Introduction…

At This English Project, we were asked to write about something that can be linked with a culture in any English speaking country. I heard a lot of great ideas and examples of issues to write about, and I had some problems coming up with an original, yet good assignment.

But after a while, I found out what to write about. One of the darker chapters in American history; The Racist Organization “The Knights Of The Ku-Klux Klan”. This underground organization has, for more than 100 years, spread fear amongst the black and other non-white and non-Christian communities, and has ,with no doubt, set its mark on the culture and way of life for so many minorities across the states. But I wanted to go deeper than just common facts, and this is my approach:

·        When was the Ku-Klux Klan established, and by who?

·        Why was it established?

·        Typical symbols, and common marks…

·        What are the KKK’s political and moralistic views?

·        What is the KKK’s position today?

So, enjoy your reading as we look back in time to find out what made an evil organization like The Ku-Klux Klan get supporters and grow big, and what the answers to my research questions are…

History…

In the aftermath of the American civil war, in the 1860’s , many Southern state farmers, former soldiers of the Confederate Army, and other people, had a problem dealing with the fact that the black man now was free from slavery and discrimination.

Racism had always been normal and socially accepted amongst Southern inhabitants, and slave trading was as usual as buying a horse or even a bag of sugar. Now everything was forced to be turned up-side-down.  

With the new rules and change in the Southern way of life, many men and women joined forces to prevent Negroes from getting equal political and civil rights as the white man. At the time the Federal Government sent troops to the South to make sure people followed the new order, and freed their slaves, the Southern men and women started building up what they called an Invisible Empire.

The first confirmed Klan was organized in the small town Pulaski, Tennessee in 1866. It was under the lead of Nathan Bedford Forrest, the first leader of the KKK.

 Below: Grand Wizard Nathan Bedford Forrest

We don’t have many facts about Nathan Bedford Forrest, except that he was born July 13^th, 1821, and dead on October 29^th, 1872. History tells us that he was a Calvary leader for the South in the war, and according to sources, he hated cultures but the white-American culture, and couldn’t stand the fact that he lost the war. Today, the Ku-Klux Klan hails him as an apostle of the Invisible Empire and racist beliefs.

The Invisible Empire spread racist propaganda in the local press, on rallies and on posters on every corner in every small town in the area. Soon, units of the KKK was established almost everywhere in the state of Tennessee. And it only grew bigger, as the Grand Wizard tempted white citizens with ideas of a better world. A white world.

After a short while, the organization started using violence and even lynching as means to scare the black man, although that went against its ideology. They meant that violence was the method of approach for the uncivilized. But the Invisible Empire was soon combined with murder and so on, and they were feared all across the Southern states. The violence also resulted in members from upper classes bailing out from the “club”. They didn’t want to be connected with murder an tyranny.

The klan adopted the habit of nightly parades, and they often picked out colored families they terrorized all night, with torture and sometimes murder. In the 1870’s, the Klan grew big all over the South, and had several hundreds of thousand members.

At the same times, other similar groups grew big all across the South. Organizations like The Baldknobbers , the Palefaces and The Liberty League, terrorized Negroes and non-Christians  the same way as the KKK, but Grand Wizard Nathan Bedford Forest’s leadership of the Invisible Empire was so good that the other groups joined the Klan. This made the KKK grow even bigger, and soon, racist Southerners brought fear to many homes. 

The Name …

   In 1867, the organization adopted the name the kyklos klan. kyklos is the latin word for circle, and the klan used it as a metaphor for brotherhood. Soon, their name evolved into the Ku-Klux Klan.

The Robes…

The KKK was still a underground organization, bound to secrecy, and dressing up in ghost-like disguises when they served the Klan. The purpose of the disguises had two functions:

·        To scare the black man.

·        So the members could keep their anonymity.

            When they went on crusades to scare of blacks, they sometimes even dressed white robes on their horses. This gave the KKK a sort of “holy saint” kind of look. But they murdered and damaged, and even though they were hundreds of thousands for a period, the majority on most places were disgusted by their views and procedures.

Today, a lot of things have changed. They are no longer allowed to wear the masks and robes. Therefor, they have designed a police-like uniform which they wear on protests, tallies and demonstrations. The robes are for ceremonial use only. But still, some members are afraid of letting their identities be disclosed. Therefor, you might still see the traditional ghostlike robes.

Above: The new KKK uniform

The Eras…

            In 1871, after only a few years of murdering and lynching, the U.S. government declared the KKK an illegal organization. This didn’t result in a peaceful time for the blacks, but with new organization and gangs, the same racists continued their seek for a white empire. Organizations as “The Knights Of The White Camelia” brought continued the same way the KKK did. But without the robes, and not so organized. Grand Wizard Forrest’s dream of a nationwide organization went up in smoke. Today, KKK members and sympathizers call the KKK history from May 16^th, 1866 to 1871 as the first era. They nowadays hail Forrest as a prophet and holy man.

            In 1915, under the lead of  Col. William Simmons and 14 associates in Atlanta, Georgia, the Klan was reestablished.

In the 20’s and 30’s, the KKK was bigger than ever, and their white robes was all over the Southern States.

But then, as it is today, the Ku-Klux Klan didn’t just attack blacks. From then on, all  but white-Christians were considered as people destroying the U.S.A., and they attacked Catholics, Jews, and sympathizers of “Internationalism” and “Darwinism”. As you can see, the Klan now had clear political views on how society should be, as well as a fascist policy. Minorities of all kinds faced once again the Knights Of The Ku-Klux Klan. This period is called the second era.

Since then, the Klan has always played a role as probably the biggest racial group in the U.S. The Klan are now in what they call the 5^th era. Now, they cooperate with Nazi-organizations all over the Western world. But they are very few. In the forthcoming change of the millennium, the KKK will enter a 6^th era.

Below: KKK picture from the early 1920’s

Symbols…

The Ku-Klux Klan is divided in many groups. But they all use the same symbols. All klan groups usually wear the “blood drop” symbol. It was popularized in the late 1920’s, and it represents the blood of Jesus Christ, which was shed for the white Aryan race.

Another symbol that the klan uses is the “crosswheel”. This is the symbol the Knights use. The knights are a special group in the Ku-Klux Klan, and the symbols was first used in the 1960’s. The symbol is derived from the meaning of the klan name. In the crosswheel, we can see the Christian cross, the wheel of creativity, the circle of unity, motion, and also the ancient Aryan symbol for sun or light.

Above: Two versions of the “Crosswheel”, with the “blood drop” in the middle.

But there are also other symbols and procedures  the klan uses that are well known all across the world. Let’s take their flag and the burning cross. Do we know why these are things they do and use, and is the burning cross a blasphemous action?

The Flag…

            The flag the KKK use, is the old Southern state flag from the Civil War. But the colors the flag contains represents more than the normal Norwegian, or even American, know.

The red color symbolizes the purity of American womanhood and the sanctity of American homes.

The blue color  is a patch symbolizing Americas unclouded, beautiful sky.

The white stars represents the brotherhood of the Southern states, and how they stand in an inseparable union.

            Above: A mix of the U.S. flag and the Southern flag.                                     Below: A traditional klansman in a blue robe. This man is one of the leaders, a wizard.

Why They Light The Cross…

Many of us this that the KKK is an anti-Christ organization since they light the cross. But in fact, we are very wrong. The Ku-Klux Klan claim that they light the cross in honor of Jesus Christ, not in hatred. They want to signify to the world that Jesus is the light of the world, and therefor they burn, or light as they want it said, the cross. But off course, the message are strictly for the white population. They claim that the colored in no way represents  the ideal man God want us to be.

The Ku-Klux Klan’s Goals…

            As many other organizations, the Ku-Klux Klan has a concrete plan of what their terrorizing and protesting is a message of. They have a political program, and though they aren’t a political program, but only considered issue oriented, they have clear views on how the KKK want things to be. This is a basic political program of the KKK, and the demands on the plan appear on almost every KKK program.