The Ku Klux Klan
(KKK)
(Social)
What is it?
In 1866 the Ku Klux Klan was founded by ex-confederate soldiers and other southerners who opposed Reconstruction after the civil war. The clan was revived by “Colonel” William Joseph Simmons, in 1915, after viewing the film Birth of a Nation by D.W. Griffith. The film portrayed the Ku Klux Klan members of the movie as heroes. Simmons strongly relied on selling memberships to fraternal organizations for a living and saw the Klan as new opportunity for membership sales.
Reports showed that William Joseph Simmons climbed to the top of a mountain and showed the rebirth of the clan by setting a cross on fire. First the Ku Klux Klan members strongly disliked black Americans and persecuted them. The Klan broadened its message of hate toward Catholics, Jews, and foreigners. White supremacy was supported among the Klan and promoted fundamentalism, as well as devout patriotism. They wanted to return to a “clean” living and the K.K.K. blasted bootleggers and motion pictures. The elite, urbanites, and the intellectuals were also attacked by the Ku Klux Klan because they were uncomfortable with the culture shift from a rural agricultural society to an urban industrial nation.
The membership of the Klan ballooned in the 1920’s when their “Message struck a cord”. Membership of the Klansmen in the middle of the decade ranged from three million to as high as eight million members. A very good profit for William Joseph Simmons. What is believed to make the Ku Klux Klan even stronger than they are preaching is that membership is not limited. Membership was available to the poor, uneducated, and the people on societies fringes. Since anyone of any social standing was allowed to join the Klan it continued to grow and get bigger every day.
Diversity is shown throughout the members of the Ku Klux Klan. Doctors, lawyers, and ministers became loyal supporters of the KKK. Members of the clan were spotted when their religious ceremonies of the lighting of the cross was done. All members had on white robes with white pointy hats and preached around a burning cross.
The Klan had plenty of members and it was not isolated or marginalized in any way. In Ohio the KKK’s ranks surged to 300,000 and in Pennsylvania the membership reached 200,000. The Ku Klux Klan was remaining a clandestine society.
Local and state politics were influenced by the Ku Klux Klan as they raced for more power. A very clever plan known as the “decade” was made and it stated that every member of the Ku Klux Klan was required to have ten people vote for the Klan candidates in elections. The mayors of Portland, Maine, and Portland, Oregon, will be up for election times and if these candidates are elected in the 1924 elections that will mean that the KKK will have officials from coast to coast. The Ku Klux Klan did many dangerous things to blacks. The KKK’s presence was felt across the world.
Why is it important?
The Ku Klux Klan was important because they were responsible for the murder of many blacks. They did not like them because the blacks had a different color of skin and they could not accept them because of it. This is important because the majority of the white population agreed with the KKK and supported them with whatever they did. This was wrong and no one should have been murdered just because they were different. The KKK was a huge group who's main goal was to abolish all of the blacks because they thought that they were disgusting and dirty which was not true. They were just like everybody else. The blacks had jobs, families, and lives of their own. So when the KKK murdered them anyone who was close to the victim suffered from their loss. This caused a lot of outrage for the blacks and they protested.
Is it progress?
The forming to the Ku Klux Klan was not a progress. This was not a progress because they went around murdering people. That was unacceptable because the blacks did nothing wrong. How can the country progress if citizens are killing each other? That's why the KKK was not a progress in history. Progress would be shown when everyone got along and accepted one another for who they really are, even if they were different. The KKK did not accept the blacks for who they were and did not show progress in history.
Leading to...
The KKK helped lead to the next era in history known as the Great Depression because when they murdered all of the blacks this caused turmoil and anger. When the country is angry with one another then there would not be a strong country as a whole. This could of related to the Great Depression because business owners were usually white Americans and the workers were usually black African Americans or slaves. If a black African American went into the North of the country to get a job then they would of been denied and homeless because they would have no money. In the South if an African American went to get a job then they would be slaves and earn little to no pay on plantations for the exchange of a place to live and food, which was not very nice at all. Denying people of jobs and segregating the African Americans helped lead to the Great Depression because there was social and economic turmoil.
In 1866 the Ku Klux Klan was founded by ex-confederate soldiers and other southerners who opposed Reconstruction after the civil war. The clan was revived by “Colonel” William Joseph Simmons, in 1915, after viewing the film Birth of a Nation by D.W. Griffith. The film portrayed the Ku Klux Klan members of the movie as heroes. Simmons strongly relied on selling memberships to fraternal organizations for a living and saw the Klan as new opportunity for membership sales.
Reports showed that William Joseph Simmons climbed to the top of a mountain and showed the rebirth of the clan by setting a cross on fire. First the Ku Klux Klan members strongly disliked black Americans and persecuted them. The Klan broadened its message of hate toward Catholics, Jews, and foreigners. White supremacy was supported among the Klan and promoted fundamentalism, as well as devout patriotism. They wanted to return to a “clean” living and the K.K.K. blasted bootleggers and motion pictures. The elite, urbanites, and the intellectuals were also attacked by the Ku Klux Klan because they were uncomfortable with the culture shift from a rural agricultural society to an urban industrial nation.
The membership of the Klan ballooned in the 1920’s when their “Message struck a cord”. Membership of the Klansmen in the middle of the decade ranged from three million to as high as eight million members. A very good profit for William Joseph Simmons. What is believed to make the Ku Klux Klan even stronger than they are preaching is that membership is not limited. Membership was available to the poor, uneducated, and the people on societies fringes. Since anyone of any social standing was allowed to join the Klan it continued to grow and get bigger every day.
Diversity is shown throughout the members of the Ku Klux Klan. Doctors, lawyers, and ministers became loyal supporters of the KKK. Members of the clan were spotted when their religious ceremonies of the lighting of the cross was done. All members had on white robes with white pointy hats and preached around a burning cross.
The Klan had plenty of members and it was not isolated or marginalized in any way. In Ohio the KKK’s ranks surged to 300,000 and in Pennsylvania the membership reached 200,000. The Ku Klux Klan was remaining a clandestine society.
Local and state politics were influenced by the Ku Klux Klan as they raced for more power. A very clever plan known as the “decade” was made and it stated that every member of the Ku Klux Klan was required to have ten people vote for the Klan candidates in elections. The mayors of Portland, Maine, and Portland, Oregon, will be up for election times and if these candidates are elected in the 1924 elections that will mean that the KKK will have officials from coast to coast. The Ku Klux Klan did many dangerous things to blacks. The KKK’s presence was felt across the world.
Why is it important?
The Ku Klux Klan was important because they were responsible for the murder of many blacks. They did not like them because the blacks had a different color of skin and they could not accept them because of it. This is important because the majority of the white population agreed with the KKK and supported them with whatever they did. This was wrong and no one should have been murdered just because they were different. The KKK was a huge group who's main goal was to abolish all of the blacks because they thought that they were disgusting and dirty which was not true. They were just like everybody else. The blacks had jobs, families, and lives of their own. So when the KKK murdered them anyone who was close to the victim suffered from their loss. This caused a lot of outrage for the blacks and they protested.
Is it progress?
The forming to the Ku Klux Klan was not a progress. This was not a progress because they went around murdering people. That was unacceptable because the blacks did nothing wrong. How can the country progress if citizens are killing each other? That's why the KKK was not a progress in history. Progress would be shown when everyone got along and accepted one another for who they really are, even if they were different. The KKK did not accept the blacks for who they were and did not show progress in history.
Leading to...
The KKK helped lead to the next era in history known as the Great Depression because when they murdered all of the blacks this caused turmoil and anger. When the country is angry with one another then there would not be a strong country as a whole. This could of related to the Great Depression because business owners were usually white Americans and the workers were usually black African Americans or slaves. If a black African American went into the North of the country to get a job then they would of been denied and homeless because they would have no money. In the South if an African American went to get a job then they would be slaves and earn little to no pay on plantations for the exchange of a place to live and food, which was not very nice at all. Denying people of jobs and segregating the African Americans helped lead to the Great Depression because there was social and economic turmoil.