The Ku Klux Klan is one of America's oldest and most feared groups; driven by the dream of a world with only one race. The Ku Klux Klan also known as the KKK can be separated into different periods, each period led by a different leader. The KKK only grew stronger, richer, and more violent as the years past. It was begun almost accidentally; many people just needed a distraction from the hard times after the Civil War. They turned to violence. In the past their raids often led to the death of many black people. Today with a new form of terrorism they have tried to poison water supplies, rob banks, plant bombs, and commits assassinations; some were even accomplished successfully before the law interfered. .
The original Ku Klux Klan was organized by ex-Confederate elements to oppose the Reconstruction policies of the radical Republican Congress and to maintain "white supremacy" (The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 1). After the Civil War many southerners felt that with such weak local governments they needed to take action and that is just what they did. .
In 1865, six men from a small town in Tennessee accidentally began what has grown to be the largest and most feared "hate group" in the country. The men decided to make a club to help release the stress of the times. The men were all poor and could not afford to make gowns or great costumes for the group, so they decided to use linens. They wore the linens over their backs and put pillowcases on their heads. In the beginning, the men wanted to do nothing more than play pranks on people. However, the pranks soon turned violent and the word spread quickly across the South. Suddenly everyone, including their new leader, wanted to be involved in such a daring and exciting organization. .
The "Grand Wizard", as Nathan Bedford Forrest was deemed, quickly took over his duties. His goal was to get rid of as many black people and carpetbaggers as possible.