KKK

Background of the KKK KKK= Ku Klux Klan Founded in 1866, the KKK extended into almost every southern state by 1870 and became a vehicle for white southern resistance to the Republican Party's Reconstruction-era policies aimed at establishing political and economic equality for blacks After a period of decline, white Protestant nativist groups revived the Klan in the early 20th century, burning crosses and staging rallies, parades and marches denouncing immigrants, Catholics, Jews, blacks and organized labor. The Ku Klux Klan was founded in 1866 by ex-Confederate soldiers and other Southerners opposed to Reconstruction after the Civil War. 

Membership Membership in the Klan ballooned in the 1920s. By the middle of the decade, estimates for national membership in this secret organization ranged from three million to as high as eight million Klansmen. And membership was not limited to the poor and uneducated on society's fringes. Mainstream, middle-class Americans donned the white robes of the Klan too. Doctors, lawyers and ministers became loyal supporters of the KKK.  Requirements: native born, white, Protestant, preferably male, 16 yrs + In Ohio alone their ranks surged to 300,000. Even northeastern states were not immune. In Pennsylvania, membership reached 200,000 Just regular, everyday type of middle class men. The vast majority of Klansmen were clerks, small businessmen, farmers, teachers, law enforcement officials, and skilled craftsmen and even included some members of the clergy.

Strategies In the 1920s, the Klan moved in many states to dominate local and state politics. The Klan devised a strategy called: "decade," in which every member of the Klan was responsible for recruiting ten people to vote for Klan candidates in elections. In 1924 the Klan succeeded in engineering the elections of officials from coast to coast mayors of Portland, Maine, and Portland, Oregon. Other states: New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Arkansas, Georgia….

In some states, such as Colorado and Indiana, they placed enough Klansmen in positions of power to effectively control the state government. Known as the "Invisible Empire," the KKK's presence was felt across the country.

Targets Blacks Immigrants Jews Lived in the city, not native born; values and customs were too different Roman Catholics  allegiance to the Pope and their opposition to prohibition Any outsider—including: Blacks, Immigrants, Jews, and Roman Catholics Klan members were also suspicious of Jewish Americans, charging that they paid allegiance to Palestine and purportedly controlled international banks.  The Klan's anti-Catholicism stemmed from the belief that Catholics could not be good Americans if they maintained allegiance to the pope. Furthermore, they believed Catholics sought exclusion from mainstream America by maintaining their own schools. In the Klan's view, priests threatened intact families by exerting greater influence over women and children than the male head of household.

Scare tactics Burning crosses or physical harm expressing opposition to change.

Women of the 1920s Klan members were also dismayed and even appalled by the "new woman" of the 1920s. Smoke, drake, dressed for sex appeal, voting, working Committed to protecting the "purity of White Womanhood," the Klan physically punished those who engaged in immoral behavior, public indecency and drunkenness, wife beating, gambling, adultery, and the failure to support one's family. Women showed their independence by…….. Mass media—radio, magazines, advertising, and especially movies—portrayed women as sexual beings, and films included nudity Interestingly, the Klan supported women's suffrage since women could help restore and preserve morality and traditional values by voting for Klan agendas and political candidates.

The end of the Klan By 1929: Membership declined due to internal fighting, violence, political opposition, and bad leadership. Grand Dragon of Indiana and a major figure in the Klan hierarchy, who embezzled funds, raped his secretary and allowed her to die after a suicide attempt, for which he received a sentence of life in prison. Also, the inherent secrecy of the Klan, a lack of accountability, and the large incomes from dues tempted and corrupted officials at all levels. Furthermore, Klan leaders failed to live up to Klan principles. Klan founder, "Colonel" Simmons, was forced from his office in the early 1920s as a result of heavy drinking and poor management. The owners of the Southern Publicity Association, Clarke and Tyler, scandalized members after they were discovered together drunk and half-naked in an Atlanta hotel room. ……basically, they were going against everything that they were “for” or promoting.