Rebirth of the KKK
The Ku Klux Klan first appeared in late 1865 or early 1866 in Pulaski, Tennessee. It began as a Tennessee social club but soon turned into a paramilitary force under the direction of Nathan Bedford Forrest. The Klan's primary purpose was white supremacy and the main goal was to keep blacks out of the voting booths. By 1870 the Klan was everywhere in the south. They were strong supporters of the Democratic Party and often beat and sometimes killed republican politicians. Due to the overabundance of violent and sometimes fatal crimes many members of the Klan found themselves in trouble with the law. Because of this the Klan was basically obsolete by the mid 1870's. Beginning in the early nineteenth century there were massive waves of immigrants coming into the country. The majority of these immigrants were mostly from Italy, Russia, and Ireland. Along with all these new people came new languages, customs, and beliefs. They also provided a cheap source of labor. Many Americans saw this to be threatening to their jobs and their culture. Along with all the new immigrants the country was under going drastic changes of its own such as styles, music, and beliefs. All these changes began to scare "old stock" Americans. Th
When people hear of the Ku Klux Klan they think of a violent hate group that wants all blacks gone. Granted the fact there are not always the nicest of organizations, but in the 1920's there purpose was not just to hate blacks. The Klan was there to give people who were against progressive reform a way to show how they believe. They were a very organized and determined group who to some accomplished great things. On Thanksgiving Day in 1915 "Colonel" William J. Simmons created what they had been seeking. That night Simmons held a cross burning ceremony atop Stone Mountain in Georgia. The ceremony pledged new members to be "True to the faithful maintenance of white supremacy." In order to become a member of the new Ku Klux Klan you were required to vow to be a native born American citizen who believed in the tenets of the Christian religion and agree to owe no allegiance to any foreign government, nation, political institution, sect, people or person. Referring to the "person" as the pope. The new Klan was no longer primarily anti-black. They were now anti: foreign, catholic, black, Jewish, pacifist, communist, and evolutionist. Anything or anybody who supported or promoted progressive reform was a target of the Klan. ousands of fundamentalists Christians were bewildered by the progressive era victories of evolution and social gospel, not to mention jazz, gin, and short skirt
Some common words found in the essay are:
Klux Klan, Origins Act, Klan Klan, Democratic Party, Clarke Clarke, Russia Ireland, Americans Thousands, Quota Act, Forrest Klan's, Simmons Klan, klux klan, immigrants country, ku klux klan, ku klux, progressive reform, act stated percent, white supremacy, hate blacks, old-time religion, national origins, customs beliefs, percent total immigrants, national origins act, stock americans, stated percent total,
Approximate Word count = 943
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
