Ku Klux Klan And Organized Racism

Throughout American history racism has always been apparent, but the Ku Klux Klan stands out as one of the most prominent racist organized terror groups. In Harper Lee’s novel ¨To Kill A Mockingbird¨ organized racism is apparent even though the KKK itself never appeared in the story as a threat. Its influence is seen when a mob of angry southern white men arrives at the courthouse with the intent to kill Tom Robinson and possibly anyone who gets in their way. That type of behavior mirrors that of the KKK.

The KKK was created in Tennessee by southern veterans of the Civil War. The group was originally a social group that would gather at political rallies. As Atticus stated “Way back about nineteen-twenty there was a Klan, but it was a political organization more than anything” (Lee,147). It quickly turned into a violent organization. They terrorized black people in late night raids much like the one in “To Kill A Mockingbird” and killed many people. They also tortured minorities and had an influence on the government through intimidation.
People were afraid of the KKK because they never knew if they were going to be the next person taken away and tortured or worse. Furthermore, torture was used so that when they let someone go after it, they could spread the word of what the KKK did. Consequently causing fear to rapidly spread across the United States. They sent groups called lynch mobs too. Lynch mobs would take someone to be hanged to fulfill the goals of the KKK. A mob similar to this appears in “To Kill A Mockingbird” though Atticus doesn’t let fear overcome him as he states “A mob’s always made up of people, no matter what”