answersLogoWhite

0

The Ku Klux Klan was originally a social fraternity, organized by Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest, the first Grand Wizard of the Empire, in 1867. The purpose of the KKK soon developed into a paramilitary force used to oppose the Republican governments set up in the old Confederate States and used to stop Freedmen (ex-slaves) from voting, attempting to register to vote, and from trying to hold elective offices in the southern states. When the KKK became too violent, Forrest ordered it disbanded, but the violent element in the KKK continued, until the government passed the Force Acts and the Klan was extinguished in 1872. In 1915, William Simmons founded the twentieth-century version of the KKK after viewing the film, Birth of a Nation, which glorified the history of the Klan. The new Klan was not only anti black, but anti Jewish, anti foreign, and anti-Catholic. The Klan actually became a respected part of the Democratic Party and reached its peak of political power in the 1920s, when membership may have been as high as 4.5 million, including many prominent business and political leaders. The Klan declined in power when the Grand Dragon, was found guilty of second degree murder in the death of a young women whom he had taken to Chicago with him. In an attempt to lessen his sentence, Grand Dragon David Stephenson turned over evidence to the government revealing the corruption of the Klan, the names of politicians the Klan had bribed, and other illegal activities of the organization. In the 1960s, the KKK briefly rose again to try and opposed the Civil Rights Movement. After numerous deaths and disappearance of civil rights workers in the South, and the burning of black churches, and the passage of the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and 1965, the Klan fell apart. Today, there are small splinter groups of the KKK but no one large national organization.

User Avatar

Wiki User

17y ago

What else can I help you with?

Related Questions

You want history project on the topic the present scenario of democracy in the world?

HOW I WILL GET HISTORY PROJECT ON THE GIVEN TOPIC THE PRESENT SCENARIO OF DEMOCRACY ON THE WORLD?


Is world history from the past to the present events and trends on the local national and global sphere interrelated?

Yes world history from the past to the present on the local, national, and global spheres is interrelated.


What has the author Frank Pentland Chambers written?

Frank Pentland Chambers has written: 'The age of conflict, a contemporary world history, 1914 to the present' -- subject(s): History, History, Modern, Modern History 'This age of conflict, a contemporary world history, 1914 to the present day' -- subject(s): History, History, Modern, Modern History


What is authentic proof of recorded history you mean in which part of world this was done and by which nation and what is name of country in present time?

first ever recorded history which is authentic and at present which part of world this was done and which tribe wrote history name of nation or country requested


World history is the story of human choices that link the past to the present and influence the?

future


World history is the story of human choices that link the to the and influence the?

past, present, and future


What are the roots and meanings of the term middle ages or medieval?

The concept is that in the broad sweep of human history, we have an ancient world in the distant past, and we have a modern world in the present time, and in between those two lies the middle ages. They are literally in the middle.


What is the difference between US and world history?

Very simple! US history is about what has happened in the United States and world history is about what has happened in the world. Here on WikiAnswers, if the question is about something that happened in the United States, it goes in the US History category. World events goes in the World History category.


What is the difference between a historian and archaeologists?

A Historian studies the history of the world. The Archaeologist studies the history of people.


What is the difference between an historian an archaeologist?

A Historian studies the history of the world. The Archaeologist studies the history of people.


What happened in world history between 1991 and 2007?

September 11


What are the division of world history?

History is often divided into ancient, medieval and modern - but this division only makes sense in some parts of Europe ...