Ku Klux Klan (KKK) as a Terrorist Group

Introduction

One of the two American white supremacists that used terrorism to further their racial objectives was the Ku Klux Klan (KKK). Whether a cause is legitimate, individuals have always harbored genuine emotions against something or someone. These groups often focus on a specific race of individuals. One of these organizations that are particularly well-known and frequently mentioned is the Ku Klux Klan or KKK. Their main argument is that white people are better than those of other ethnicities. The KKK is not a recent development, yet it is still widespread. Between December 1865 and the summer of 1866, six college students in the Tennessee town of Pulaski founded the first KKK.¹ It had begun as a fraternity where members participated in activities like dressing up and riding horses late at night.

William J. Simmons was an American celebrant and fraternal manager who created and managed the corresponding Ku Klux Klan. He saw the 1915 motion picture “Birth of a Nation,” which depicts the reconstruction but from the viewpoint of a KKK member.²William was motivated by this to reformat the KKK. Given that the United States was receiving a massive influx of immigrants, he was in the right place at the right time. When World War I started, the KKK pledged to defend the home front against other racial factions, claiming to be purely benevolent. By 1921, the Ku Klux Klan membership had risen dramatically, reaching 100,000 people.³ However, as the KKK increased, so did the level of violence the organization was responsible for, which, with the internal strife, started to create issues. By the time of the Great Depression, the KKK had once more split into smaller groups and had diminished in size. Even though KKK faced several vulnerabilities, it had strong leadership, financial and recruiting support networks, an operating environment, and strategies that enabled it to conduct significant attacks and attain its objective of terrorism attacks.

The Leadership

In the summertime in Nashville, Tennessee, the Klan was established as the “Invisible Empire of the South” at a contract joined by representatives from previous Confederate states. Great monsters, big giants, and undead monsters were in a pyramid under the leadership of a grand wizard. Grand Wizard is considered to have been Confederate army commander Nathan Bedford Forrest.⁴ Klansmen conducted midnight attacks when they beat and assassinated freedmen and their white friends to terrify superstitious Blacks and prevent recognition by the invading federal forces.¹ A similar organization, the Companions of the White Settlement, was established in Louisiana in 1867.⁵ As white supremacy was being restored, the recently released Black freedmen were the focus of threats and violence from the Klan.

The Klan achieved its pinnacle, which greatly impacted the restoration of white supremacy in North Carolina, Tennessee, and Georgia. Forrest, however, primarily because of the group’s aggressive actions, ordered its dissolution in 1869.⁵ Local branches eventually persisted, and as a result, Congress established the Ku Klux Klan Act (1871) and the Force Act (1870).⁶ The laws forbade the right to habeas corpus, severely punished terrorist organizations, and gave the president the power to use force to end disturbance. In 1871, a court hearing was formed in Columbia, South Carolina, to examine the Klan’s operations.⁵ The Ku Klux Klan Item vanished because the original aim of the 1870s, which was to restore white dominance in the South, was essentially accomplished.⁶ The attainment abridged the necessity for a concealed anti-black organization.

Roy Moore became the KKK commander because he had witnessed the Klan in operation and understood what he was up against. Moore sent Jackson a report the morning following July holiday and announced the office’s official opening with Hoover and others in a city-rented bank facility a week later. Numerous media outlets covered the infamous “Mississippi Burning” case, which paved the way for critical civil rights legislation.⁷ The agents who worked for Moore and supported him thought highly of him. In the 1960s, Moore’s management played a significant role in shifting the tide in opposition to the Klan.⁷ After being transferred to Chicago, he retired and moved back to where he spent most of his days. The possibility that Mississippi might have succumbed to the law of the jungle in the 1960s still horrifies Bill Minor, Moore’s late colleague.⁷ The FBI, which Roy Moore oversaw, was the only reputable law enforcement organization in Mississippi.

Financial/Recruiting Support Networks

Kleagles are the personnel tracking prospective Ku Klux Klan (KKK) followers. The Kleagles remunerated these associates $200 hourly and gave them a cut of the invitation price for each new member.⁸ Making fundamental changes in the economy, politics, and society that favored and supported KKK objectives was necessary for recruiting new KKK members. These objectives supported Americanism and advantages for white Protestant native-born people. “With eligible coworkers and personal acquaintances and attempt to recruit them” was one of the informal methods used by Klansmen to recruit new members. Protestant educators also sought to join the Klan. The Klan benefited from this recruitment method since it spared them the arduous process of finding new members one at a time and allowed them to gather vast numbers from a single source. This tactic was successful because it enabled the Klan to capitalize on the existing unity among other groups.

Typically, fraternal lodges and Protestant churches were the KKK’s prime targets for bloc recruitment. The KKK granted free membership and influential Chaplain status to Protestant clergy, and the recruitment included traveling recruitment drives around the US. Because they were already socially engaged in societal concerns due to their membership in these organizations, Kleagles or Klan recruiters found it easy to access members of groups like churches and fraternal lodges.⁹ Due to the effectiveness of these recruitment efforts, Klan members and the organization used dues to pay for significant purchases such as the Klux Krest, which served as Imperial Expert Simmons’ new residence. The KKK engaged in humanitarian endeavors to counteract its violent behavior.

The African Methodist Episcopal Church and the Volunteers of America received funds from the Klan, which demonstrated that the group was not anti-black. In addition to demonstrating the KKK’s concern for the country’s welfare, these humanitarian endeavors worked as a successful civic relations maneuver by fostering a more favorable impression of the hidden society and luring recruits. Potential Klansmen were drawn to the invisible empire because of its attraction and anonymity in the public eye. Klansmen enjoyed a kinship-like tie from membership and the empowerment of belonging to a covert empire. Future recruits were impressed by the activities and events that Klan members planned because they featured family picnics and other communal gatherings that promoted camaraderie.¹⁰ Like other fraternal-like groups, these activities promoted ideas while also serving as formal social gatherings.

Operating Environment

Ku Klux Klan (KKK) provided white southerners with a platform to resist Republican policies that intended to provide Black Americans political and socioeconomic opportunities during the Founding of the country. Its members waged a covert operation of harassment and violence targeting Republican officials, black and white. Despite restrictions by Congress to curb Klan violence, Democratic triumphs in South Carolina legislatures in the 1870s allowed the group to accomplish its primary goal—restoring white supremacy.¹¹ White Protestant pro-government parties revived the Klan at the start of the 20th century when it had dwindled in popularity.¹¹ This group planned rallies, marches, and burning crosses while attacking people. The Ku Klux Klan also grew increasingly active during the human era of the 1960s, physically assaulting Black and White activists.

The primary Ku Klux Klan organization was founded as a communal weapon in Pulaski in by a group that comprised several previous Confederate troops. Rumor has it that the administration’s name is translated from the expression “kyklos,” which denotes “circle.” In 1867, resident Klan organizations assembled for a national organizing agreement and recognized what they called an unknown kingdom of the South.⁵ Nathan Bedford Forrest was chosen to be the first frontrunner of the Klan, or “great wizard.” Congress marked the beginning of one of the most revolutionary aspects of the Restoration.⁵ The Ku Klux Klan began a covert campaign of violence against Democratic supporters and leaders to reverse the consequences of Reformation and restore white superiority in the South (both Black and White).

In Louisiana, the White Brethren and the Musketeers of the White settlement were both created and took part in this fight. By 1870, there were chapters of the Ku Klux Klan in practically every southern public.⁵ The Klan had no clear leadership or organizational structure in its peak. Local Klansmen typically conducted their operations at night while acting alone to thwart Radical Restoration and reestablish white supremacy in the South. They occasionally wore clothes, but more often than not, they were shrouded in the group’s recognized lengthy white robes and costumes.⁵ Eight Black inmates were executed in January 1871 when 500 hooded men attacked the Union Correctional Facility in South Carolina, one of the most well-known hubs of Klan activity.⁵ Therefore, in contrast to other regions of the South where it was less prevalent, Klan activity increased in specific locations, typically where Black individuals were either a minority or a slight majority of the people.

Strategies

The KKK group was remarkably highly organized and was denoted as the Imperceptible Empire. The Grand Wizard was the title of the KKK’s national leader. It was divided into smaller communities known as Klaverns. Members must be American, white, Protestant, and 16 years old. They also donned white robes and hoods to conceal their identities. The Klan targeted all non-Protestants, recent settlers, and black Americans in the 1920s.¹² They used a variety of tactics to intimidate people they termed inferior. As one form of intimidation, groups of Klansmen marched through the streets while carrying posters with violent threats. Klansmen set fire to large wooden crosses near homes to frighten the locals.

Terror prevented Black Americans from registering to vote. They engaged in violent acts against specific groups they thought were jeopardizing the American living style such as kidnapping, hanging, whipping, mutilation, and murder, which were known as lynchings. By 1920, the Klan had started to gain a substantial following, which increased support brought on by several factors. Some of these elements include the KKK blaming the substantial inflow of immigrants into the country for the rising unemployment rate. Particularly during World War One, Black Americans moved to northern cities. As a result, competition for jobs and residences arose. Many poor white people joined the KKK, hoping other societies would defend their way of life.

People of color thought they were superior to black immigrants. They were split up into ghetto communities in the northern cities. Battles between blacks and whites existed in the North, where living standards were horrendous. It is challenging to determine the exact number of males who were members of the Klan because of its secrecy. According to estimates, the Klan had several supporters at its height. However, it is undeniable that the Klan had the clout to stage marches through Washington, DC. It had a significant impact on American society. Judges, businesspeople, police officers, state governors, and senators were among the members.

Vulnerabilities

The Roaring Twenties were a fascinating era full of inventiveness and adventure, with everything from the intrigue of “talking films” to the usefulness of mass-produced Model Ts. From the “flappers”‘ planned social upheaval to Duke Ellington’s unconventional jazz compositions, from Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart’s breakthrough aviation endeavors to William Faulkner and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s groundbreaking literary creations, history has been disrupted in numerous ways.¹³ During this period, which was also chaotic, vicious, and powerful, gangsters and racketeers fostered a rising underworld of corruption and crime. Al Capone and his rival Bugs Moran had established influential, rivalry-based criminal organizations that controlled the streets of Chicago as the early Mafia expanded in New York and other places, running various gambling, moonshiners, and other illegal activities.

The Ku Klux Klan, often known as the KKK, quickly grew, contributing to lawlessness. The KKK reached six figures in membership in the 1920s under the management of “Colonel” William Simmons and marketing whiz Edward Young Clarke. By the decade’s end, the group had grown to several million associates.³ The KKK posed a menace to public order and safety.¹⁴ J. Louisiana’s state, John M. Parker, requested the national govt for assistance since the situation had gotten so bad. The governor has been unable to utilize the mail, telephone, or phone due to interference by the Klan. Two white males “were mysteriously killed, which brought the matter to a head in Mer Rouge,” according to Hoover. He claimed that the governor was seeking assistance due to several factors, including the fact that “local councils are inert” and that he thought judges and attorneys had been corrupted. McKain was detained and accused of murdering the two men.

The Klan obstructed the trial despite the National Guard’s presence by kidnapping witnesses and employing other strategies. The grand jury made the decision not to press charges. However, other KKK members who participated in the murders were made to pay fines or serve brief prison sentence.³ Despite the Agency’s efforts, the KKK proved challenging to remove in some areas due to its stronghold. However, the Klan’s membership rapidly shrank as word of leadership problems emerged and individuals like Edward Young Clarke were given prison sentences.

Attacks that Are Important or Critical

The KKK participated in several events during the Tulsa Racial Tensions, including murder, the explosion of the 16th Avenue Methodist Church, and the burning of the congregation. Locals began looting when a Black man was accused of assaulting a White woman, killing numerous Black people.¹⁵ W. Tate Brady, the Tulsa KKK’s founder, participated in the revolt. Emmett Till, a 14-year-old Black kid, was brutally abused before being gunned. His face was irreparably changed as a result of the beating. As he walked to a nearby business, one of his eyes was punched out of its socket for nothing more than allegedly flirting with a White woman. Black handyman Edward Aaron was kidnapped by the KKK, brutally attacked, and castrated with a razor before being abandoned for dead in a nearby creek.⁷ Klansmen kidnaped Willie Edwards, brutally attacked him inside his automobile, and threatened him. A Black church’s basement was meticulously bombed as Sunday school was about to end. While demonstrating against the KKK’s gathering in California, three people were attacked.

Detailed Analysis

The group achieved any of its primary objectives of furthering racial differences through violence. To frighten prejudiced Blacks and stop them from recognizing the invading federal forces, Klansmen carried out midnight raids in which they beat and killed formerly enslaved people and their white companions.¹ The recently emancipated Black freemen became the target of violence and threats from the Klan as white supremacy was being reinstated. Democratic victories in South Carolina governments permitted the group to achieve its primary goal—restoring white supremacy—despite constraints imposed by Congress to stop Klan violence.

A Black boy named Emmett Till suffered horrific maltreatment before being shot. The recently emancipated Black freemen became the target of threats and aggression from the Klan as white supremacy was being reinstated. The Associates of the White White community, a comparable group, was founded in Louisiana in 1867.⁷ Edward Aaron, a black handyman, was taken hostage by the KKK, viciously assaulted, and mutilated with a blade before being left dead in a creek nearby.⁷ Willie Edwards was abducted by Klansmen, who then viciously beat and threatened him inside his car. As the Seminary was about to end, the basement of a Black church was carefully bombed. Three people were assaulted while protesting a KKK event in California. Their total defense is that white individuals are superior to members of other races.

Conclusion

As the KKK grew, so did the levels of violence the group was liable for, which, combined with internal conflict, began to cause problems. The KKK had once again been divided into more minor factions by the period of the Great Depression, and its membership had shrunk. Despite having several weaknesses, the KKK had outstanding leadership, recruitment and monetary help networks, a working environment, and techniques that allowed it to carry out substantial attacks and achieve its goal of terrorism attacks. Ku Klux Klan gave white southerners a platform to oppose Republican programs that gave Black Americans socioeconomic and political opportunities. Its followers ran a covert campaign of terrorization and ferocity against Republican bureaucrats, both black and white. For the KKK to continue to grow, fundamental changes had to be made in society, politics, and the economy that supported and promoted its goals.

References

Aziz, S. F. (2021). The Racial Muslim: When Racism Quashes Religious Freedom. Univ of California Press.

Chacón, M. L., Jensen, J. L., & Yntiso, S. (2021). Sustaining Democracy with Force: Black Representation During Reconstruction. Journal of Historical Political Economy, 1(3), 319-351. Web.

Davis. (2020). 12 Horrific Crimes Committed By The KKK Between 1921 And 2016. Essence. Web.

Houck, D. W. (2022). Black Bodies in the River: Searching fo r Freedom Summer. Univ. Press of Mississippi.

Kasiński, K. (2021). The Nation of Joiners. The image of Ku Klux Klan in Polish press of 1920–1940’s. Rocznik Historii Prasy Polskiej, (2). Web.

KKK Series. (n.d.). fbi.gov. Web.

Ku Klux Klan – History. (n.d.). Cusd80. Web.

Ku Klux Klan. (n.d.). Britannica. Web.

Laackman, D. W. (2020). Selling Hate: Marketing the Ku Klux Klan. University of Georgia Press.

Madison, J. H. (2020). The Ku Klux Klan in the Heartland. Indiana University Press.

McEwan, P. (2022). Cinema’s Original Sin: DW Griffith, American Racism, and the Rise of Film Culture. University of Texas Press.

Revival of the Ku Klux Klan. (n.d.). Britannica. Web.

Footnotes

1. Ku Klux Klan – History. (n.d.). Cusd80. Web.
2. McEwan, P. (2022). Cinema’s Original Sin: DW Griffith, American Racism, and the Rise of Film Culture. University of Texas Press.
3. Kasiński, K. (2021). The Nation of Joiners. The image of Ku Klux Klan in Polish press of 1920–1940’s. Rocznik Historii Prasy Polskiej, (2). Web.
4. Ku Klux Klan. (n.d.). Britannica. Web.
5. Smallwood, J. M., Howell, K. W., & Taylor, C. C. (2019). The Devil’s Triangle: Ben Bickerstaff, Northeast Texans, and the War of Reconstruction in Texas. University of North Texas Press.
6. Chacón, M. L., Jensen, J. L., & Yntiso, S. (2021). Sustaining Democracy with Force: Black Representation During Reconstruction. Journal of Historical Political Economy, 1(3), 319-351. Web.
7. KKK Series. (n.d.). fbi.gov. Web.
8. Houck, D. W. (2022). Black Bodies in the River: Searching for Freedom Summer. Univ. Press of Mississippi.
9. Laackman, D. W. (2020). Selling Hate: Marketing the Ku Klux Klan. University of Georgia Press.
10. Madison, J. H. (2020). The Ku Klux Klan in the Heartland. Indiana University Press.
11. Revival of the Ku Klux Klan. (n.d.). Britannica. Web.
12. Aziz, S. F. (2021). The Racial Muslim: When Racism Quashes Religious Freedom. Univ of California Press.
13. KKK Series. (n.d.). fbi.gov. Web.
14. KKK Series. (n.d.). fbi.gov. Web.
15. Davis. (2020). 12 Horrific Crimes Committed By The KKK Between 1921 And 2016. Essence. Web.