Ku Klux Klan

What was the Ku Klux Klan?

The Ku Klux Klan, or KKK, was a white supremacist organisation that aimed to ensure white people continued to have more rights than, and power over, other races. Its members dressed in white robes and hoods.

What was the history of the Ku Klux Klan?

The Ku Klux Klan existed for many years before the First World War, but its power grew after the conflict.

• ❖ It was formed in the 1860s, after the American Civil War.
• ❖ Its actions were restricted by the government in 1871 through the Ku Klux Klan Act, but it continued as an underground movement.
• ❖ Insurance salesman William Simmonds restarted the organisation in 1915 after being inspired by the film, 'Birth Of A Nation'.
• ❖ At its height, in 1925, it had 5 million members.

Who were the members of the Ku Klux Klan?

Most KKK members were white churchgoers from southern areas of America who were regarded as respected members of society.

What did the Ku Klux Klan believe in?

The Ku Klux Klan expanded its beliefs after the First World War.

• ❖ They believed WASPs - White Anglo-Saxon Protestants - should fight for survival and dominance over other races.
• ❖ They believed immigration threatened WASPs and should be stopped.
• ❖ They enforced some traditional Christian values by attacking people of other religions and groups they saw as 'immoral', such as divorcees.
• ❖ They claimed segregation was supported by the words of the Bible.

How was the Ku Klux Klan organised?

When William Simmonds set up the new KKK, he increased its appeal by making it more like an exclusive club with a mysterious code.

• ❖ The Klan was divided into chapters, or local groups, called Klaverns.
• ❖ There were different levels of authority in the Klan. Klaverns were led by Kleagles, who answered to Klugs. The overall leader was called the Imperial Wizard.
• ❖ The Klan's rules were written in a book called the Kloran.

What did the Ku Klux Klan do?

The KKK used several methods to intimidate and persecute anyone it felt was a threat to WASP supremacy, including black people, immigrants and critics.

• ❖ Its members intimidated people. Sometimes they would burn crosses outside their victims' homes to denote them as a target.
• ❖ The Klan used violence and members were often involved in lynchings. They also beat, burned, and tarred and feathered their victims.
• ❖ Its members protested against politicians with whom it disagreed and influenced lawmaking where possible.
• ❖ Members boycotted any businesses owned by those who disagreed with them.

How did the Ku Klux Klan grow in the 1920s?

The Ku Klux Klan grew rapidly in the 1920s.

• ❖ Public relations experts Elizabeth Tyler and Edward Clarke helped Simmonds to make the Klan seem more appealing to people.
• ❖ Kleagles could keep $4 of the $10 joining fee, which meant that they encouraged more people to join.
• ❖ People might be intimidated or threatened if they refused to join or tried to leave.
• ❖ It was popular with the members of the middle classes who wanted to force their values onto others and felt threatened by the changes in society.

Why did the Ku Klux Klan become so powerful in America in the 1920s?

By the mid-1920s, the Klan was very powerful.

• ❖ It had a lot of members. By 1923 there were 5 million members in 4,000 chapters, or Klaverns.
• ❖ It had some powerful members, including a few senators, a governor and a mayor.
• ❖ It contained judges and police officers, who could protect members who broke the law, or use the law to persecute people.

Why did the Ku Klux Klan lose its influence?

After 1925, the influence of the Klan began to fall.

• ❖ In 1925, a Grand Dragon (state leader) of the Ku Klux Klan, David Stephenson, was found guilty of the rape and murder of a young woman.
• ❖ The reputation of the Klan was damaged by the trial of David Stephenson, and people felt more confident about criticising it.
• ❖ Membership fell. By 1929 it only had 200,000 members.