The Ku Klux Klan In The 1930's

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Imagine living in constant fear knowing that, at any moment many innocent people or even loved ones could die and there was nothing anyone could do about it. During the 1930’s, it was very common for blacks or other minorities, that lived in the south, to feel this way. They were treated very poorly, “Colored Only” or “White Only” signs could be seen everywhere. Everything was segregated. People hated African Americans for just being black. The Ku Klux Klan (also known as the KKK) especially hated blacks and often killed, beat, and harrassed them due to what they looked like or even what they believed in. The worst part was that the KKK was mostly made up of high political figures or policeman, so those affected by the KKK didn’t have anyone …show more content…

The name, Ku Klux Klan, is assumed to have come from the greek word “kuklos”, which means circle. Klan is just an alternative for clan. So this means that The Ku Klux Klan was meant to be a band, or circle of brothers. The group grew very quickly into a terrorist organization. It soon had reached every single state in the south and at its peak included 6 million members, many including, mayors, policeman, judges, and other high political figures. Former Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest was picked as the first leader, or “grand wizard,” of the Klan. He was one of the many “famed… soldiers(who) murdered captured black troops at Fort Pillow”(Wormser). Fort Pillow is one of the most well known war crimes, a massacre of roughly 150 African American Union soldiers. After the Civil War Forrest was best known for being prominent figure in the foundation of the KKK . “At first, the Ku Klux Klan focused its anger and violence on African-Americans” (About the KKK), but soon turned on anyone who supported African Americans. The Ku Klux Klan negatively affected society in the south by having high political figures … no one to turn to or

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