PRESENTATION OUTLINE
The KKK stands for Ku Klux Klan.
The KKK was founded in 1866 in Pulaski Tennessee.
Members of the KKK burned crosses to spread the light of Christ into the world of ignorance.
The organization of the KKK coincided with the second phase of post Civil War Reconstruction.
The quest for white supremacy was the underlying cause of the KKK.
KKK members wore white robes with mask to hide their identities.
Confederate General Nathan Bedford was the first leader of the KKK. They called him "Grand Wizard of the Klan."
At least 10% of the black legislators elected during the 1867-1868 constitutional conventions became victims of violence.
By 1870, the KKK had branches in nearly every southern state.
The KKK promoted fundamentalism and devout patriotism.
In January 1871, 500 masked men attacked the Union county jail and lynched eight black prisoners in South Carolina.
KKK members waged an underground campaign of violence and intimidation towards the white and black Republican leaders.
Due to racial tensions the United States Congress passed legislation to ban the KKK.
In the 1920's the KKK membership exceeded to 4 million people.
At this time, the KKK members despised African Americans along with Hispanics, Roman Catholics, and Jews.
Not only were white men involved in the KKK, but white women were also involved.
The civil rights movement of the 1960s increased the KKK activity. They bombed black schools and churches, and were violence against activists in the South.
Since the 1970s the Klan has been weakened by internal conflicts, court cases, a seemingly endless series of splits and government infiltration.
The KKK organization is still active today in 2014.
