1. Where, when, and why the kkk appeared?
Where: The Klan was founded in Pulaski, Tennessee, a small town in the
southern United States.
When: The original Klan was created in December 1865, right after the end of
the American Civil War (1861–1865).
Why: The KKK was born during the Reconstruction era, a time when the U.S.
government was trying to rebuild the South and extend civil and political rights to newly
freed African Americans.
The Klan’s main purpose was to restore white supremacy by using violence,
intimidation, and terror against African Americans and their allies (especially those who
supported Reconstruction and racial equality).
2. Their historical development.
First Klan (1865 – 1870s)
• Founded: Pulaski, Tennessee, in December 1865.
• Context: Post–Civil War Reconstruction. The South was occupied by
Union troops, and newly freed African Americans were gaining rights (voting,
education, political participation).
• Goals:
o Restore white supremacy.
Second Klan (1915 – 1940s)
• Rebirth: In 1915, William J. Simmons re-founded the Klan on Stone
Mountain, Georgia.
Membership: Exploded to around 4–6 million members nationwide by the
1920s — not just in the South, but also in the Midwest and West.
Symbols: White robes and hoods (to create fear and “mystique”) and Burning
crosses
Third Klan (1950s – Present)
• Context: The Civil Rights Movement (1950s–1960s) challenged
segregation and demanded equal rights for African Americans.
• Revival: The Klan resurfaced to resist school desegregation, voting
rights, and civil rights laws.
3. The membership numbers.
By the early 1920s, it had 4 to 6 million members nationwide.
By the late 1920s, scandals and infighting caused a sharp decline, and
membership dropped to fewer than 30,000 by the 1930s.
At its peak in the 1960s, estimates put membership at 30,000 to 40,000 active
members, with many more sympathizers.
4. Their convictions and beliefs.
Belief that white people are superior to other races and should dominate
politically, socially, and economically.
Deny African Americans civil rights, especially voting and holding office.
5. Their goal.
Restore the racial hierarchy of slavery, even after emancipation.
Prevent African Americans from voting, holding office, or gaining economic
independence.
Defend “100% Americanism,” which meant a white, Protestant, native-born
America.
esist the Civil Rights Movement and keep racial segregation in schools, housing,
and public life.
6.Their acts
• Beatings, torture, and lynchings.
• Murder of Black political leaders, teachers, and activists.
• Cross burnings as public displays of terror.
• Marches and parades in full regalia to assert dominance.
7. What happened to them after the 1960s and why?
he Ku Klux Klan after the 1960s went through a period of decline,
fragmentation, and loss of influence. After the 1960s, the Klan lost power because of
federal crackdowns, civil rights laws, public disgust with their violence, and
internal divisions.
8. The role of Martin Luther King in the American society
Martin Luther King Jr.’s role in American society was to be the moral and
strategic leader of the Civil Rights Movement. Through nonviolence, he helped
dismantle legal segregation, expanded democracy, and gave the U.S. a vision of
equality that continues to influence struggles for justice today.
9. Current status.
Today, the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) is only a shadow of what it once was. It no
longer has millions of followers or major political influence like in the 1920s or during
the Civil Rights era. Instead, it exists as small, fragmented extremist groups
scattered across the United States.
