A form of Organized Racism

What is the Ku Klux Klan?• Secret society begun in the

south.• Informally known as the

Klan.• Originally set up as social

fraternity but their main goal soon became reasserting white supremacy after the Civil War.

The First Grand wizard

• The great Confederate cavalry officer, General Nathan Bedford Forrest, was the first Grand Wizard (national leader) in 1867.

Reasons Behind the KKK• Wanted to oppose

“reconstruction” of the south.

• Stop African Americans from voting or holding office

• Encouraged by the resentments of white southerners following the Civil War

Who were the original members?• Most members were former Confederate army members• Some were plantation owners who still wanted to own slaves• Others were just people upset with how the government had

treated the South following the Civil War

Activities

Burning down Black Schools

Cross Burning

Whipping and lynching of the blacks

End of 1st klan

Mississippi Ku-Klux members in the disguises in which they were captured. Harper's Weekly January 27, 1872

• William Joseph Simmons founded the second Ku Klux Klan in 1915.

The 2nd KKK Incarnation

2nd Klan-Fueled by two key events

Film-The Birth of a Nation Death of Mary Phagan

AnomaliesIn New Jersey in 1926, local Klansmen sponsored the drive to rebuild a negro church.

Food aid was given to a black old folks’ home in Richmond, Virginia in 1925.

In 1944, the Klan disbanded.

The End of the 2nd KKK

• The Ku Klux Klan continues to exist today

• Exist in smaller chapters than in previous years

• Activity is more limited• Some of the extreme beliefs

have weakened or adapted to today’s society

• Many members are more secretive about their membership today

The KKK Today

The End