Ku Klux Klan
The Ku Klux Klan (KKK)oneseveral white-supremacist organizations inUnited States, whichdedicatedopposing civil rightsBlacks, Jews,other ethnic, racial, social or religious groups. They also oppose Catholicism,'left' groups such asIWW, andgay rights movement.In recent yearsspin-off organization came into existence inUnited Kingdom. However,British Ku Klux Klan istiny movementno real influence.
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Description
The name Ku Klux Klan comes from kuklos,Greek wordcircle. A persistent myth has existed inUnited States which alleges thatname comes fromsound ofhammer ofrifle being cocked.Members ofKlaneasily recognizable by their distinctive white robeshoods, which representghosts ofConfederate soldiers returned fromdeadsearchrevenge against their enemies. They also often give themselves fanciful titles such as "Grand Wizard"indicate status.
The Klanassociatedactsterrorism such as lynchingsburninghomes, andconsciously mysticalgrandiose aesthetic involving wearing white robeshoodsburning crosses. In fact,Klan adopted Christian symbolism throughout their rituals. An accountone Klan initiation ceremony describesBible openedRomans 12, telling Christiansengage"godly conduct." The fiery cross was accompanied bysword, representingbattle againstenemies ofChristian way,an American flag. Inreferencebaptism, new initiates were sprinkledwater"cleanse" themalien influences. Bothopeningclosing prayers declared: "The living Christ isKlansman's criterioncharacter."
History
The original Ku Klux Klan was first establishedPulaski, Tennessee afterend ofAmerican Civil War on December 24, 1865 by General Nathan Bedford Forrestother Confederate veterans. In additionaiding Confederate widowsorphans ofwar, many members ofnew group soughtopposeextensionvoting rightsBlacks,other measuresend segregation, that were introduced as partReconstruction. But as federal control ofex-Confederate states was withdrawn,local white population re-established their powerwithsegregation laws. Additionally, Nathan Bedford Forrest officially disbandedorganization1869 becausehad evolved into an entity which he believed had strayed from its original missionhad instead grown increasingly violentantagonistic.In 1871 President Ulysses S. Grant put what was believedbefinal nail inKlan's coffin,signed The Klan ActEnforcement Act. The Klan became an illegal terrorist group,useforce was authorizedsuppressdisruptorganization's activities.
The second Ku Klux Klan was re-established during World War I,feat which arguably would not have been possible without D. W. Griffith's skillful propaganda film The Birth ofNation, based onplay The Clansmen andbook The Leopard's Spots, both by Thomas Dixon. Many poor whites were drawn toidea that their economic woes were caused by Blacks, or by Jewish bankers, or by other such groups. This Klan was operated asprofit-making venture by its leaders,participated inboomfraternal organizations attime. It differed fromfirst Klan;first Klan was DemocratSouthern; this Klan was RepublicanMidwestern,had major political influence onRepublicansseveral Midwestern states. It collapsed largely asresult ofscandal involving David Stephenson,Grand DragonIndiana, who was convictedrapemurder insensational trial.
After World War II, there wasrevivalseveral Ku Klux Klan organizations which were establishedcounterCivil rights movement of1960s. This isKlan thatstill seen today, though as American society has become more racially tolerantKlan has once more shrunk dramaticallyfractured. The major factions currently includeImperial KlansAmerica,American Knights ofKu Klux Klan,Knights ofWhite Kamelia.
Doctrine
The KKK organizations hold themselvesbe Protestant Christian organizations. Fromearly 1900s through1940s, hundredsthousandsProtestants, primarily inSouth, sawKKK asparttheir faith. Millions more viewedKKK's tactics as morally reprehensibleextreme, but nonetheless saw its members as valid Christiansgenerally agreed that white Protestants were inherently superiorother groups. At that time, oppressing black people, as well as JewsCatholics, was seen by many as part"God's plan". A much smaller numberAmericans still have such views today. Many people hold thatKlan's members were not really Christian, asdidn't follownonviolent, "turnother cheek" teachingsclassical Christianity. Others hold that this iscase ofNo true Scotsman fallacy.Political Influence
The Ku Klux Klan rosegreat prominencespread fromSouth intoMidwestNorthern states,at this time counted many politicians among its members. Accordingsome accounts, even future president Harry Truman was brieflymember ofKlan, though he soon left becausetheir anti-Catholicism. Another former Klansmanrisenational prominence wasSupreme Court Justice Hugo Black, who repudiatedracist views ofKlan. However, withrecovery fromGreat Depression andonsetWorld War II,Klan again faded;has never recapturednumbermembersheld then, althoughstill exists.Similar organizations includeAryan Nations,National Alliance, andSilent Brotherhood.
See also : Jim Crow laws, League ofHoly Court, Silent Brotherhood, Neo-Nazism.
External links
- The History ofOriginal Ku Klux Klan
- The Southern Poverty Law Center
- Knights ofKu Klux Klan website (Link may be offensivesome readers)
