The Ku Klux Klan, a name synonymous with racial terror and white supremacy in the United States, first emerged in the aftermath of the Civil War. But Where Did The Kkk Start? The answer lies in Pulaski, Tennessee, a small town where a group of Confederate veterans formed what would become one of the most infamous organizations in American history. In 1865, this group established the Klan not as a hate group, but initially as a social club. They adopted the name “Ku Klux Klan,” reportedly derived from the Greek word “kyklos,” meaning circle. However, this seemingly innocuous beginning belied a much darker transformation that was soon to come.
As Reconstruction took hold in the South, the Klan evolved from a social fraternity into a political and terrorist organization. By the summer of 1867, local Klan groups convened to solidify their structure, proclaiming themselves the “Invisible Empire of the South.” This marked a significant shift towards a more organized and sinister purpose. They established a hierarchical leadership, echoing grandiose titles. Nathan Bedford Forrest, a former Confederate general, was appointed as the first “Grand Wizard,” leading a hierarchy that included “Grand Dragons,” “Grand Titans,” and “Grand Cyclopses.” This formal organization coincided with the radical Reconstruction policies enacted by the Republican-controlled Congress, which aimed to reshape the South and grant rights to newly freed slaves.
Following the Civil War, President Andrew Johnson initially pursued lenient Reconstruction policies from 1865 to 1866. However, Congress, deeming these policies insufficient, particularly in protecting the rights of formerly enslaved people, enacted the Reconstruction Act over Johnson’s veto. This act divided the South into five military districts and mandated that Southern states ratify the 14th Amendment, which guaranteed “equal protection” under the Constitution to formerly enslaved people and granted universal male suffrage. This move towards Black enfranchisement and equality directly challenged the existing social order in the South and became a key catalyst for the Klan’s violent actions.
The Ku Klux Klan’s Reign of Terror in the South
The Reconstruction era witnessed a groundbreaking shift as Black men began to participate in Southern public life, winning elections to state governments and even the U.S. Congress. This progress was viewed as a direct threat by white supremacists, and the Ku Klux Klan emerged as the violent arm of resistance against these changes. The KKK launched an underground terror campaign targeting Republican leaders and voters, both Black and white, seeking to dismantle Radical Reconstruction and reinstate white supremacy throughout the South. They were not alone in this violent endeavor; groups like the Knights of the White Camelia and the White Brotherhood also engaged in similar acts of terror.
The violence was widespread and targeted. At least 10% of Black legislators elected during the constitutional conventions of 1867-1868 were victims of violence, with seven killed. White Republicans, pejoratively labeled “carpetbaggers” and “scalawags,” were also targets, as were Black institutions like schools and churches, which represented Black autonomy and progress.
By 1870, the Ku Klux Klan had spread its influence across nearly every Southern state. Despite its broad reach, the Klan lacked a highly centralized structure or clear chain of command. Local chapters operated somewhat autonomously, with members, often masked and robed in the Klan’s signature white attire, conducting attacks at night. These actions, though locally driven, were united by the shared objective of undermining Reconstruction and restoring white dominance. Klan activity was particularly intense in regions where Black populations were smaller or constituted a slim majority. South Carolina became notorious for Klan violence; in one horrifying instance in January 1871, 500 masked Klansmen attacked a jail in Union County and lynched eight Black prisoners.
The Klan and the Undermining of Reconstruction
While Democratic leaders later attempted to attribute Klan violence to poorer white Southerners, Klan membership actually spanned across class lines, encompassing small farmers, laborers, planters, lawyers, merchants, physicians, and ministers. This broad base of support highlighted the pervasive nature of white supremacist ideology in the post-Civil War South. In areas where the Klan was active, law enforcement often consisted of Klan members or sympathizers who were unwilling to intervene. Even when arrests were made, securing convictions proved nearly impossible due to widespread intimidation of witnesses.
The silence and inaction of prominent white Southern citizens further emboldened the Klan. However, the escalating violence eventually forced Republican state governments in the South to seek federal intervention. This led to Congress passing a series of Enforcement Acts, culminating in the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871.
This landmark act designated specific crimes committed by individuals, such as conspiracies to deny citizens their right to hold office, serve on juries, or receive equal protection under the law, as federal offenses. It empowered the President to suspend habeas corpus, enabling arrests without charge, and to deploy federal troops to quell Klan violence. President Ulysses S. Grant swiftly utilized this authority in 1871, deploying federal forces to suppress Klan activity in South Carolina and other affected regions. This federal intervention, while effective in temporarily curbing Klan violence, sparked outrage among Democrats and unease even among some Republicans, who viewed it as an overreach of federal power. From the early 1870s onward, as national resolve for Reconstruction weakened, white supremacy gradually reasserted itself in the South. By 1876, the entire South had reverted to Democratic control, effectively marking the end of Reconstruction and the rollback of many of the gains made by African Americans.
The Ku Klux Klan’s Resurgence in the 20th Century
The Ku Klux Klan did not remain dormant. In 1915, a second iteration of the Klan emerged near Atlanta, Georgia. This revival was fueled by a romanticized vision of the Old South, propagated by works like Thomas Dixon’s 1905 book “The Clansman” and D.W. Griffith’s highly influential 1915 film “Birth of a Nation,” which glorified the Klan.
This second Klan broadened its targets beyond African Americans to include Roman Catholics, Jews, immigrants, and organized labor. It capitalized on the anxieties of the early 20th century, including a surge in immigration and fears of communist revolution following the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia in 1917. Symbolizing itself with the burning cross, the Klan staged rallies, parades, and marches across the nation. Its membership swelled, reaching over 4 million nationwide by the 1920s, demonstrating its significant social and political influence during this period.
The Klan’s Decline and Lingering Presence
The Great Depression of the 1930s significantly weakened the Klan, leading to its temporary disbandment in 1944. However, the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s triggered another resurgence of local Klan activity in the South. This period was marked by bombings, beatings, and shootings directed at both Black and white civil rights activists. These acts of terror, though covert, were widely attributed to local Klansmen and sparked national outrage, galvanizing support for the civil rights cause.
In 1965, President Lyndon Johnson publicly condemned the Klan and announced the arrest of Klansmen in connection with the murder of a white female civil rights worker in Alabama. While Klan-related violence became less frequent in subsequent decades, fragmented groups continued to exist, often aligning with neo-Nazi and other right-wing extremist organizations from the 1970s onwards.
Despite its diminished numbers, the Ku Klux Klan persists in various forms today. Estimates from the Anti-Defamation League in 2016 placed Klan membership around 3,000, while the Southern Poverty Law Center estimated 6,000 members. Though significantly smaller and less influential than in its peaks, the KKK remains a symbol of hate and a reminder of the deep-seated racism that has plagued American history, originating from its inception in a small Tennessee town and evolving into a force of terror that shaped the nation’s trajectory.
