt that this would have created a lot of competition for resources and job opportunities, which were scarce especially within localities where the Ku Klux Klan operated. KKK members were not happy with this and as a result, members started becoming suspicious towards the non-whites, whom they perceived as inferior. Indeed, KKK started approaching the blacks trying to convince them to give up their quest for political offices because they were better off living as second class citizens and that they stood to benefit more if they agreed to remain as slaves, which did not bear any fruits (McVeigh 21). Instead, the blacks continued to demand their rights through activism. A widespread hatred towards the blacks and former slaves especially in the south boosted the membership of KKK as it provided an informal avenue for the whites to counter organizations and government instruments which were in favor of equality. It is estimated that the first KKK, 1865-1875, had managed to acquire the membership of more than 500000 white Americans (Wyde 45). Due to this attitude towards the blacks, the group transformed in what most of the historians termed as the first American terrorist organization. Systematic attacks were conducted on the blacks especially those belonging to the loyal leagues. Loyal leagues were organizations that were formed during the civil war and majority of them were pro-republican. The Republican Party, which president Abraham Lincoln was a member, highly advocated for the emancipation of all slaves as well as integration of Americans and this encouraged the blacks and other likeminded whites to join the party. All black schools were opened in various parts of the country and this helped to strengthen their loyalty towards the Union especially since they were allowed to participate in general elections (Chalmers 29). The KKK, on the other hand, was in support of the Democratic Party and therefore, it was one of its objectives to neutralize the influence that the Republican Party was enjoying. To this end, the group started killing black politicians, their teachers, church leaders and their associates. In addition, they embarked on a widespread massacre of family heads and any other person, who was marked as having the potential to influence the society towards racial integration (Wyde 49). It is estimated that within the first two years of existence, more than 200 people had been killed while more than 600 others had been brutally assaulted in North and South Carolina alone. Louisiana elections of 1868 were also marred with heavy bloodshed in an attempt by the group to intimidate republican voters and they succeeded after killing more than 2000 people by hacking them to death (Wyde 63). These are just examples as several other states recorded numerous cases of people being beaten and killed through crude methods such as arson. This violence prompted the congress to take action by passing Enforcement Acts as a possible way of enshrining the right of the blacks to vote. For example, the Enforcement Act of 1870 prohibited the use of violence, coercion or any other inhumane act to seclude certain groups of people from participating in elections (Chalmers 38). This act targeted KKK as well as other organizations, which had similar objectives and within a short period, a large number of members were arrested and prosecuted for federal crimes. Supporters of the group, especially the prominent ones and the politicians begun withdrawing their support for the Klan due to the negative publicity it was attracting and this started weakening it. The Civil Rights Act of 1871 also strengthened the fight against Klan activities by banning the group and prohibiting federal institutions and employees from associating themselves or promoting Klan ideologies. This is especially due to the fact that local authorities involved in settling cases concerned with crimes committed by Klan members never found justifiable reasons to punish offenders (Chalmers 46). Reasons for this complicity were based on the fact that judges presiding over such cases feared retaliation if they ruled in favor of Africans and also because blacks were not represented in the juries and therefore their probability of winning cases was minimal. However, although the enforcement acts and the Ku Klux Klan act of 1871 led to the arrest of more than 5000 people, reports indicate that less than 1000 were convicted (Parsons 828). The low conviction rate was as a result of faults in legislations, which subjected them to criticism and lack of compliance as some of the judges questioned their constitutionality. In fact, the Ku Klan act was declared as unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 1882 and even though the first KKK never lasted long, other groups, which were also covered by these Acts, continued to terrorize the African American society for a long time after the first Klan disintegrated in the late 1870s (Wyde 93). The reemergence of KKK came after approximately 30 years i.e. in 1915 due to a new wave of socio-politico challenges that were facing the society at that time (Artoletti 33). For example, the country was undergoing rapid industrialization and urbanization and this motivated African Americans to migrate to urban centers, especially in the North, in search of jobs, which created fears among white citizens living in those areas. In addition, there was an upsurge in the number of Jews and Christians, who were migrating to the US and this brought in a religious dimension to the issues that KKK was up against. The Protestants felt threatened by the Catholics and they therefore had the urge to ensure that they remained in control and the only way to do so was to join hands with likeminded persons to crush Catholicism (McVeigh 78). In addition, the production of a movie, the Birth of a Nation, is considered as one of the reasons for the reemergence of KKK. In the movie, the characters portrayed the first KKK as a group that was based on ideologies which were bent towards helping the white man to save him self from black domination. The movie also raised fears among the whites, as it suggested that with coming of immigrants, family values based on Protestantism were going to be affected and therefore, new members felt that they needed to eliminate evil people in the society especially as a way of protecting their women. This was made clear by the actions of one Jewish businessman, who was accused of defiling a white woman and killing her. Despite the fact that the court found him guilty and jailed him for life, KKK members together with other white people broke into the prison where he was and hanged him to death (Artoletti 49). It may be important to state that it is in this era that the American authorities were advocating for the prohibition of manufacturing and possession of liquor. KKK members were in favor of prohibition and therefore, any person who rose to oppose it became an enemy and a target of the group. However, from late 1920s to 1940s, the organization had lost its grip especially due to the emergence of anti Klan campaigns led by organizations such as the Jewish Anti-Defamation League, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People as well as the media, which sensitized citizens on the criminal nature of the Klan through nation wide campaigns (McVeigh 81). Some of the protestant leaders also were opposed to the killings and the attempts by the group to outlaw private schools and by denouncing them in public, these leaders helped to minimize its influence in the society. The Klan also experienced infighting whereby some of the leaders such as Stephenson disassociated themselves with the national leadership leading to his murder, which provoked a lot of criticism from members and the society at large. The founder of this second clan, William Simmons, had expressed his intentions towards the group, which were highly based on the idealistic foundations of the first Klan. He never stated openly that the Klan was bent towards using violence to promote anti-Semitism, anti-Catholicism and supremacy of white people. It is through this that he managed to acquire the membership of more than 4 million people and it is the same reason why the Klan lost its members leading to its decline in 1944 (Artoletti 101). The third generation Klan continues to exist in the contemporary US but as a result of advancements in the criminal justice system and democracy, the group has tried to conceal its activities to become more of an underground organization. Its membership is also low as compared to that of the first and second clans but on the other hand, the Klan has extended its scope to become a transnational organization. Reports indicate that the group has infiltrated Canada and some parts of Europe such as Britain (Chalmers 97). Works Cited Artoletti, Susan. They Called Themselves the K.K.K.: The Birth of an American Terrorist Group. Houghton Mifflin, 2010. Print Chalmers, David. Hooded Americanism: The History of the Ku Klux Klan. Duke University Press Books, 2001. Print McVeigh, Roly. The Rise of the Ku Klux Klan: Right-Wing Movements and National Politics. University of Minnesota Press. Print Parsons, Elaine. "Midnight Rangers: Costume and Performance in the Reconstruction-Era Ku Klux Klan." Journal of American History 92.3 (2005): 811–836 Wyde, Wyne. The Fiery Cross: The Ku Klux Klan in America. Oxford University Press, 1998. Print Read More