Beliefs Of The Ku Klux Klan example essay topic

Ku Klux Klan The Ku Klux Klan is a secret society based on hatred and violence. The Klan claims that it stands for only law-abiding rallies and activities, but the Klan has been known for having hypocritical views throughout it's existence. No matter where the Klan is headed, violence is sure to be the destination. The Knights of the Ku Klux Klan claim that the Bible is on their side.

They claim that the Bible condones their activity. Nowhere in the Bible is killing thy neighbor encouraged. They claim they are not out to destroy America, but rather to save it. How is it possible to save America with hate and violence? The Klan exists only to hold onto the beliefs of the Confederacy, but hanging on to the past only adds to the destruction of the future.

Holding on to the past is bad enough when the pastis full of pleasant memories, but the Klan is hanging on to the hate and ignorance of the South in the 1800's. The Ku Klux Klan has always attempted to reach their goal of instilling fear and intimidation in the minds of everyone they cross. The Klan has undergone four stages after its establishment and the last stage is still on the rise. The Klan has a distinct origin, a four stage revolution, distinct symbols, recruiting requirements, and strong political beliefs. Formed in the 19th century, the Ku Klux Klan has attempted to instill fear in the minds and the hearts of black citizens in the United States. The Klan was first organized on December 24th, 1865 in the Law Office of Judge Thomas M. Jones.

There were six people who organized the Klan. They included Calvin E. Jones, John B. Kennedy, Frank. McCord, John C. Lester, Richard R. Reed, and James R. Crow. This information is proclaimed on a wall in Pulaski, Tennessee. It was unveiled on May 21, 1917 by the widow of Captain Kennedy, who was the last of the six founders to pass away. The origin of the Ku Klux Klan was described ina thirty page pamphlet published by Mr. and Mrs. William B. Romaine of Pulaski.

It read: As the Klan stood primarily for purity and preservation of the home and for the protection of the women and children, especially the widows and orphans of Confederate soldiers, white, the emblem of purity was chosen for the robes. And to render them startling and conspicuous, red, emblem of the blood which Klansmen were ready to shed in defense of the helpless, was chosen for the trimmings. Also, a sentimental thought was present in adopting the color scheme, as white and red were the Confederate colors. Be it said to the credit of the women of the South who designed and made with their own hands more than four hundred thousand of these Klan robes for both horses and riders, not a word was said by these women to anyone about them and not one single secret concerning them was ever revealed. -page 8 of Ku Klux Klan, A Century of Infamy by William Pierce R andel This account was published in 1924. The six founders were unable to fill a complement of den officers. At first there was no Grand Scribe.

The original den leader, Frank McCord was called Grand Cyclops; his chief lieutenant, known as Grand Magi, was Captain Kennedy. James Crowe was chosen Grand Turk, a kind of marshal or master of ceremonies. Calvin Jones and Captain Lester were Night Hawks, or couriers, and Richard Reed was the first Lictor or outer guard. New titles were created for the next few members to join. After these positions were filled, the new members were to be called Ghouls.

The name of this secret organization was one of the first things that was discussed. They wanted a name that was original and one that would send a tingle down the spine of their victims. The title came from a Greek word means a band or circle. James Crowe suggested that the word be split in two and changing the last letter to an"x".

This gave them the name Ku Klux. Then John Lester remarked that all six founders were of Scottish descent, therefore he proposed that "clan" be added to the end, but spelled with a "k" for consistency yielding the "Ku Klux Klan". This name was much better than the proposed " Clocletz". Clocetz was the name of a phantom Indian chief who the Negroes from Georgia had feared, but they decided that it was too unoriginal.

After the name was established, the Ku Klux Klan needed to have a set structure to maintain order. The structure was founded by one of the most educated founders, John Kennedy. Since he had briefly attended Centre College in Kentucky, he had observed some details about how fraternities were structured. Since the structure of fraternities helped establish other organizations, it seemed that this was a perfect model to follow in the establishment of the Ku Klux Klan. Now that the name and structure were established, the Klan needed uniforms. The color white was chosen for the reason that the stood for purity.

They decided to wear robes and hoods to intimidate their much hated counterparts, the Blacks. The Ku Klux Klan has gone through an evolution over the course of time and it has endured four phases; Reconstruction, the Civil Rights movements, revival after World War II, and present day activity. The first evidence of the Ku Klux Klan was during Reconstruction. The Klan began as a prank ish organization that targeted Blacks and Republicans. The first Klan was a secret society established in the Southern states during the Reconstruction period following the Civil War.

It was founded at Pulaski, Tennessee in the fall of 1865 as a social club. The sudden attempt at enfranchisement of blacks, by passage of the Reconstruction acts of March 1867, and also of the Fourteenth Amendment to the Federal Constitution, created serious problems of political and social readjustments. Local politicians and their white supporters, known as scalawags, and Northerners, known as carpetbaggers, who went south hoping to profit in one way or another by the manipulation of the black vote, added to the confusion and uncertainty. Many Blacks were exploited by their new found friends and turned to them for help.

The Ku Klux Klan was formed to intimidate Blacks. They used bizarre rituals and wore pointed hoods and draping gowns to help intimidate Blacks. From 1868 to 1871, the Klan reached the height of its power. The movement was really a revolution against many of the aspects of Reconstruction, and was also a revolt to overthrow local and state governments. At the first meeting for the in Nashville, Tennessee, General Nathan B. Forrest, a famous Confederate cavalry leader, was chosen as Grand Cyclops, or president. The Klan was separated into local "dens" and they adopted a set of principles.

They are as follows: 1) to protect the weakened and to relieve the injured and oppressed, 2) to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States and laws passed in conformity thereto and to protect the states and the people from invasion of any source, and 3) to aid in the execution of the laws and to protect the people from unlawful seizure and trial except by their peers. The Klan spread from Tennessee to the Carolinas and especially Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi. In Louisiana, white radicals formed a group that was different than the only in name. They referred to themselves as the Knights of the White Camellia. Other similar organizations were referred to as the White League and the Invisible Circle. The Klan had a large group of members, but the members were not as evident as hoped.

Local groups were soon were branded as outlaws; therefore, were condemned. In 1871 and 1872, the government introduced the "Force Laws" to break up these local groups and to control local elections. The Ku Klux Klan continued to participate in their activities until they had accomplished all of their goals. They vowed to continue protecting the white people, reducing the black vote, expelling undesirable carpetbaggers and scalawags, and nullifying those laws of Congress that in a sense would put white Southerners under control of a party largely supported by black voters.

By 1877, when Rutherford B. Hayes became president and the federal troops had been withdrawn as support of local governments, the original Klan had been disbanded. The second, or the modern 20th-century, Klan was formed by William J. Simmons on Stone Mountain, near Atlanta, Ga., in 1915 as a fraternal organization devoted to the principles of white supremacy. It was a new organization, linked only by name and tradition to the original Klan. By 1919, Edward Clark Young and Elizabeth Tyler, publicity agent and fund raisers, had joined with Simmons. Klan activities were now not only directed against blacks, but also against Roman Catholics, Jews, and the foreign-born.

This Klan became dedicated to protecting the purity of the native-born, white, Anglo-Saxon Americans and claimed a higher morality and dedication to religious fundamentalism. Because the Klan was not sectional in its appeal, it's influence spread to other parts of the country outside of the South. Mysterious meetings around fiery crosses, with members masked, hooded, and robed in sheets, became symbolic of the Klan. The tactics they used were to instill fear upon their counterparts.

They used whippings, tarring and feathering, branding, mutilating, and lynching as tactics to present intimidation and fear. Following investigations into the Klan finances and disclosures of money making in 1921, Young and Tyler resigned and Simmons was replaced as head of the Klan by Hiram W. Evans. The Klan reached the height of its power in the early 1920's, when it probably had between 4,000,000 and 6,000,000 members. As a political force the Klan was effective and promoted the election of many officials on the local level. In 1924, the Klan helped split the Democratic presidential convention.

Thereafter their influence began to wane, and public sentiment of the Klan grew, especially after the conviction for murder of the head of the Indiana Klan. There was a rise of Klan activity during the 1928 presidential campaign, when Al Smith ran on the Democratic ticket. The ranks of the Klan, however, continued to deteriorate. During the 1930's, the Klan was reduced to a regional, ineffective organization in the South.

In the late 1930's, it had some association with the German-American Bund. When the U.S. government tried to collect back taxes in 1944, the remnants of the Klan again disbanded. The third stage came after World War II. The Klan was again revived in Georgia in 1946 and similar organizations arose throughout the South as the movement for increased civil rights for blacks developed after World War II.

Klan activity increased after the 1954 Supreme Court desegregation decision and became more intensive following the passage and enforcement of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the decision by the vast majority of Southern political leaders to comply with the law. Many bombings and murders were attributed to the Klan, including the 1965 killing of Mrs. Viola Liuzzo, a civil rights worker, for which three Klansmen were convicted. President Lyndon B. Johnson called for a congressional investigation of the Klan by the House Committee on Un-American Activities. In 1966 seven leading Klansmen were indicted for contempt of Congress for refusing to produce Klan records. In 1973, convictions were handed down against five men who, as Klansmen, bombed school busses in Pontiac, Michigan. Klan strength is variously estimated at 15,000 to 30,000 members active in 15 states.

The Ku Klux Klan seemed to have all of the odds against them, but they seemed to again reestablish itself in the present day. The Klan was again revived for the fourth stage. Every time the Klan reappeared, they came with more anger and weaker beliefs than the last. This is the main reason the Klan has lost meaning every time it has reappeared.

The new Klan differs from the original dramatically. All current members are ignorant radicals out to "save" the world. The present-day Klan has been convicted recently of burning Black churches. This proves that the Klan is not just ignorant, but yet hypocrites of their beliefs. No where in the Bible does it say burn thy neighbors church down.

The Klan is portrayed on television by uneducated, drunk, and violent men who portray themselves as protecting their ancestors. Their ancestors had to forma secret society because they lost the Civil War, but were too scared to give up their old lives. Again they were grasping on to the past instead of solving problems by looking ahead to the future. Instead those great ancestors have passed on their beliefs to these Neo-Nazis on television. The present-day Klan is the most confused. Allow the other phases of the Klan have been true to their beliefs, but this recent Klan has incorporated the beliefs of the Ku Klux Klan with those of Hitler's Nazis.

The Klan / Neo-Nazis stand for mainly the hate and jealousy of African-Americans. Most of the other beliefs have diminished, but the hatred towards Blacks has expanded to fill the empty hole left open by all of the other missing beliefs. The new Klan is known for their extreme beliefs and actions. They preach with violence. Even though the yare short on members, they use extreme tactics that would have never been considered in the past. The present-day Klan stands for only shallow beliefs including hate, jealousy, and anger that is expressed through violence.

The Ku Klux Klan is known for their trademark symbols. Almost all Klan groups use the Blood Drop symbol that was made popular in the 1920's. It represents the blood of Jesus Christ that was shed for the white Aryan Race. Another symbol is the cross wheel that was made popular during the 1970's, the 4th Era.

It is a cross in a circle. In the " cross wheel", it is evident that the Christian cross, the wheel of creativity, the circle of unity, motion, and also the ancient Aryan symbol for the sun are all present. The cross that is set ablaze is another signature symbol acquired by the Ku Klux Klan. The reason that the cross isl it has been described. From the sacred pages of the Holy Bible comes the sad sweet story of the Holy Cross of Calvary.

This Holy Cross is our symbol of sacrifice and service, and a sign of the Christian religion. It was sanctified and made Holy almost 2000 years ago by the suffering and blood over 50 million martyrs who died in the most Holy Faith. The Cross stands in every Klan Den as a constant reminder that Jesus Christ is our Criterion of character and His teachings our life blood, bought Holy, sanctified and sublime. This old Cross was bathed in the Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ and became transformed into the symbol of faith, hope, and love. Today it is used to rally the forces of Christianity against the ever increasing hordes of an anti-Christ and the enemies of America and the White Race. We light the Cross with fire to signify to the world that Jesus Christ is the light of the world.

Where the Holy Cross shall shine, there will be dispelled evil, darkness, gloom, and despair. The Light of Truth dispels ignorance and superstition as fire purifies gold and silver, but destroys wood and stubble. So by the fire of the Cross of Calvary, we cleanse and purify our virtues by burning out our vices with the fire of His Word. Who can look upon this sublime symbol, or sit in its sacred Holy Light without being inspired with a holy desire and determination to be a better person? By this Holy Light of the Cross, we will persevere". - . com quoted by a Klansman on why they light the cross. Recruiting for the Klan was never thought about when it was established.

One of the first decisions that was to be followed by the Klan everywhere was new members were not to be sought out. Joining the Klan was each individual decision. The den officers do not push people to join the Klan. Although the Klan does not recruit, people interested in joining have to meet certain qualifications. They are as follows: No person is allowed in our ranks who can not declare an unqualified allegiance to the Constitution of the United States. No person is allowed in this Movement who can not pledge themselves to the protection, preservation, and advancement of the White Race.

No one is allowed in this movement who can not practice real Brotherhood. Only pure White Christian people of non-Jewish, non-Negro, non-Asian descent who are at least eighteen years old and who pledge to dedicate their lives to this cause can enter the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan. Those under the age of eighteen can join the Klan Youth Corp. with parental consent, and then become a full member of the Knights when they turn eighteen. The Knights of the Ku Klux Klan is strictly a law-abiding organization. Every member is sworn to uphold the law and the principles of justice, and he will not conspire with others to commit any unlawful or violent crimes. The Knights of the Ku Klux Klan co cedes the right of every Christian citizen the right to worship God as he sees fit, and will not tolerate of any nature.

All White Christians must unite, at this juncture in history. The Knights of the Ku Klux Klan Movement is not an " open membership" organization. Only those who meet 100% of the qualifications are allowed to join the Klan. Although the Ku Klux Klan is extremely influential in politics, members claim that the is not a political affiliation. They add that if it was a political affiliation, the beliefs that would be introduced are as follows: Reassert Americans White Christian Heritage. Return prayer to school.

Stop all non-white organizations. Drug testing on all welfare. Quarantine all Aids carriers. Make the purchase of US Industry and property illegal to foreigners.

Do away with free trade that harms the American worker and employ a policy of protectionism. Workfare not welfare. People work for their checks, so should they. Troops on our South border to stop illegal immigration. Stop reverse discrimination by doing away with Affirmative Action. Declare all laws attempting to enforce gun control as unconstitutional.

The Klan's political beliefs are clearly out to benefit only the white conformist who rejects what society has undergone. Society today offers equality for every American citizen. The Klan is against this because they do not like that they will have to work for their jobs just as hard as immigrants do. Klan members want society to hand them whatever they want even though they are the under qualified applicant. Equality should not bother anyone who is not afraid of working hard for what they want. Nothing will be handed out on a silver platter in today's society, regardless of what the Ku Klux Klan has to say.

Complaining, criticizing, and envying will not produce anything except for hatred for the working man, or in today's society, the working woman. The Ku Klux Klan has endured and overcame many obstacles to stay around and distort children's minds. The Klan has been around for a long time, and unless they are stopped, will be around for a long time. The Ku Klux Klan is a secret organization that helps segregate the United States by color or beliefs. The Klan helped to preserve racism and because members are ignorant, they will not mingle and learn to understand other cultures. Hating the unknown is just an easy and safe way to live.

If the Klan attempted to understand other cultures, maybe they could begin to realize that everyone is alike in one way or another. The most effective technique in destroying the Klan is education. Education is the tool for prevention. If children are not educated that the Ku Klux Klan stands for evil purposes, these children may fall into the Klan's evil empire. Educating the youth along with the society is the only effective way to disband the Ku Klux Klan and secret groups of this nature. The key is to never forget what happened with the Klan so this world will never have to endure the hardships that the Ku Klux Klan has provided.

The Ku Klux Klan has undergone a revolution of four stages after their origin in Tennessee and can be identified by their distinct symbols. The Klan has their own set of requirements that are to be followed when recruiting a new member and have a one sided view on politics that they want to see occur in the future.