Ku Klux Klan: An American Story

The Ku Klux Klan was founded in 1865 in Pulaski, Tennessee, by Confederate veterans. Initially a social club, it quickly evolved into a paramilitary organization dedicated to terrorizing newly freed African Americans and reestablishing white supremacy. The group used violence, intimidation, whippings, and lynchings to prevent Black people from exercising their newly gained rights, especially voting.

By 1868, under the leadership of General Nathan Bedford Forrest, a former slave trader and war criminal, the violence escalated, culminating in over a thousand murders committed in a four-week span around the presidential elections. The federal government ultimately declared the Klan destroyed in 1872 after passing laws to dismantle the group.

The Klan was reborn in 1915, largely due to the popular and racially charged film The Birth of a Nation, which glorified the original Klan. William Joseph Simmons, a former lay preacher, seized on the film's popularity to re-establish the group, appointing himself the "Grand Imperial Wizard." This new iteration was a profitable pyramid scheme, charging members initiation fees and fees for robes.

It expanded its targets to include immigrants, Catholics, and Jews, and grew to an estimated 4 million members, gaining significant political influence. The Klan's "golden age" ended in the late 1920s due to internal scandals and corruption, and the organization was ultimately forced into bankruptcy by the IRS in 1944.

A third wave of the Klan emerged after World War II, fueled by fears of communism and the civil rights movement. However, this version faced new opposition. Journalist Stetson Kennedy infiltrated the group and exposed its secrets on the popular radio show, The Adventures of Superman, helping to portray the Klan as "un-American". Despite its smaller size, the Klan's violence remained a key part of the struggle for civil rights.