The Rise of the Ku Klux Klan

Founded after the 1965 defeat of the Confederate States of America, the Ku Klux Klan is one of the most infamous domestic terrorist organizations in United States history.  The Ku Klux Klan began as a simple social organization but emerged as a widespread movement across the South that used violent means to inflict violence and fear among freed slaves and their white supporters.  While racism against freed African American slaves is often cited as the primary motivating factor for Ku Klux Klan support in the South, there are many contributing factors that boosted the organization’s appeal to white Southerners.  The political, social, and economic pressures placed upon white Southerners caused the rise of the Ku Klux Klan as a protest organization in the South following the Civil War.

Following the Civil War, the Southern states experienced a reduction in their autonomy as the federal government moved to reconcile the South with the rest of the nation.  In order to deliver economic aid to the South, the United States Congress adopted the 1867 Reconstruction Act, which divided the South into five military districts.   Additionally, the Act sought to rearrange the political and institutional structures of the South by requesting states to form new governments and granting black men the right to vote.   Increasing animosity among Southerners, there was a post-war surge of white northerners, called carpetbaggers, who relocated to the South in order to obtain political and administrative offices and supervise Reconstruction.   While the presence of carpetbaggers introduced hostilities, further actions were taken at the federal level to force the South’s compliance with the political demands of the country. 

Impatient with the progress of Reconstruction and the New South, the Radical Republicans took swifter actions to reform the political conditions in the South.  Under the leadership of the Radical Republicans, Congress took action to counter the political limitations that Southern states imposed on emancipated slaves.  First, the federal government passed legislation and Constitutional amendments in an effort to protect the rights of newly freed slaves.  Overriding President Andrew Johnson, the Radical Republicans of Congress passed the 1866 Civil Rights Bill, which guaranteed the rights of citizenship for all individuals who were born in the United States.   Following the Civil Rights Bill, Congress ratified the Fourteenth Amendment, which protected the “privileges and immunities” of citizenship for Americans of all races and prohibited states from denying citizens equal protection under the law.   Following the election of Ulysses S. Grant in 1869, Congress also ratified the Fifteenth Amendment, which prohibited states from denying citizens to vote on the basis of race.   As key acts during a period known as the “Radical Reconstruction,” these federal actions received severe backlash in the South.

The insubordination that followed the Radical Reconstruction period highlights the political tensions that allowed the Ku Klux Klan to flourish.  The state of Mississippi attempted to resist the demands of Congress by refusing to ratify the Thirteenth Amendment, which ended slavery.   Further, Georgia, Texas, and Virginia delayed the ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment at the state level.   The violence of the Ku Klux Klan eventually emerged as a manifestation of the tensions between state governments and the Republican-led Reconstruction.  For example, in South Carolina, the Ku Klux Klan assassinated political leaders as part of its strategy to regain political control in the South. Also, in South Carolina, the Ku Klux Klan was closely affiliated with the Democratic Party, and Klan gatherings were often inseparable from Democratic Party meetings.  Klan violence was often an extension of the political conflict between Democratic Southerners and the Republicans.

The efforts made by Republicans to increase the political power of freed slaves also contributed to social tensions that enabled the Ku Klux Klan to thrive.  In March 1865, Congress dispatched the Freedman’s Bureau, an organization of doctors, teachers, and other administrative staff, to the South in order to provide social services to freed slaves.  The Bureau attempted to provide freed slaves with the education and assistance they needed to participate in the Southern economy and to vote.   Yet, because many white Southerners felt intellectually superior to freed slaves, they protested enabling former slaves to vote or hold political office.   In effort to intimidate African Americans and prevent them from advancing in society, several Southern state legislatures adopted a series of laws, known as the “black codes,” that enacted the segregation of schools and public buildings, prohibited African Americans from changing jobs, placed restrictive curfews on African Americans, and barred African Americans from obtaining skilled jobs.   As these actions demonstrate, preserving the social hierarchy that placed African Americans at the bottom was a key motivation of social movements in the South.

Finally, the popularity of the Ku Klux Klan in the South can be attributed to the economic frustration experienced by white Southerners who were financially dependent upon slavery.  Examining the foundations of the Ku Klux Klan reveals that the organization was primarily concerned with economic rather social issues.  Pulaski, Tennessee, the city where the Ku Klux Klan was founded, featured an economy that was dependent on slavery in order to thrive.   The Klan’s origins in Pulaski holds significance because Pulaski was more concerned with the continuance of slavery for economic reasons that most Southern states.   The Confederate officers who founded the organization were notably well educated and held the belief that the South could not prosper without slavery.   Further, former Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forest, the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, was a wealthy plantation owner who was bankrupted when he was forced to release his slaves.   Among the individuals who founded the Ku Klux Klan, economics was the primary motivation for their political activities.  

However, it is also important to note that ordinary Southerners who did not have an interest in slavery also experienced economic hardships that motivated their political leanings.  Under the leadership of the Republicans, taxes were increased to pay for schools, public facilities, and railroads that were intended to improve economic conditions in the South in the long term.   Yet, while the tax burden for Southerners increased, their economic prospects declined.  The failure of crops across the South caused many small farmers to incur heavy debts.   Also, Confederate bonds became invalid after the war, and many Southerners found that their entire savings vanished.   Though many poor Southerners initially supported Republicans, their support decreased when their economic conditions failed to improve during Reconstruction. The inability of the Republicans to effectively manage Reconstruction in the South left room for growing hostility between whites and the Republic government.  Thus, the economic struggles experienced by white Southerners at all levels of society were a strong motivating force behind Ku Klux Klan activity.

The rise of the Ku Klux Klan demonstrates that there are several combined factors that contribute to the growth of radical political and social movements.  While racism was a motivating force behind the emergence of the Ku Klux Klan, an examination of the Reconstruction Era reveals that political tensions created the hostile environment where the organization was able to develop.  Efforts by the Radical Republicans to protect the rights of freed slaves and oversee Reconstruction undermined the autonomy of Southerners and increased hostilities.  Further, the political power gained by African Americans subverted the old social order in the South and caused social tensions that were irreconcilable through non-violent channels.  However, economics is a critical factor that allowed the Ku Klux Klan to emerge as an influential force across the South.  Faced with reduced political autonomy and poor economic prospects, Southerners were motivated to abandon the moderating influences of the Republicans and opt for extreme actions.  Analyzing the roots of the Ku Klux Klan reveals that the combination of political, social, and economic forces was critical to the organization’s development and proliferation in Southern society.

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