Casey Carmody
20 May 2015
Mr. Maestranzi
U.S. History Research Paper
Federal Government’s Intervention’s into the Ku Klux Klan’s Activities
In the late 1800’s, during the period of Reconstruction, there was fear and hate of African Americans by white southerners. This fear and hate rooted from the fact that African American’s now had the same rights and freedoms as white people. This caused an uproar. Because of this, people were coming together and sharing their feelings and ideas about the newly freed African Americans. This is how the KKK, also known as the Ku Klux Klan, came about. The Ku Klux Klan was began in 1866 by white men in Pulaski, Tennessee. The men that came together to create the Ku Klux Klan were mostly ex-confederate soldiers who were unhappy with the outcome of the Civil War. These men that used intimidation methods and violence. These men covered themselves as well as their horses in white sheets and rode through towns, causing scenes and using horrifying intimidation acts, especially against African Americans.
The Klan was at an all time high of members especially in the South. In the height of the Reconstruction, the Ku Klux Klan was planning to re-establish white supremacy. This is when the federal government began to intervene. The federal government wanted to intervene to make a difference in what the Klan was doing. Their plan was to limit the actions of the Ku Klux Klan. The federal government attempted to put a stop to the activities of the Ku
The kkk ( ku Klux Klan ) formed after the civil war because the KKK Did not want african americans to have civil rights.The kkk formed In 1866 In pulaski tennessee . That extended into almost every southern state in 1870 .They they organized their group after the
The Ku Klux Klan was a secret terrorist organization that was created by six well educated Confederate veterans in Pulaski, Tennessee in the December of 1865. Their main objective was to restore white supremacy through acts of violence such as murder, against both Black and White Republicans. The KKK had eventually spread to every southern state, and Klansmen would often terrorize republicans regardless of their race. Members of the KKK believed that African Americans were inferior to Whites and did not believe that Blacks deserved equal rights. Although the rebel groups were outlawed and made illegal, many of them remained in existence and appeared after the reconstruction had ended. This proved the Reconstruction to be ineffective as many Southerners were still fighting against the government and opposed them. In addition, African Americans were still deprived of their rights by these
This turn to violence was how the first Ku Klux Klan rose. The Klan was formed by six ex-Confederate Veterans in Pulaski, Tennessee, this organization started off small but began absorbing most of the other anti-Reconstruction groups in the south, like the Men of Justice, the Pale Faces, the Constitutional Union Guards, the White Brotherhood, and the Order of the White Rose (Infoplease.com). The Ku Klux Klan was created in fear of an insurrection by the ex-slaves, now the freedmen. The most recognized founder of the Klan was Nathan Bedford Forrest. Their white robes and masks are supposed to be a representation of ex-Confederate soldiers who died during the civil war. One of the Klan’s biggest goal was keeping the freedmen away from the voting polls to assure the success of ex-Confederates in gaining back their political control in many states. In 1871, President Grant took an aim at the Klan for their interference in black suffrage but by this time the support for Reconstruction was beginning to diminish because racism was still very much alive in both the north and the south. As time progressed the Democrats regained control of the House of Representatives. The democrats waged a campaign of violence to take control of Mississippi to which President Grant responded with a refusal of federal troop intervention which ended support of the Reconstruction era. In the election of 1876, Republican, Rutherford B. Haynes, reached a compromise with
The Ku Klux Klan organization is very important in history but unfortunately it was a bad group of people who where racist. Also the end of the Civil war is a very significant part of history. As the struggle of blacks for freedom came to an end, a new form of struggle began to form. Political, social, and economic gains of blacks after the Civil war became really frightening!! The idea of whites loosing superiority over blacks felt unacceptable. The poor social white class feared of losing their jobs, and the wealthy of loosing cheap labor. As a result, racist groups began to form. The name Ku Klux Klan is now known all over the world. At first formed as a small social
The Ku Klux Klan flourished in the South at the beginning of the Reconstruction succeeding the Civil War. There remained numerous ex-Confederates that were still strongly opposed to the Reconstruction and sought to preserve white supremacy in the South. Directly after the Civil War the government in the South was weak and vulnerable. The Ku Klux Klan leveraged this and used violence and threats to try to reestablish white supremacy. They were most successful in playing upon fears and superstitions. They not only brought terror to the black communities but they also targeted carpetbaggers and scalawags. They used these threats and fears in effectively keeping the blacks away from the polls so that the ex-Confederates could gain back political control in the
The Ku Klux Klan was a frightful organization that began in retaliation to the Reconstructions movements that attempted to mitigate inequality in the south, and the KKK grew and prospered by promoting racial prejudice towards African-Americans, utilizing appalling acts of
The Ku Klux Klan, known as the KKK, has been one of the most feared groups in America since the end of the civil war during post-war reconstruction.. The civil war was not just about the rights of the black man, but it was a very important part. People in the north mostly believed the black person was due the same liberties insured by the U.S. Constitution. The 14th Amendment of the constitution gave equal protection to former slaves. However people in the south saw the black man as inferior and a slave needed to work on the plantation. This led to continued unrest after the war. Some felt the black man and those that supported his cause needed to be stopped. They wanted to control the black population. The Klan also would torture white people who were sympathetic to the blacks and their situation.
Frustrated confederate soldiers made their way back home after losing the war that they had been fighting for four years. These men formed vigilante groups, attacking black people. While soldiers did this, wealthier men who had avoided fighting in the war formed agricultural and police clubs for the same purpose; both groups soon took shape and evolved into one large group, known as the Ku Klux Klan and Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest became the first leader, known as the Grand Wizard. The name Ku Klux Klan is derived from the Greek word, Kyklos, meaning circle. The Ku Klux Klan, often shortened to the KKK, was founded in Tennessee in 1866 and grew to be one of the most feared terrorist groups in the United States, before dying off in 1869, but later being revived in 1915 (History.com Staff). The Ku Klux Klan negatively impacted the Reconstruction period through terror, intimidating Republican voters, and killing Republican officials.
The Ku Klux Klan, also known as the KKK, was founded in 1865, which was also the beginning of a phase known as post-civil War Reconstruction. The ex-confederate soldiers established it as a white supremacist organization in Pulaski, Tennessee. The organization was originally founded as a social club for the former confederate soldiers; however, it soon evolved into a nationwide terrorist organization, specifically in almost every southern state by 1870. The organization was mainly based upon white southern resistance towards the policies of the Republican Party as they were aimed at achieving equality for the blacks economically and politically. The name ‘Ku Klux Klan” is derived from the Greek word “kyklos” which translates to circle, and
Rough Draft The Ku Klux Klan was first formed in 1865 and was a movement using violence and torture to create a “clean, pure” white America. The KKK was in almost every southern state and attacked many African Americans in order for white supremacy. There are specific movements recorded, 1865 to the 1870s, 1915 to 1944, and 1946 to present day. The KKK’s starting purpose, actions, and long-lasting history have put a negative outlook on the south.
The Ku Klux Klan has a long history of being famous for its hate towards African Americans and other ethnic race and religious groups. The Ku Klux Klan was founded in 1866 in In Pulaski, Tennessee by Six young college students. The six young men all former Confederate officers started this as and a social club or fraternity and spent their time draped in white cloths and acted in horseplay of various types, wearing disguises and galloping on horses about town after dark. This is where the Uniform and activities of the group began after realizing that they were putting young former slaves into a state of fear and panic. While roaming around only playing the group took advantage of this fear that they saw and began to form a vigilante group to prevent southern blacks or whites who would participate from enjoying any civil rights movements. The group’s former intent was not to cause harm towards anyone although they targeted the African American race these were not there only causalities.
During the 1800’s the United States was consumed by racial tension and discrimination. The African American people wanted to be equal to the white people, and the white people felt the African Americans shouldn 't be. This caused many uprisings and the formation of groups based on belief. One very infamous group was the Klu Klux Klan. They were a group based on hate and violence towards African American people. The KKK eventually extended into every state, victimizing any African American they could.
The Ku Klux Klan strongly came about after the Civil War. The group was officially established on December 4,1865 in Pulaski, Tennessee where a a group of Confederate veterans created a secret society. In 1869 the KKK'S first grand wizard, Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest, unsuccessfully attempted to disband it after he became aware of the Klan's over the top viciousness. The group practiced violence whose aim was to instill fear and intimidation by terrorizing African Americans and white Republicans with night raids. During these raids members would destroy property, assault, and murder people and communities. All of this was done in hopes to repress and discriminate against freed slaves. They instilled themselves as a white southern
The Ku Klux Klan founded in 1865 by William Nathan Bedford a former confederate general, began a campaign of terror against free blacks and their white supporters. The KKK had a wide array of uneducated people because their main incentive was to recruit young, homeless, and mindless
The second Ku Klux Klan is the oldest domestic terrorist group. The Klan was a physical symbol of racism and violence. The Klan took advantage of the common man, in a state of vulnerability and turned them against their fellow brothers. The revival of the Ku Klux Klan beginning in the 1910s occurred as a result of economic and cultural tensions in America. Because of an economic recession following World War I, many farmers migrated to cities and competed with immigrants for jobs. These newly arrived farmers held views at odds with others regarding enforcement of Prohibition and the role of religion and women in America. As a result, many turned to the Ku Klux Klan to resolve these competing tensions.