Although the three separate Klans had slightly different missions they all strived for white and christian supremacy over other races and religions. The first Klan had a long struggle with African Americans. They believed that African Americans didn’t deserve to have the same rights as whites. They killed as many as 4,000 African Americans during this time. The Klan also drove Republicans out of the south, hoping to diminish support for civil rights. Similar to the first Klan, the second Klan promoted white supremacy but preferred to do this through influencing politics. They opposed immigration from southern and eastern Europe. These immigrants were mostly Jews and Catholics seeking a new life in America. At this time the Klan was still using violent means to reach its goals though not as much as the first Klan had. About 25 years after the decline of the second Klan the modern Klan came up. This modern Klan is relatively more peaceful. It has the same aspirations as the second Klan. This modern KKK doesn’t have much support.
The First KKK was spread very wide throughout the South, attracting mostly white Christian people in a variety of positions. In the mid 1800s, a bus driver or police officer could be a KKK member. Due to the widespread nature of the KKK, there was little organization within the hate group. Leaders and member populations were never documented in the first KKK. The leader of the first KKK was most likely Nathan Bedford Forrest. The second KKK was more organized, with a documented peak of over 6 million members. At its peak, about 15% of America’s population had joined the KKK, that means back then on average three out of every twenty people you’d see in America had joined the KKK. The founder and leader of this new Klan was William J. Simmons. During this stage of the KKK, a women’s KKK was also founded, called the Women of the KKK, this development caused membership to swell as a new group of people were allowed to join the KKK. The modern day KKK is as unorganized as the first was with no documented leaders and scattered groups around the US. There probably aren’t many people still left in the KKK.
The KKK is a hate group that went to extreme measures to achieve their goals. They killed, tortured, threatened, and intimidated people. The Klan killed people in horrible ways including lynching, shooting, and even beating to death. The Klans targets include civil rights protesters, active Republicans, and African Americans. The KKK often killed innocent people either to make a point, or to intimidate others. One famous example was when the Klan bombed a sunday school, killing four young girls. Another involved civil rights activists Michael Schwerner, Andrew Goodman, and James Chaney. These activists were risking their lives to fight for African Americans rights. All three were shot and killed by the KKK. The Klan ruthlessly killed thousands of more people in the same manner. These are the horrific crimes of the Ku Klux Klan.
The KKK had a large impact on the Civil Rights movement, and was a large source of intimidation and fear for protesters of the movement. The KKK killed thousands of people to prove their point -- that African Americans should not be allowed the basic rights of American citizenship. The KKK killed Republicans, guarded voting centers, murdered protesters, and even slaughtered innocent people just to ensure white supremacy. Because of their harsh ways and frightening uniforms, many protesters were scared into submission. In this way, the KKK was able to have a significant impact on the Civil Rights Movement.
Of the three Klans, two perished after many years of injustice. The first Klan fell because it became extremely violent. This led Congress to take action by passing The Civil Rights Act of 1871, also known as the KKK Act of 1871, which allowed the government to use federal troops against the Klan. After this act was passed many members left and the first KKK died out. The second KKK collapsed because some law cases involving KKK members went bad and the KKK couldn’t afford the hefty fines. The second Klan also lost members due to decreased national attention, an effect of World War Two. The modern Klans still live. They are separated and have different views on how they should achieve their goals. Once the already small support for these Klans fades away, they too will fade away.
Today’s KKK is a far cry from its past self. Very few are still a part of the organization and those that are seem to be divided into groups with different opinions on how the KKK should function. Some parts of the KKK are peaceful, and only celebrate their white heritage, while others are still trying to get their way violently. The KKK has also had an impact on some current-day events such as the Ferguson Case. They went to the site of the murder and honored the policemen who shot the African American victim, saying that Missouri needed more “white cops”. The KKK may or may not have a larger impact in the future, but as of right now, they are only a small organization, seeming to struggle for survival.