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
This drew many of those "old stock" Americans into the organization who were seeking a savior to old-time religion. After the Klan's huge success with the National Origins Act there numbers began to drop. The ceremony pledged new members to be "True to the faithful maintenance of white supremacy. Another key reason was the press began to get braver. The Klan was an immense supporter of prohibition and the teaching of religion in schools. Many of these people saw the Klan as the only way to bring back the countries old styles, customs, and beliefs. They began to turn into a political force. The Klan grew tremendously and by 1924 it was estimated to have four million members. When people hear of the Ku Klux Klan they think of a violent hate group that wants all blacks gone. Now the Klan began to see the changes they had worked so hard for. Simmons created what they had been seeking. So drastically in fact that in 1930 the Klan's numbers were only forty-five thousand. One was the constant feuding among Klan leaders as to who should control the organizations assets. Granted the fact there are not always the nicest of organizations, but in the 1920's there purpose was not just to hate blacks. Since there were so fewer immigrants that came over in 1890 compared to 1910 it cut the amount of immigration down tremendously.
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Acceptance Essays
