Ku Klux Klan
The Ku Klux Klan is a secret society based on hatred
and violence. The Klan claims that it stands for only
law-abiding rallies and activities, but the Klan has been
known for having hypocritical views throughout its
existence. No matter where the Klan is headed, violence is
sure to be the destination. The Knights of the Ku Klux Klan
claim that the Bible is on their side. They claim that the
Bible condones their activity. Nowhere in the Bible is
killing thy neighbor encouraged. They claim they are not
out to destroy America, but rather to save it. How is it
possible to save America with hate and violence? The Klan
exists only to hold onto the beliefs of the Confederacy, but
hanging on to the past only adds to the destruction of the
future. Holding on to the past is bad enough when the past
is full of pleasant memories, but the Klan is hanging on to
the hate and ignorance of the South in the 1800s. The Ku
Klux Klan has always attempted to reach their goal of
instilling fear and intimidation in the minds of everyone
they cross. The Klan has undergone four stages after its
establishment and the last stage is still on the rise. The
Klan has a distinct origin, a four stage revolution,
distinct symbols, recruiting requirements, and strong
political beliefs.
Formed in the 19th century, the Ku Klux Klan has
attempted to instill fear in the minds and the hearts of
black citizens in the United States. The Klan was first
organized on December 24th, 1865 in the Law Office of Judge
Thomas M. Jones. There were six people who organized the
Klan. They included Calvin E. Jones, John B. Kennedy, Frank
O. McCord, John C. Lester, Richard R. Reed, and James R.
Crow. This information is proclaimed on a wall in Pulaski,
Tennessee. It was unveiled on May 21, 1917 by the widow of
Captain Kennedy, who was the last of the six founders to
pass away. The origin of the Ku Klux Klan was described in
a thirty page pamphlet published by Mr. and Mrs. William B.
Romine of Pulaski. It read:
As the Klan stood primarily for purity and preservation
of the home and for the protection of the women and
children, especially the widows and orphans of
Confederate soldiers, white, the emblem of purity was
chosen for the robes. And to render them startling and
conspicuous, red, emblem of the blood which Klansmen
were ready to shed in defense of the helpless, was
chosen for the trimmings. Also, a sentimental thought
was present in adopting the color scheme, as white and
red were the Confederate colors. Be it said to the
credit of the women of the South who designed and made
with their own hands more than four hundred thousand of
these Klan robes for both horses and riders, not a word
was said by these women to anyone about them and not
one single secret concerning them was ever revealed.
-page 8 of Ku Klux Klan, A Century of Infamy by
William Pierce Randel
This account was published in 1924. The six founders
were unable to fill a complement of den officers. At first
there was no Grand Scribe. The original den leader, Frank
McCord was called Grand Cyclops; his chief lieutenant, known
as Grand Magi, was Captain Kennedy. James Crowe was chosen
Grand Turk, a kind of marshal or master of ceremonies.
Calvin Jones and Captain Lester were Night Hawks, or
couriers, and Richard Reed was the first Lictor or outer
guard. New titles were created for the next few members to
join. After these positions were filled, the new members
were to be called Ghouls.
The name of this secret organization was one of the
first things that was discussed. They wanted a name that
was original and one that would send a tingle down the spine
of their victims. The title came from a Greek word kuklos
which means a band or circle. James Crowe suggested that
the word be split in two and changing the last letter to an
x. This gave them the name Ku Klux. Then John Lester
remarked that all six founders were of Scottish descent,
therefore he proposed that clan be added to the end, but
spelled with a k for consistency yielding the Ku Klux
Klan. This name was much better than the proposed
Clocletz. Clocetz was the name of a phantom Indian chief
who the Negroes from Georgia had feared, but they decided
that it was too unoriginal.
After the name was established, the Ku Klux Klan needed
to have a set structure to maintain order. The structure
was founded by one of the most educated founders, John
Kennedy. Since he had briefly attended Centre College in
Kentucky, he had observed some details about how
fraternities were structured. Since the structure of
fraternities helped establish other organizations, it seemed
that this was a perfect model to follow in the establishment
of the Ku Klux Klan.
Now that the name and structure were established, the
Klan needed uniforms. The color white was chosen for the
reason that the KKK stood for purity. They decided to wear
robes and hoods to intimidate their much hated counterparts,
the Blacks.
The Ku Klux Klan has gone through an evolution over the
course of time and it has endured four phases;
Reconstruction, the Civil Rights movements, revival after
World War II, and present day activity. The first evidence
of the Ku Klux Klan was during Reconstruction. The Klan
began as a prankish organization that targeted Blacks and
Republicans.
The first Klan was a secret society established in the
Southern states during the Reconstruction period following
the Civil War. It was founded at Pulaski, Tennessee in the
fall of 1865 as a social club. The sudden attempt at
enfranchisement of blacks, by passage of the Reconstruction
acts of March 1867, and also of the Fourteenth Amendment to
the Federal Constitution, created serious problems of
political and social readjustments. Local politicians and
their white supporters, known as scalawags, and Northerners,
known as carpetbaggers, who went south hoping to profit in
one way or another by the manipulation of the black vote,
added to the confusion and uncertainty. Many Blacks were
exploited by their new found friends and turned to them for
help. The Ku Klux Klan was formed to intimidate Blacks.
They used bizarre rituals and wore pointed hoods and draping
gowns to help intimidate Blacks. From 1868 to 1871, the
Klan reached the height of its power. The movement was
really a revolution against many of the aspects of
Reconstruction, and was also a revolt to overthrow local and
state governments.
At the first meeting for the KKK in Nashville,
Tennessee, General Nathan B. Forrest, a famous Confederate
cavalry leader, was chosen as Grand Cyclops, or president.
The Klan was separated into local dens and they adopted a
set of principles. They are as follows: 1) to protect the
weakened and to relieve the injured and oppressed, 2) to
protect and defend the Constitution of the United States and
laws passed in conformity thereto and to protect the states
and the people from invasion of any source, and 3) to aid in
the execution of the laws and to protect the people from
unlawful seizure and trial except by their peers. The Klan
spread from Tennessee to the Carolinas and especially
Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi. In Louisiana, white
radicals formed a group that was different than the KKK only
in name. They referred to themselves as the Knights of the
White Camellia. Other similar organizations were referred
to as the White League and the Invisible Circle. The Klan
had a large group of members, but the members were not as
evident as hoped. Local groups were soon were branded as
outlaws; therefore, were condemned. In 1871 and 1872, the
government introduced the Force Laws to break up these
local groups and to control local elections. The Ku Klux
Klan continued to participate in their activities until they
had accomplished all of their goals. They vowed to continue
protecting the white people, reducing the black vote,
expelling undesirable carpetbaggers and scalawags, and
nullifying those laws of Congress that in a sense would put
white Southerners under control of a party largely supported
by black voters. By 1877, when Rutherford B. Hayes became
president and the federal troops had been withdrawn as
support of local governments, the original Klan had been
disbanded.
The second, or the modern 20th-century, Klan was formed
by William J. Simmons on Stone Mountain, near Atlanta, Ga.,
in 1915 as a fraternal organization devoted to the
principles of white supremacy. It was a new organization,
linked only by name and tradition to the original Klan. By
1919, Edward Clark Young and Elizabeth Tyler, publicity
agent and fund raisers, had joined with Simmons. Klan
activities were now not only directed against blacks, but
also against Roman Catholics, Jews, and the foreign-born.
This Klan became dedicated to protecting the purity of the
native-born, white, Anglo-Saxon Americans and claimed a
higher morality and dedication to religious fundamentalism.
Because the Klan was not sectional in its appeal, its
influence spread to other parts of the country outside of
the South. Mysterious meetings around fiery crosses, with
members masked, hooded, and robed in sheets, became symbolic
of the Klan. The tactics they used were to instill fear
upon their counterparts. They used whippings, tarring and
feathering, branding, mutilating, and lynching as tactics to
present intimidation and fear.
Following investigations into the Klan finances and
disclosures of money making in 1921, Young and Tyler
resigned and Simmons was replaced as head of the Klan by
Hiram W. Evans. The Klan reached the height of its power in
the early 1920s, when it probably had between 4, 000, 000 and
6, 000, 000 members. As a political force the Klan was
effective and promoted the election of many officials on the
local level. In 1924, the Klan helped split the Democratic
presidential convention. Thereafter their influence began
to wane, and public sentiment of the Klan grew, especially
after the conviction for murder of the head of the Indiana
Klan. There was a rise of Klan activity during the 1928
presidential campaign, when Al Smith ran on the Democratic
ticket. The ranks of the Klan, however, continued to
deteriorate. During the 1930s, the Klan was reduced to a
regional, ineffective organization in the South. In the
late 1930s, it had some association with the German-American
Bund. When the U. S. government tried to collect back taxes
in 1944, the remnants of the Klan again disbanded.
The third stage came after World War II. The Klan was
again revived in Georgia in 1946 and similar organizations
arose throughout the South as the movement for increased
civil rights for blacks developed after World War II. Klan
activity increased after the 1954 Supreme Court
desegregation decision and became more intensive following
the passage and enforcement of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
and the decision by the vast majority of Southern political
leaders to comply with the law. Many bombings and murders
were attributed to the Klan, including the 1965 killing of
Mrs. Viola Liuzzo, a civil rights worker, for which three
Klansmen were convicted. President Lyndon B. Johnson called
for a congressional investigation of the Klan by the House
Committee on Un-American Activities. In 1966 seven leading
Klansmen were indicted for contempt of Congress for refusing
to produce Klan records. In 1973, convictions were handed
down against five men who, as Klansmen, bombed school busses
in Pontiac, Michigan. Klan strength is variously estimated
at 15, 000 to 30, 000 members active in 15 states.
The Ku Klux Klan seemed to have all of the odds against
them, but they seemed to again reestablish itself in the
present day. The Klan was again revived for the fourth
stage. Every time the Klan reappeared, they came with more
anger and weaker beliefs than the last. This is the main
reason the Klan has lost meaning every time it has
reappeared. The new Klan differs from the original
dramatically. All current members are ignorant radicals out
to save the world. The present-day Klan has been
convicted recently of burning Black churches. This proves
that the Klan is not just ignorant, but yet hypocrites of
their beliefs. No where in the Bible does it say burn thy
neighbors church down. The Klan is portrayed on television
by uneducated, drunk, and violent men who portray themselves
as protecting their ancestors. Their ancestors had to form
a secret society because they lost the Civil War, but were
too scared to give up their old lives. Again they were
grasping on to the past instead of solving problems by
looking ahead to the future. Instead those great ancestors
have passed on their beliefs to these Neo-Nazis on
television. The present-day Klan is the most confused. All
of the other phases of the Klan have been true to their
beliefs, but this recent Klan has incorporated the beliefs
of the Ku Klux Klan with those of Hitlers Nazis. The
Klan/Neo-Nazis stand for mainly the hate and jealousy of
African-Americans. Most of the other beliefs have
diminished, but the hatred towards Blacks has expanded to
fill the empty hole left open by all of the other missing
beliefs. The new Klan is known for their extreme beliefs
and actions. They preach with violence. Even though they
are short on members, they use extreme tactics that would
have never been considered in the past. The present-day
Klan stands for only shallow beliefs including hate,
jealousy, and anger that is expressed through violence.
The Ku Klux Klan is known for their trademark symbols.
Almost all Klan groups use the Blood Drop symbol that was
made popular in the 1920s. It represents the blood of Jesus
Christ that was shed for the white Aryan Race. Another
symbol is the crosswheel that was made popular during the
1970s, the 4th Era. It is a cross in a circle. In the
crosswheel, it is evident that the Christian cross, the
wheel of creativity, the circle of unity, motion, and also
the ancient Aryan symbol for the sun are all present. The
cross that is set ablaze is another signature symbol
acquired by the Ku Klux Klan. The reason that the cross is
lit has been described.
From the sacred pages of the Holy Bible comes the sad
sweet story of the Holy Cross of Calvary. This Holy
Cross is our symbol of sacrifice and service, and a
sign of the Christian religion. It was sanctified and
made Holy almost 2000 years ago by the suffering and
blood over 50 million martyrs who died in the most Holy
Faith. The Cross stands in every Klan Den as a
constant reminder that Jesus Christ is our Criterion of
character and His teachings our life blood, bought
Holy, sanctified and sublime.
This old Cross was bathed in the Blood of our
Lord Jesus Christ and became transformed into the
symbol of faith, hope, and love. Today it is used to
rally the forces of Christianity against the ever
increasing hordes of an anti-Christ and the enemies of
America and the White Race.
We light the Cross with fire to signify to the
world that Jesus Christ is the light of the world.
Where the Holy Cross shall shine, there will be
dispelled evil, darkness, gloom, and despair. The
Light of Truth dispels ignorance and superstition as
fire purifies gold and silver, but destroys wood and
stubble. So by the fire of the Cross of Calvary, we
cleanse and purify our virtues by burning out our vices
with the fire of His Word.
Who can look upon this sublime symbol, or sit in
its sacred Holy Light without being inspired with
a holy desire and determination to be a better person?
By this Holy Light of the Cross, we will perservere.
– KKK. com quoted by a Klansman on why they light
the cross.
Recruiting for the Klan was never thought about when it
was established. One of the first decisions that was to be
followed by the Klan everywhere was new members were not to
be sought out. Joining the Klan was each individual
decision. The den officers do not push people to join the
Klan.
Although the Klan does not recruit, people interested
in joining have to meet certain qualifications. They are as
follows:
No person is allowed in our ranks who can not declare
an unqualified allegiance to the Constitution of the
United States.
No person is allowed in this Movement who can not pledge
themselves to the protection, preservation, and
advancement of the White Race.
No one is allowed in this movement who can not practice
real Brotherhood.
Only pure White Christian people of non-Jewish,
non-Negro, non-Asian descent who are at least eighteen
years old and who pledge to dedicate their lives to this
cause can enter the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan. Those
under the age of eighteen can join the Klan Youth Corp.
with parental consent, and then become a full member of
the Knights when they turn eighteen.
The Knights of the Ku Klux Klan is strictly a law-abiding
organization. Every member is sworn to uphold the law
and the principles of justice, and he will not conspire
with others to commit any unlawful or violent crimes.
The Knights of the Ku Klux Klan cocedes the right of
every Christian citizen the right to worship God as he
sees fit, and will not tolerate denominational
dissentation of any nature. All White Christians must
unite, at this juncture in history.
The Knights of the Ku Klux Klan Movement is not an
open membership organization. Only those who meet 100% of
the qualifications are allowed to join the Klan.
Although the Ku Klux Klan is extremely influential in
politics, members claim that the KKK is not a political
affiliation. They add that if it was a political
affiliation, the beliefs that would be introduced are as
follows:
Reassert Americans White Christian Heritage.
Return prayer to school.
Stop all non-white organizations.
Drug testing on all welfare recipitants.
Quarantine all Aids carriers.
Make the purchase of US Industry and property illegal to
foreigners.
Do away with free trade that harms the American worker
and employ a policy of protectionism.
Workfare not welfare. People work for their checks, so
should they.
Troops on our South border to stop illegal immigration.
Stop reverse discrimination by doing away with
Affirmative Action.
Declare all laws attempting to enforce gun control as
unconstitutional.
The Klans political beliefs are clearly out to benefit
only the white conformist who rejects what society has
undergone. Society today offers equality for every American
citizen. The Klan is against this because they do not like
that they will have to work for their jobs just as hard as
immigrants do. Klan members want society to hand them what
ever they want even though they are the under qualified
applicant. Equality should not bother anyone who is not
afraid of working hard for what they want. Nothing will be
handed out on a silver platter in todays society,
regardless of what the Ku Klux Klan has to say.
Complaining, criticizing, and envying will not produce
anything except for hatred for the working man, or in
todays society, the working woman.
The Ku Klux Klan has endured and overcame many
obstacles to stay around and distort childrens minds. The
Klan has been around for a long time, and unless they are
stopped, will be around for a long time. The Ku Klux Klan
is a secret organization that helps segregate the United
States by color or beliefs. The Klan helped to preserve
racism and because members are ignorant, they will not
mingle and learn to understand other cultures. Hating the
unknown is just an easy and safe way to live. If the Klan
attempted to understand other cultures, maybe they could
begin to realize that everyone is alike in one way or
another. The most effective technique in destroying the
Klan is education. Education is the tool for prevention.
If children are not educated that the Ku Klux Klan stands
for evil purposes, these children may fall into the Klans
evil empire. Educating the youth along with the society is
the only effective way to disband the Ku Klux Klan and
secret groups of this nature. The key is to never forget
what happened with the Klan so this world will never have to
endure the hardships that the Ku Klux Klan has provided.
The Ku Klux Klan has undergone a revolution of four stages
after their origin in Tennessee and can be identified by
their distinct symbols. The Klan has their own set of
requirements that are to be followed when recruiting a new
member and have a one sided view on politics that they want
to see occur in the future