The Ku Klux Klan, commonly known as the KKK, was founded on December 24, 1865, by six former Confederate soldiers in America after the Civil War. The name of this organization is derived from the Greek word "klux" (meaning circle) and they added the term "klan" due to their Irish heritage. The secret society's purpose was to obstruct the rights granted to African Americans in the Southern states after the American Civil War, subject them to a form of re-enslavement, and inflict torment and torture upon non-white individuals.
The American Civil War, which took place between 1861 and 1865, was a conflict between the Northern and Southern states of America. The primary cause of the war was the issue of slavery, with the Southern states, in response to newly elected President Lincoln's intent to abolish slavery, seeking to establish a separate union to maintain the institution.
Following the victory of the Northern states in the American Civil War and the imposition of stringent terms on the defeated Southern states, along with the abolition of slavery in America, some individuals in the South who could not accept their defeat resorted to forming gangs and extremist organizations like the Ku Klux Klan. The Ku Klux Klan emerged as a reaction among Southerners who had lost the American Civil War and wanted to preserve the system of slavery.
Activities of the Ku Klux Klan:
Members of the Ku Klux Klan would don long white robes with wide sleeves, along with a pointed hood featuring red stripes over the eyes and nose. They would ride on horseback while carrying a large cross, and engage in various mischievous activities during their gatherings in the early days, including some violence against African Americans for entertainment. However, it quickly transformed into a terrorist organization designed to intimidate and inflict torture, ultimately leading to the deaths of freed black slaves. The Klan later gained members from all walks of life, including senators and even presidents, who participated in activities on behalf of the Ku Klux Klan.
By the 1870s, due to poor leadership and subsequent restrictive laws, the activities of the organization gradually ceased, and this phase was referred to as the first Klan. Later, in 1915, when the original name of the organization, "The Clansman," was featured in the film "The Birth of a Nation," it had a profound impact on the public and sparked the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan. In the film, the Klan was depicted as a crusading force and the noblest power in America. By the 1920s, the Ku Klux Klan had revived, gaining numerous members, including some high-ranking officials, with estimates suggesting its membership reached up to five million. However, this second wave of the Klan harbored hatred not only towards African Americans but also extended their discrimination towards Jews, labor unionists, communists, and all immigrants, behaving much like Hitler's Nazi party.
In the 1920s, a Ku Klux Klan march in Washington, attended by 400,000 people, took place. It is estimated that the organization reached eight million members around this time. The Klan had thoroughly spread throughout America, and they attempted to increase their population through monthly dues collection and recruitment efforts. Up until World War II, they committed numerous illegal acts under the guise of discrimination, including murders.
Their most notorious actions were lynching African American citizens. It is known that since the establishment of the Ku Klux Klan, over 3,000 documented cases of lynching of black individuals occurred, alongside many inhumane acts such as rape, castration, beatings, and torture against both black and non-white individuals. Following World War II, with the emergence of human rights consciousness and anti-slavery attitudes, laws were enacted to go after this merciless Klan and bring it to an end. The killings of African Americans were exposed, and many individuals were prosecuted. However, due to sympathetic judges, many Klan members were acquitted.
Although the Ku Klux Klan was disbanded, it is said that its influence persisted and seeped into America's fabric. Its activities occasionally resurface, and it is said to continue its work in secret. The Ku Klux Klan was founded by six young men, four of whom received legal education, and four of the generals who fought in this war were part of it. It is rumored that two American presidents were also members, having taken their oaths. The Klan's criminal activities were largely exposed due to FBI infiltration into the organization, and in the 1960s, a member who committed murders in the name of the Ku Klux Klan was rearrested in 2006 after being released at the time. Numerous films and documentaries have been made about this Klan, which is said to still be active in the United States today.
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