The Ku Klux Klan was formed on December 24, 1865 by a group of southern soldiers from the American civil war. The impact that this "hate group" has on American history is outstanding. Horrific acts based on hate towards someone other than a white Christians have been committed for many years. Lives have been destroyed, people have been killed, and the KKK's hateful beliefs have only increased and expanded throughout the world. The Ku Klux Klan is one of the most influential hate groups ever, and the crime and racism that come along with the KKK is a uniquely American form of horror.
A Brief History.
The American civil war was the only time in America's history that the united country we all know of today, was once divided. Most people in the north believed that slavery was unfair and inhumane, while in the south most of its inhabitants supported the enslaving of African Americans. When the South lost the civil war, and slavery was forbidden, some of the soldiers were unhappy with the outcome and couldn't accept the fact that slaves were illegal, and now had freedoms like everyone else. Commonly, scare tactics were used to get northern soldiers and slaves to leave the south. The Ku Klux Klan started as a non-violent hate group, but that would change dramatically.
The Ku Klux Klan eventually progressed from racist thoughts and words to racist acts of violence. By 1869, the Ku Klux Klan's reign of terror was halted after the hate group lost its privileges of existence. This happened because of the frequent hate crimes and violent acts carried out by the KKK. Crimes were committed against free slaves, African Americans and even whites from the north or white supporters of slavery's abolishment. These supporters were often political figures, but that didn't scare off the Ku Klux Klan, instead they thrived on the publicity. The banning of the KKK lasted for such a long time that many people simply forgot about the hate group, but in 1915 the country was reminded of their racist presence.
