The Beginning of the Ku Klux Klan
Nathan Bedfford Forest, the first leader of the Ku Klux Klan.
The Ku Klux Klan was started by Civil War (Confederate) vetarans in Pulaski, Tennesee in 1866. The name of the group came from the Greek word, "kyklos," which meant circle (History.com, 2013). By the summer of 1867, the Ku Klux Klan had increased in size and its members gathered in a convention. There, they developed an "Invisible Empire of the South," (History.com, 2013). The Klan members appointed Nathan Beddford Forrest as the leader, or grand wizard of the Klan. He would thus rule over "grand dragons", "grand titans", and "grand cyclopses". In 1870, there was a Ku Klux Klan branch in almost every single Southern state (History.com, 2013). By that time, African Americans were slowly starting to gain prominent roles in government after the Congress passed the Reconstruction Act over President Andrew Johnson's veto (History.com, 2013). Because of this, the South became five military districts. Each state had to approve of the 14th amendment. This gave equal protection to former slaves (History.com, 2013). Due to the freedoms former slaves were being given, African Americans began to contribute to the government. While most African American legislators were Republic, many Southern white legislators were Democrats. Obviously, the Ku Klux Klan supported the Democrats and did everything in their power to silence African Americans in government. Black gathering places were the perfect targets for Klan members to strike. For the sake of discretion, a Klan member wore long white robes and a mask over their face so they wouldn't be recognized. At the least, 10% of black legislators were attacked by Klan members (History.com, 2013). One particularly violence act was when Klan members broke into a prison and lynched eight black prisoners in South Carolina in 1871 (History.com, 2013). Their aim? To eradicate the Radical Reconstruction in the south and bring back white supremacy in society. They would soon contribute a lot to the Jim Crow Laws. For the first time in ten years, African Americans had reason to feel a sense of danger whenever they went. Another victim of hate, the Ku Klux Klan, were after them.