Hate Group Research Paper

A hate group is defined as “an organized group or movement that advocates and practices hatred, hostility, or violence towards members of a race, ethnicity, nation, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation or any other designated sector of society”. A hate group tries to promote malice towards others. Since its founding in 1866, the Ku Klux Klan kidnapped and killed many African Americans, bombed many of their meeting places, and sparked fear into their entire race.

On December 24, 1866, the Ku Klux Klan was founded by General Nathan Bedford Forrest in Pulaski Tennessee. Many people, especially in the South, did not like the outcome of the civil war. They decided to take matters into their own hands. Group members would

dress in white robes, and perform acts of violence towards any African American they wanted to. The Ku Klux Klan had three Eras.
The First Era of the Ku Klux Klan began in 1866, and lasted until the 1870s, when a lack of membership caused the group to be temporarily disbanded. In this Era, members made their own costumes, which were often colorful. They usually involved masks, robes, and conical hats meant to hide members’ identities.
The Second Era began in 1915 in response to a surge in immigration from Germany and Ireland.

This Era is the most famous, because of the creation of the standard white robes worn by every member. Since the Second Era was rooted mainly in Protestant communities, anti-semitism and anti catholicism caused cross burnings to become much more common. They were also afraid of a communist uprising, due to the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia during the beginning of 1917. This Era was at the peak of the Klan, with around 4 million members. The Era ended in 1944, while people were busy getting back on their feet after the Great Depression had been over for almost 5

years.
The Third Era, which still exists today, was founded in 1946. This Era is made up of smaller, unconnected local groups using the Ku Klux Klan name. They focussed on the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, and activists were their main targets. By the 1990s, there were only around 8,000-10,000 members, most of whom were in the Deep South. Klan violence had become much less common, and many fragment groups aligned themselves with neo-Nazis and other right-wing white supremacist groups. There are still around 190 Klan affiliated groups in the United States, one of which is located in Colorado Springs. Stapleton, Colorado is named after Mayor Benjamin Stapleton, who was mayor of Denver through the 1920s, 30s, and 40s, and was also a known Ku Klux Klan member.
The Ku Klux Klan impacted the Civil Rights Movement greatly.

They were a key factor in preventing African Americans from voting, and even helped to sustain segregation. They terrified activists to the point where anyone was afraid to help African Americans. Many law enforcement officials refused to take action against the Klan in areas where violence was most common, as they were afraid of being victimized. If they did try to accuse a Klan member, it was almost impossible to find anyone to testify against them. Eventually, their terrorism became so common, so brutal, and so publicised, that the government, alongside many citizens, realised it was time to step in. The government had tried to intervene in 1871, when Ulysses S. Grant passed the Ku Klux Act, which imposed heavy penalties on any terrorist organization, though there were not many at the time. It also used military force to try to suppress the Ku Klux Klan. This Act was soon declared unconstitutional, and the Ku Klux Klan was back to terrorizing everyone whom they did not like. The Ku Klux Klan has never been fully eradicated, because they were so prominent, and there was no way to stop them without violating the

Constitution.
The Ku Klux Klan continues to impact people in the United States, and even throughout the world. England, Australia, Canada, Germany, and Fiji all have chapters of the Ku Klux Klan set up inside their borders.