10 Interesting Facts about the Ku Klux Klan

These following facts about the Ku Klux Klan should properly expand your knowledge about this Klan. The Ku Klux Klan, or informally known as the KKK or the “Hooded Order”, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism and anti-immigration, historically expressed through terrorism. To get to know more about this Klan, here are the other facts about the Ku Klux Klan you may consider interesting.

Facts about the Ku Klux Klan 1: Nathan Bedford Forrest

Ku Klux Klan was founded in the late 1800s. It was established during a meeting in Pulaski, Tennessee, by six former Confederate officers, including the famous Nathan Bedford Forrest, who later became its first leader.

Facts about the Ku Klux Klan 2: Initiation

From its initiation, the group’s influence spread fast to most of the Southern States that were part of the Confederation due to a hatred for African-American slaves.

Facts about the Ku Klux Klan 3: Klan Banned

Due to the increasing racial tensions caused by the movement, the United States Congress passed legislation to ban the Klan. Regardless of the ban, the movement was still active.

Facts about the Ku Klux Klan 4: Activities

Klan members adopted masks and robes that hid their identities and added to the drama of their night rides, their chosen time for attacks. Many of them operated in small towns and rural areas where people otherwise knew each other’s faces, and sometimes still recognized the attackers. With this method both the high and the low could be attacked.

Facts about the Ku Klux Klan 5: First Era of the Klan

In the first era of the Klan, many of their actions were not as radical as the third era. The campaigns undertaken by the members were mainly to intimidate white and black Republican leaders.

Facts about the Ku Klux Klan 6: Revival

Protestant citizens revived the Klan to form the second era of the KKK. This time, along with despising African-Americans, they also showed hatred to Hispanics and Roman Catholics.

Facts about the Ku Klux Klan 7: Second Era of the Klan

During the second era, the Klan conducted non-violent actions to intimidate people. These included rallies, sit-downs, and public speaking.

Facts about the Ku Klux Klan 8: Civil Rights Movement

More people joined the Klan in the 1960s during the Civil Rights movement. This was to show their continued hatred of giving rights to African-Americans. They were more radical this time, blowing up black churches as well as schools.

Facts about the Ku Klux Klan 9: Resistance

Union Army veterans in mountainous Blount County, Alabama, organized “the anti-Ku Klux”. They put an end to violence by threatening Klansmen with reprisals unless they stopped whipping Unionists and burning black churches and schools.

Facts about the Ku Klux Klan 10: The Burning Cross

The second Klan embraced a burning Latin cross primarily as a symbol of intimidation. No crosses had been used as a symbol by the first Klan. Additionally, the cross was henceforth a representation of the Klan’s Christian message. Thus, its lighting during meetings was often accompanied by prayer, the singing of hymns, and other overtly religious symbolism.

Through this article, those following facts about the Ku Klux Klan should be very interesting to you. Right now, you knew more about the Klan itself; how it worked, organized and many more. Though it has been negative towards some people, this Klan finally ended. Hope you found these Ku Klux Klan facts interesting and useful.