In its second resurgence, the Klan moved beyond just targeting blacks, and broadened its message of hate to include Catholics, Jews and foreigners. The Klan promoted fundamentalism and devout patriotism along with advocating white supremacy.
They blasted bootleggers, motion pictures and espoused a return to "clean" living. Appealing to folks uncomfortable with the shifting nature of America from a rural agricultural society to an urban industrial nation, the Klan attacked the elite, urbanites and intellectuals.
Their message struck a cord, and membership in the Klan ballooned in the s. By the middle of the decade, estimates for national membership in this secret organization ranged from three million to as high as eight million Klansmen. And membership was not limited to the poor and uneducated on society's fringes. Mainstream, middle-class Americans donned the white robes of the Klan too. Doctors, lawyers and ministers became loyal supporters of the KKK. In Ohio alone their ranks surged to , Even northeastern states were not immune.
Black voters were intimidated or simply blocked from registering and voting. The new laws placed almost insurmountable obstacles in the way of voting.
The early Klan disbanded in the s, partly because of federal laws but also because its goals had been met. The Klan would be revived in the early 20 th century with its falsely heroic portrayal in The Birth of a Nation film.
The influx of Catholic and Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe offered a new target for the Klan's prejudice. The audio, illustrations, photos, and videos are credited beneath the media asset, except for promotional images, which generally link to another page that contains the media credit.
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Any interactives on this page can only be played while you are visiting our website. You cannot download interactives. After the United States Civil War devastated the country, President Abraham Lincoln aimed to reunite the nation as quickly as possible. Before the war even ended he had created a plan referred to as Reconstruction.
However, a week after the war ended, Lincoln was assassinated and Andrew Johnson was sworn in as President. Murders committed by Klansmen during the civil rights era include four young girls killed while preparing for Sunday services at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, and the murder of civil rights workers Andrew Goodman, James Chaney and Michael Schwerner in Mississippi.
With over 6 million Black Americans taking part in this migration, the demographics of the country shifted dramatically. With the conclusion of the Vietnam War in and the subsequent return of American soldiers, several key figures arose within the Klan. Similarly, David Duke — founder of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan in — maintained a distinctly antisemitic hatred that closed ideological gaps with neo-Nazis.
Internal fighting and government infiltrations have led to a seemingly endless series of splits, resulting in smaller, less organized Klan chapters. However, it is fair to assume that the infighting, rigid traditions and uncouth aesthetic of the Klan are not attracting significant new membership.
View all groups by state and by ideology. Genii : The collective name for the national officers. Also known as the Kloncilium, or the advisory board to the Imperial Wizard. Hydras : The Real officers, with the exception of the Grand Dragon.
Imperial Wizard : The overall, or national, head of a Klan, which it sometimes compares to the president of the United States. Inner Circle : Small group of four or five members who plan and carry out "action. Invisible Empire : A Ku Klux Klan's overall geographical jurisdiction, which it compares to the United States although none exist in every state. Kalendar : Klan calendar, which dates events from both the origin and its rebirth Anno Klan, and means "in the year of the Klan," and is usually written "AK.
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