American terrorism; a history rooted and grown in the south When one hears the word terrorism what is the first image that comes to mind? For many the word brings the image of what we’ve come to know as the typical Middle Eastern terrorist burned into our skulls from both social media and news outlets. But when you look at the actual definition of terrorism which is “the use of violence and intimidation in the pursuit of political aims”, (terrorism , n.d.) America has seen terrorism for a majority of our short time as a country, just in many different shapes sizes and hatreds. But where does it all stem from, and how could an organization so terrible and with a strong history of violence for an unjust reason still exist, the …show more content…
Possibly one of the worst being the Ku Klux Klan. The goals of these groups would be to try to intimidate prominently black voters as well as southern republican leaders. (Ku Klux Klan, 2013) The KKK were known to have night rides as well as hangings, beatings, murders, tar and featherings, and public humiliation that quickly became like calling cards for the infamous gang, and were very effective at lowering the number of votes for republican leaders. The KKK was founded by confederate war generals and leaders. The group’s roots start in Tennessee, but quickly moved from there to Georgia, where later the group would meet its demise, but only for the first time however. With many political and community leaders such as police men, firemen, congress men, senators, and house representatives the group still has strong influence in our communities but where do all these ties rise from? And why don’t we see these men for the monsters they …show more content…
(Ku Klux Klan, n.d.) Many of the activities of Klan’s men and the Klan are hidden under the guise of “white rights” making it easy for some to skip over the under tones of some of their more successful propaganda
The Ku Klux Klan, with its long history of violence, is the most infamous and oldest of American hate groups. Although black Americans have typically been the Klan's primary target, it also has attacked Jews, immigrants, gays and lesbians and, until recently, Catholics. The Ku Klux Klan, they believed, they were protecting in Traditional American values. They treated blacks by Lynched, raped and beat blacks for petty crimes. The Klan was not only anti-black but also took a stand against Roman Catholics, Jews, foreigners and organized labor.
The Klu-Klux-Klan was a white supremacist group that opposed “Reconstruction” and equal rights for freed slaves (Hook Exercise). They, to my standards, really would do whatever it takes to stop Reconstruction, even if it meant killing innocent people for that. John W. Stephens, a former senator from Caswell, was brutally murdered by none other than the Klu-Klux-Klan in a Grand Jury room (Doc. A Par.1). John W. Stephens was stabbed five to six times then even hanged on a hook in the same jury room.
One of these groups were called the Red shirts which were a group of democratic party members. They held racists rallies, disrupted African - American church services and Republican meetings. They first appeared in NC in the fall of 1898. These groups formed to scare the black citizens and they made up stories about how the "black beast" would harm white women and the white society if they were not stopped("The Wilmington" 13-14).
For example, in “Louisiana there was tremendous early success. One district assembly in the Bayou region claimed 5,000 black members and more than forty local assemblies were spread across the state, and the membership included some of the most influential local leaders from the Reconstruction. As a result, a racist local paper called the Thibodaux Sentinel warned against the group’s efforts and said they would be met with violence and arson if they didn’t cease their
Some of the most egregious crimes against Civil Rights Workers were committed by members of the White Knights. This includes the assassination of Medgar Evers and the murders of three Civil Rights workers near Philadelphia, Mississippi. The sad thing is that law enforcement officials were members of the White Knights or turned the other way when the White Knights committed crimes. In some instances, law officials played a part in “delivering” victims to the Klan. But Mississippi society as a whole was guilty and let the White Knights have free reign.
What started out as a social group for confederate soldiers quickly escalated to a terrorist organization targeting anyone who was not
The KKK was a white nationalized group that included former veterans, which created the first branch of the group. The Klansmen founded in 1865, in Pulaski, Tennessee, is now known as the birthplace of the KKK. This group dedicated themselves to a campaign of violence to Republican leaders and voters. The KKK targeted many people based on their race or sexuality , including, Gays, Immigrants, African Americans, and Catholics(KKK history). Jim Crow laws,
After the Civil War, a group called the Ku Klux Klan, better known today as the KKK, was formed. This group made it almost impossible for new African American citizens to exercise their rights. This group used physical assault and murder to express their opinion about African Americans at that time. In Document B, an image is shown of a member of the KKK teaming up with a member of the White League. Below the two, a small family of slaves huddles together in fear.
The Klu Klux Klan was very significant and important for many reasons. The organizations primary goal of the Klan was to destroy the Republican Party as revenge for the abolition of slavery and for having a hand in the federal occupation and restructuring of the South. This was achieved by harassing and, if necessary, murdering registered Republican voters. Political murders by the Klan numbered in the thousands, many of the victims being black. Klan members often murdered black political leaders, heads of black religious institutions and any other black individual who had ties to a political organization.
Groups like these intimidated many people, black and white. Many of the groups did not only attack African-Americans when they wanted but also white people. It was all based on the groups wanting to overthrow the Republican party. It got so bad that it ended up making President Ulysses Grant, while in his presidency, leading to end of the Freedmen's Bureau, making it collapse. This was caused by having to prioritize other things that were affecting the United States at that time, but political choices can change people's views and this makes politics fall into a bad light.
Former slaves who “tried to vote or participate in politics [were] likely to be singled out for “punishment”” by a terrorist organization named as the Ku Klux Klan, until the Congress passed the Force Bill in 1871 that gave the federal authorities the right to arrest and pursue active members of the KKK. But, the bill appeared to be only figurative as not really much of the Klan’s members were prosecuted (Hazen
As the Ku Klux Klan’s membership grew, organizations such as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), which fought to end racial discrimination and segregation, grew as well. With these two growing groups pushing for opposite ideals, tensions continued to increase. The NAACP pushed for reform and rights for African Americans and the Ku Klux Klan combated their progress with lynching and
The Ku Klux Klan first emerged in Pulaski, Tennessee following the Civil War. As we know today, the mere mention of the Klan triggers fear as the KKK is known for its various tactics of violence that came in the form if lynchings, murders, and mutilations. Following their emergence, the KKK were quickly symbolized and portrayed as the protectors of the South, following the defeat of the Southern states in the Civil War and the beginning of the period of Reconstruction by the federal government (Gurr, 1989, p. 132). During the 1920s, the KKK achieved its greatest political success and growth outside of the South. During this period, the membership of the Klan heavily expanded to the states of Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Oklahoma, Colorado, and Oregon, to which the KKK obtained two to two and one-half million members at its apex.
The Ku Klux Klan or KKK has created centuries of fear. They originated in Pulaski, Tennessee. The famous hate group was out to re establish white supremacy. The KKK has influenced local governments and people in power. It has also had an impact on American people and specifically black minorities.
This paper will discuss the difference between the Ku Klux Klan and The Black Panther Party two extremist groups. The historical foundation of these two groups along with the comparison of their extremist activities, and the motivating factors which fueled and heighten their motivational actions. The movement of these two groups were prompted by the two different beliefs with the Ku Klux Klan motives being from racism, and the Black Panther forming for the protection of their communities from racial tension. The Ku Klux Klan was founded in Tennessee by veteran confederate soldiers lead by General Nathan Bedford in 1865 during the time of the Reconstruction Era as a result of resistance to the Republican Party’s support of the Reconstruction