The Rise and Fall of the Ku Klux Klan Essay Example
"The white men were roused by a mere instinct of self-preservation
until at last there had sprung into existence a great Ku Klux Klan, a veritable empire of the South, to protect the Southern country." ~Woodrow Wilson
After the American Civil war there was an extreme amount of hostility between the white people and the African Americans. Blacks were beaten and killed; they were hated by most white people. The hostility grew; in 1866 the original Ku Klux Klan was founded by Nathan Bedford Forrest. The Ku Klux Klan (K.K.K.) was compiled of many men, mostly upper-class, who wore long white robes, masks, and pointed hats. They would flog, beat, and murder black men and women. In 1869 General Forrest ordered a disbandment of the Ku Klux Klan, this was not entirely successful, although it did break up the order amongst the Klans. In 1876 the Klan was broken up. There was no need for a white supremacist group while the Jim Crow Laws were in progress. In 1915, the second Ku Klux Klan was founded by Joseph Simmons. This new Ku Klux Klan was very popular, it emerged right after the release of D.W. Griffith's film The Birth of a Nation which, glorified the K.K.K The film created a new hope and vision for the Klan. This new KKK was headed by Hiram Wesley Evans until 1939. In 1944 the Klan was dissolved. In the early 1950s the civil rights movement triggered the rise of a new K.K.K. this new KKK will last up to the present. Even though they were not as large as the other Ku Klux Klans they were far harsher than the original KKK and have a different message that the first and second K.K.K in the United States. The "first" Ku Klux Klan was founded in 1866 by general Nathan Bedford Forrest. This original KKK was used for intimidating carpetbaggers , scalawags , and freed slaves. During this time period "the organization's aims were more in the spirit of "mischief" than terrorism" (Williams, 37). It was at first a social club that focused on "jokes" and hazing rituals.
After the American Civil war there was an extreme amount of hostility between the white people and the African Americans. Blacks were beaten and killed; they were hated by most white people. The hostility grew; in 1866 the original Ku Klux Klan was founded by Nathan Bedford Forrest. The Ku Klux Klan (K.K.K.) was compiled of many men, mostly upper-class, who wore long white robes, masks, and pointed hats. They would flog, beat, and murder black men and women. In 1869 General Forrest ordered a disbandment of the Ku Klux Klan, this was not entirely successful, although it did break up the order amongst the Klans. In 1876 the Klan was broken up. There was no need for a white supremacist group while the Jim Crow Laws were in progress. In 1915, the second Ku Klux Klan was founded by Joseph Simmons. This new Ku Klux Klan was very popular, it emerged right after the release of D.W. Griffith's film The Birth of a Nation which, glorified the K.K.K The film created a new hope and vision for the Klan. This new KKK was headed by Hiram Wesley Evans until 1939. In 1944 the Klan was dissolved. In the early 1950s the civil rights movement triggered the rise of a new K.K.K. this new KKK will last up to the present. Even though they were not as large as the other Ku Klux Klans they were far harsher than the original KKK and have a different message that the first and second K.K.K in the United States. The "first" Ku Klux Klan was founded in 1866 by general Nathan Bedford Forrest. This original KKK was used for intimidating carpetbaggers , scalawags , and freed slaves. During this time period "the organization's aims were more in the spirit of "mischief" than terrorism" (Williams, 37). It was at first a social club that focused on "jokes" and hazing rituals.