The Ku Klux Klan: An Overview of Its History and Impact - Essay Sample

Abstract

The primary purpose of this paper is to discuss the Ku Klux Klan group in the USA that emerged around 1880 and the impact it has had on the American community. This paper is divided into various sections, with each chapter exploring independent ideas about the topic.

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Introduction

In the introduction, the term Ku Klux Klan is defined. There is also a thesis statement on the topic.

The History of the Ku Klux Klan

In this section, the history of the Ku Klux Klan has been given in detail, on how they emerged and the evolution that they've gone through up-to-date. The origin of the name is given the membership of the group and the symbols that the group uses.

The Ku Klux Klan Atrocities

This section explores some of the atrocities that the Ku Klux Klan is known to have been perpetrating since the 19th century. The atrocities include racial discrimination, African-American discrimination, and discrimination based on one's sexual orientation, i.e., homosexuality.

The Contemporary Ku Klux Klan.

In this section, the modern-day Ku Klux Klan is discussed and how they have changed their usual routine of doing their activities.

Conclusion

The conclusion gives the general summary of the paper in terms of the definition of the Ku Klux klan, their history. The atrocities that this group has committed and lastly the contemporary. Ku Klux Klan

The KU Klux Klan Group and Its Activities in the United States of America

Thesis statement; The Ku Klux Klan is a terrorist cult that has been discriminating against minority communities for over a century.

The KU Klax Klan in USA

Ku Klux Klan is an American hate group that sprang up in the year 1865. The initiators were confederates from Pulaski, Tennessee. Since its formation, the Ku Klux Klan group has perpetrated the rights of so many individuals in America regarding their race, sexual, and titian religious beliefs and political views. This paper seeks to prove that this group is malicious and should be uprooted from the society since it only brings suffering to its victims. In this paper, the history of the Ku Klux Klan is explained, and the three generations outlined (Cunningham). The membership ideologies of the organization have also been explored. in the second section, this paper talks about the criminal activities of the Ku Klux Klan and their fight against the sexual orientation of American citizens, discrimination against minority groups in the USA such as the black American, the discrimination against the Catholic religion and lastly discrimination against gays and lesbians in the USA for over a century.

The History of KU Klax Klan

This group came out very actively during the reconstruction era when it wanted to overthrow the Republican rule in the USA by the use of violence on black leaders. This group was highly secretive, and the members were never public, but at around 18 71 (Lester et al., 2020), the group lists some powers through federal law enforcement. These members of the group wore specific costumes that expressed their ideologies; they include Colourful robes and conical hats over their heads, Colourful gowns, and facial masks so that they can hide their identity from the public. The second generation of the Ku Klux klan emerged in 1955 in Georgia and grew steadily around the 1920s to the Midwest. This second generation of the clan Drew its inspiration from Griffith's film' the birth of age (Lester et al., 2020). This group's primary intention was to adopt the white supremacy philosophy that believed the whites why are superior trees above and others; this group also opposed Catharism. The group was able to fund itself by selling costumes and charging initiation fees to new members. That generation came about in around the 1950s and is there currently in existence in the USA. This group Focuses on opposing civil rights through violent means, and it has come to be grouped as an' anti-defamation League' in the US low at time this group has gone through three different generations.

Since its formation, the Ku Klux Klan group has perpetrated the rights of so many individuals in America regarding their race, sexual, and titian religious beliefs and political views. This paper 6 to prove that this group is malicious and should be uprooted from the society since it only brings suffering to its victims (Hohman). In the first part, the history of the Ku Klux Klan is outlined whereby the three generations from the group are explained in detail the membership ideologies have also been explored. in the second section, this paper talks about the criminal activities of the Ku Klux Klan and their fight against the sexual orientation of American citizens, discrimination against minority groups in the USA such as the black American, the discrimination against the Catholic religion and lastly discrimination against gays and lesbians in the USA over a century. (Lester et al., 2020)

Discrimination Against the Black Americans

The Ku Klux Klan hate group discriminated openly against the Negroes. In the 1860s, the Ku Klux Klan had already taken root in the southern United States. The purpose of this movement in the Southern United States was to resist the African American leaders who were in the Republican the youth violence is in doing this (Farrell). African American leaders faced the Wrath of this group since the group was against the black Americans. This group always opposed leaders who were voted into the leadership of the Republican state in the 1870s (Lester et al., 2020). The Ku Klux Klan's main aim was to restore what they termed as the white Supremacy, a philosophy that favored the whites and believed that the whites were the superior race. In 1886 William L shaky, who was the then governor of Mississippi, reported disorder, and lawlessness has spread due to the clan (Dattagupta). This movement used physical violence against the black Americans by burning the houses attacking them even in broad daylight and killing Them mercilessly, leaving their bodies scattered all over.

The Klan, as it progressed, became more violent as it sought to restore white dominance in the USA post-war. Society Historian Elaine Frantz described the Ku Klux Klan as a group of malicious people whose aim was to demoralize the Blacks and strip them of their identity (Farrell). In their operation, the clan used their masks to attack Black Members of Loyal Leagues as well as intimidating the southern Republicans on the grounds of their ethnicity. They also killed black American political leaders and cut and beheaded many black families (Lester et al., 2020). This group used one of the activities that they called night riding to cause fear and panic in the play in blacks, making them feel insecure in society. The media reported massive assaults and murder cases concerning the Blacks around that time (Cunningham). " Armed guerrilla warfare killed thousands of negroes; political riots ensued. Accusations were always obscure masked men shot into houses and burnt them killing the occupants inside," this is a report from the Agents of freedmen's Bureau (Dattagupta).

Black farmers who were doing well on their farms were driven away from their farms in South Carolina, in the year 1867. A report showed that 197 blacks had been murdered, while there were 548 cases of assault against black Americans. The Klan also used violence to intimidate blacks from voting and campaigning (Lester et al., 2020). It became very dangerous for a black American to take part and practice their democracy because this was very deadly. Our record shows that 2000 blacks' diet in Louisiana days Before presidential elections in the year 1868. Therefore, no Republican was able to vote because of the fear and intimidation from the clan. During that time, around 200 black Republicans were wounded as they were being chased about in the woods by masked men, while a team of captives who were taken from jail, were short and buried inhumanly in a pile. The Ku Klux Klan forced people to vote to power a Democratic state. In 1968 black Americans in Georgia were unable to vote in a gubernatorial election because the KKK group had intimidated them, and only one water turned out to cast their vote. Records show that more than 130 black Americans in the state of Florida had been killed and hundreds bit and maimed by these malicious cults.

The KKK Group and Religious Discrimination Against the Catholics

The second generation of KKK that came about at around 1915 was very opposed to the Catholic religion since it was anti-Catholic (O'Donnell, et al 2018) The Ku Klux Klan performed many atrocities to words the Catholic clergy and worshippers. This form of resistance came out in the way of burning the cross, which symbolized burning the Catholic religion. The KKK emancipated the people against the Catholic faith and mobilized them to oppose the Roman Catholic in the middle west and the Western States of America (Cunningham). The burning of the Latin cross was a sign that the KKK group did not want the Catholic religion among them. In 1924 the ensued an attack between the students from the University of Notre Dame, a Catholic University, and KKK members. The university students opposed the members having a regional meeting in the city of Northern Indiana (Lester, et al 2020). This counter-attack is contributed to the fact that the Klan were always opposed to the Catholic ideologies and given that the students came from a Catholic University then they felt that they have to attack by blocking the clan from entering the city to have their meeting and only realizing this they cleanse had to plan for a counter-attack where buy several were hurt in the process. Hugo Black, a newly recruited member of the Ku Klux Klan, was particularly an anti-Catholic and is famously known for his anti-Catholicism movement.

The Klansman short a direct Protestant against the Catholic by coming up with her some propaganda with the aim of tarnishing their name some of the propaganda that was produced that Pop was autocratic and did not deserve a place in the American Society and also claiming that there was a great princess that the Pope had brought to America secretly (O'Donnell, et al 2018) The Ku Klux Klan group also claimed that the Catholics in America had taken up a lot of resources, leaving them with less. In 1937 there was a document Circulating title "Knights of Columbus Oath. The Fourth Degree", this Is claimed that it was written by pop is an oath to defend the Catholic church; however, it was disputed that the Ku Klux Klan was spreading the document is a way of tarnishing the name of the Catholics as a religion (Dattagupta).

KU Klux Klan and the Discrimination Against Lesbians and Gay Communities in America

In 1920 A famous joint was attacked, and those who Injured were the homosexuals and the transgender people in that given Club. The reason for this raid was to create fear in the minds of the community of people who were homosexual in their sexual orientation. The Ku Klux Klan was very much opposed to the idea of same-sex relationships, and that is where they were so persistent in approaching these are in the society through violent means. In the la Paloma nightclub, only gays and lesbians were targeted. Also, on 9 June 1984, the Ku Klux Klan had protested in Westheimer street, protesting against homosexuality. the police protected the members of this group, and the demonstration was peaceful Butthead and long-term effect on the homosexuals since the protest was meant to limit their expression openly to the outside world.