What did the Kuklus Klan do. Ku Klux Klan: Downtrodden American Terrorists

Now the Ku Klux Klan can only scare small child, and then, only because of the frightening costume of the participants in the movement. But, several decades ago, the activities of the society instilled fear in the entire black population of the United States.

Ku Klux Klan - the beginning

Back in 1865, former military man William J. Brownlow was elected governor of Tennessee. As an ardent reformer, from the beginning of his political activity he began with radical change. First of all, the reforms concerned the African American population.

Whites who fought on the side of the Southerners in the American Civil War were forbidden to have firearms. Blacks, on the contrary, were granted various privileges when joining rifle squads. The white population actually did not take part in the political and social life state.

Intoxicated with freedom and hatred for the former "owners", the blacks began to commit pogroms. Murder, violence, robbery have become commonplace. Officials in Governor Brownlow's administration, although worried about the state of affairs, were so afraid of being labeled racist that they only dealt with amnesty for African Americans. After spending several days in prison, the criminals were released again and the situation repeated itself.

Those blacks who did not have the courage to engage in criminal activity tried in every possible way to belittle the white population, leaving insults and swearing at them.

A natural reaction to the ongoing events on the part of the whites was the desire to protect themselves, the lives of their children and loved ones. From that moment began the history of the Ku Klux Klan.

Six young guys former members hostilities, seeing aggression and hatred everywhere, decided that it was time to change the situation. And one of the guys came up with the idea to found secret society. Initially, the movement was born for the sake of entertainment, so the participants adopted various rituals from the secret societies of past centuries.

The names of the founding members of the movement were McChord, Reed, Kennedy, Crowe, Lester and Jones. They came up with grotesque robes made of white robes, a long white pointed hat and scary masks. One garment could already terrify many people

According to some sources, the name Klux comes from the Greek "clox" (which means circle). The word Clan was suggested by one of the participants, which was associated with the tradition of the ancient Scots and Irish (the ancestors of one of the members were immigrants from Ireland). The second version says that the name comes from the Latin "cucullo". Translated, it means "hood".

The ultra-right movement began to instill real fear in the black population. Negroes at the sight of "ghosts" in fear fled and closed in own houses. Playing on black religiosity, the Ku Klux Klan came up with a fail-safe method. They began to appear as the restless souls of soldiers.

This myth existed for a long period of time, until one of the Negroes, upon meeting with the KKK, began to shoot in fear. Then it became clear that under the white robes they were hiding ordinary people. After killing a member of the KKK for the first time, they began to wear red or black robes. And more and more often guns or revolvers began to be used.

After a while, the secret society began to grow and became impossible to control. According to some sources, at the beginning of 1866, the clan consisted of approximately 500 thousand members.

Purpose of the Ku Klux Klan Movement

The initial goals of the members of the secret society were fully justified by the current situation in society. Blacks killed and robbed, rioted. And the state authorities, in fact, let them get away with it, fearing censure. It can be said that the goal that prompted the six guys to found a secret movement was to ensure the safety of the white population.

The organization was not going to kill or somehow physically punish blacks. They just wanted to scare them. And at first they succeeded. But, at some point, the situation got out of control. After the first deaths among the members of the KKK, the goals of the Ku Klux Klan became more radical. They simply began to kill blacks and whites who did not share their far-right views. Klansmen committed murders based only on their own hatred of African Americans. They did not want to allow equality between the black and white population of the United States.

Later, Jews, Italians, Chinese and many others, who, according to the KKK, were second-class people, were persecuted, were on their "Black List". Now the goal of the Ku Klux Klan has become the struggle for the assignment of special status and rights to US citizens.

• The KKK was originally organized as a secret society. Many historians, in analyzing the organization, compare its goals with Masonic ones. But further development activities of members of the Ku Klux Klan had mostly only racist overtones.
• Many were negative about the activities of the secret society. In this regard, the appearances were completely secret, and many did not even know the real names and names of their brothers.
• At various times, members of the organization have killed Jews, immigrant Italians and Chinese, members of sexual minorities, supporters of communism, and government members who supported the African American population.
• Many people (primarily officials) who became victims were first sent a warning in the form of an oak twig or orange pits. If a person did not leave the city or did not change his political views, then he was brutally dealt with.
• The hierarchy of the secret movement was quite organized. It was headed by the "Great Sage". With him, as advisers, there were another "10 geniuses." Each state bore the name "Kingdom", where their "Domains" were located. They were led by the leaders of the "Great Tyrants".
• The last Ku Klux Klan went out of business in 1993.

This secret society, which had similar features to the Freemasons, was organized by natives of the southern territories of the United States after the Civil War of 1861-1865, namely Judge Thomas L. Jones and six veterans of the army of the South: McChord, Lester, Kennedy, Crowe, Jones and Reid. All seven lived in Pulaski, Tennessee.

According to one version, the name of the organization comes from the Greek κύκλος - "circle", "wheel". According to another version, the Ku Klux Klan got its name from the characteristic sound when the bolt of a rifle jerks. According to the third version, the name is derived from the Latin cucullus - "hood".

Initially, the name of the society sounded like "Knights of Kyklos", but later it was decided to change it due to the existence in those years of an organization with a similar name - "Knights of the Golden Ring".

Ku Klux Klan. (Pinterest)

The Ku Klux Klan had an unusual and rather complex structure. He headed the organization "Great Sage", who had at his disposal 10 "Geniuses" who were advisers. The states were called "Kingdoms", and they were ruled by "Great Dragons" and headquarters, consisting of 8 "Hydras". Each "Kingdom" had its own "Domains", headed by "Great Tyrants" with assistants ("Furies"). In turn, the "Domains" consisted of "Provinces" under the leadership of the "Great Giants" and 4 "Houses". Also in the hierarchy of the clan there were other positions: "Cyclopes", "Great Magi", "Great Treasurers", "Great Guards", "Great Turks", etc. Ordinary members were called "Vampires". There was also a "Great Standard Bearer" who kept and protected the "Great Banner" - the regalia of the clan.

Initially, the Ku Klux Klans did not set themselves any extremely radical goals: for example, they dressed in white sheets and scared people by riding horses. However, already in April 1867, the Ku Klux Klan was transformed into a very real organization called " Invisible Empire". This was largely because a large number of dwarf racist organizations and unions of Confederate veterans rallied around the southerners. The leader of the KKK was Nathaniel Bedford Forrest, who received the title of "Grand Master". At the same time, the “Order” (a constitution for members of the clan) was developed, in which the main goals of the Ku Klux Klan were highlighted: to save the country from the invasion of blacks, and the white race from humiliation, to give blacks rights that are convenient only for whites, and not to allow equality between whites and blacks.

Nathaniel Bedford Forrest. (Pinterest)

Three times the Ku Klux Klan experienced a rebirth. From 1865 to 1871, when the then head of the organization, General Forrest, announced the dissolution of the organization, the first stage. A few decades later, in 1915, the constituent Assembly new Ku Klux Klan. (At about the same time, David Wark Griffith's The Birth of a Nation, a film about the first birth of the KKK, was released.) Officially, the new organization lasted until 1944, when it was dissolved and split into several groups.

The third revival of the clan occurred in the 1970s. For the first time in for a long time The organization grew to 10,000 people. However, the police arrested the main ideologues of the renewed Ku Klux Klan, which led to another collapse. It is worth noting that to this day, various "descendants" of the KKK are being created every now and then, but are not popular.

From the first days of the founding of the society, the main enemies for the Ku Klux Klansmen were representatives of the black race. The scheme of killings of persons objectionable to the organization was clearly planned, from 10 to 500 people participated in each such crime. Before each kill, the victim received a bizarre sign, such as an oak branch, melon seeds, or orange seeds. After such a warning, the person had to either renounce his views or leave the United States. Those who disobeyed faced death.

Lynch court. (Pinterest)

The murders themselves were also distinguished by their sophistication and cruelty: the victims were drowned, hanged, doused with acid and mutilated. In the 1920s, Jews, Catholics, leaders of trade unions and strike committees, and new immigrants were added to the list of "potentially unwanted persons". Later homosexuals also got into it.

The symbol of the brutal crimes of the Ku Klux Klan has become the famous "lynching", usually carried out by hanging the victim from a tree. In the period from 1881 to 1941, 3,800 black Americans became victims of such a massacre. They tried to vote, join a union, or meet a white girl. Many African Americans have also suffered for being "disrespectful" to a white male.

We are ours, we will build a white world
Even before the advent of the Ku Klux Klan, in the 40s of the XIX century in the South of the USA there were many secret organizations that carried out terrorist acts against officers, soldiers federal troops and individuals who fought for the rights of the black population of America. During the Civil War of 1861-1865, these organizations participated in the fight against the northerners - "Blue Lodges", "Sons of the South", "Social Union". The Knights of the Golden Circle acquired the greatest fame - in November 1860 it consisted of 115.0 thousand people. Almost all of them disappeared - for one reason or another - during the war.
After the defeat of the South in the Civil War, US history began new period- Reconstruction of the South (1865-1877). Of course, in the South a large number of different people social status who showed dissatisfaction with the liberation of blacks, yesterday's slaves. Therefore, the emergence of a new anti-Negro organization turned out to be natural.
On December 24, 1865, in Pulaski, Tennessee, Judge Thomas L. Jones and 6 former Confederate Army officers formed the Ku Klux Klan, as evidenced by a plaque on the wall of the local courthouse. Initially, on the initiative of one of the "founders", Reed, new organization they wanted to name the "Knights of Kouklos" ("Kuklos" in Greek - a circle). But the "Knights of the Circle" was very similar to the earlier society "Knights of the Golden Circle". Then another "founder", Captain Kennedy, a Scot, proposed to add the word "clan" to the name, denoting his historical homeland genus, a group of close relatives. Thus was born the phrase long years has become synonymous with death for the black population of America. As one of the American historians of clanism, D. Wilson, said, even “... in the very name of the Ku Klux Klan there was some kind of fatal force. Have the reader say the word aloud. It resembles the sound of skeleton bones hitting each other.
Wanting to celebrate the creation of their terrorist organization, at night the “founding fathers” wrapped themselves in white sheets, mounted horses and began to gallop through the streets of the city. They laughed heartily at the astonishment which their procession produced upon the inhabitants, and took even greater delight in the fear of the Negroes they met along the way. At first, superstitious Africans mistook the clansmen for the souls of the dead Confederate southerners. The first horror among the Negroes passed only when the dead and wounded appeared among the clansmen.
After the first mass appearance of the people in the Ku Klux Klan, it became customary to wear white masks with holes for the eyes and nose, high hats sewn in such a way as to increase a person’s height, and white robes that completely covered the figure. The equipment necessarily included a whistle with which commands were given: a special set of conditional signals was specially developed in the clan.
One of the first acts of intimidation of the clansmen turned out to be quite "innocent". A black man was punished for courting a white school teacher. The clansmen took him outside the city, made him a suggestion to stop dating white women, and threw him into the river.
The Ku Klux Klan quickly gained popularity, especially among former Confederate army officers and soldiers, staunch racists, and former members of secret organizations such as the Knights of the Golden Circle. In 1865-1867, i.e. For almost two years of existence, the number of clan members has been steadily growing - there were more than a hundred original cells of the clan. By 1868, all southern terrorist organizations had united around the Ku Klux Klan. The social base of the clan was very wide - from the poorest peasants ( wage which fell sharply due to the appearance of cheap labor in the labor market in the form of freed blacks) to the rich.

Mystical vertical
In April 1867, another thing happened in the history of the Ku Klux Klan. significant event- in the city of Nashville, the first, illegal, "congress" of the organization was held. According to legend, the meeting was held in room 10 of the Maxwell Hotel. The "congress" was attended by delegates from Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia. The result of the "conference" was the adoption of the "charter" and "constitution" of the Ku Klux Klan.
The document stated that the clan arose in order to “stop the death of our unfortunate country and save the white race from those unbearable conditions in which it was placed in recent times. Our main mission is to uphold the supremacy of the white race… America was created by whites for whites, and any attempt to transfer power to the hands of the black race is both a violation of the Constitution (meaning the US Constitution) and God’s will… The rights of blacks must be recognized and protected , but whites must retain the privilege of determining the extent of these political rights. And until the Negroes answer how they understand their political rights, the Klan vowed not to allow the political equality of blacks.
The "Congress" also worked out the structure of the organization. The Ku Klux Klan was declared an "Invisible Empire", controlled by a "great magician", in which there was a council (with headquarters functions) consisting of 10 "geniuses". The power of the head of the "empire" was absolute, and his decisions were subject to immediate execution.
The "Empire" was divided into "kingdoms", covering the state, led by the "great dragon" and his headquarters of 8 "hydras". The "kingdom" was subdivided into "domains", equal to the congressional district of the United States. At the head of the "domain" was the "great titan" with assistants, called "furies". "Domains" were divided into "provinces", headed by a "great giant" and 4 "brownies".
The original cell of the clan was a "cave" led by a "great cyclops" and two "night hawks". There were others officials: "great sorcerer", who replaced the "cyclops" in his absence, "great monk", who acted as the head of the "cave" in the absence of the "cyclops" and "sorcerer". The "Great Treasurer", as the name suggests, was in charge of the finances; the "great Turk" notified the "vampires" - ordinary members of the clan - about upcoming meetings; the "great guardian" was the gatekeeper of the "cave"; the “great standard-bearer” kept and protected the “great banner”, i.e. regalia.
The issue of funding Invisible empire' remains unknown. Part of the money the Klansmen obtained by smuggling, they did not disdain robberies, capturing weapons and ammunition. In any case, the clan never experienced a special need for money.
The first leader of the Ku Klux Klan, its "founders" intended to make the famous and talented commander-in-chief of the Confederate army R. Lee, who was defeated in the battle of Gettysburg. However, the general chose not to interfere in the activities of the new terrorist organization, escaping with a witty phrase that "he will remain the invisible head of the Invisible Empire."
Therefore, the former General of the Confederation N.B. was appointed to the post of the first "great magician". Forrest, who was very popular in the South and became famous for his brutality during the Civil War against blacks captured in the troops of the North (former officers and generals of the Confederate army were also placed in other positions).
Most characteristic features The clan became secrecy and mystery. They were necessary for the conspiracy of "vampires", and as a kind of scarecrow for blacks and their "accomplices". The second circumstance was given paramount importance. In many cases, it was enough for the victim to hint that her presence was undesirable, as the person immediately moved to another place. The clansmen tried always and everywhere to emphasize the mystery of the organization, about its connections with mysticism. The clansmen especially preferred night processions - in complete silence, in white robes and caps, on horseback, they rode through the deserted streets. The spectacle, it should be noted, made a certain impression.

Ku Klux Klan in action
The Ku Klux Klan quickly gained popularity, and in 1868 the charter was revised. Now, in addition to the 11 states of the Confederation, the new areas of the clan's activity included Maryland, Massachusetts, and Kentucky. The Klan was most widespread in Tennessee, Alabama, North Carolina and Louisiana. From the 70s. 19th century the Ku Klux Klan makes itself known almost openly; "caves" were designed in the form of political or sports clubs. According to Forrest, the Klan consisted of over 550.0 thousand people, according to other sources - 2.0 million.
The clan acted under different names so that people who are in them can safely swear in court that they are not members of the Ku Klux Klan - the White Brotherhood, the Knights of the Black Cross, the Guardians of the Constitution, the Knights of the White Camellia, etc.
The main "occupation" of the Ku Klux Klan was acts of terrorism. Due to the extraordinary branching of the organization, the "vampires" possessed comprehensive information, on the basis of which they carried out murders, arson, and beatings. In operational terms, the "Invisible Empire" had the following structure - the county (an administrative-territorial unit of the United States) was divided into several districts, each of which was a "lag", i.e. the lowest combat cell, headed by a "captain".
The clansmen acted in mobile groups, depending on the circumstances - from 10-12 to 200-500 people, and extremely quickly, no witnesses were left alive. The murders of blacks and those fighting for their rights were committed with unprecedented cruelty - they shot, maimed, hanged. As a rule, they preferred to throw the victim into the water with a stone around his neck. Florida Governor Flemming says that once, after one unfortunate black man was boiled alive in a cauldron, his bones were assembled by a clansman surgeon into a single skeleton, which the "vampires" hung at a crossroads for intimidation.
Subsequently, only official facts Commission of Congress found that in the period from 1865 to 1870. The Ku Klux Klan committed over 15,000 murders. In 1880, a member of the House of Representatives G. Wilson testified that only for political activity 130,000 people were killed in the southern states.
Death awaited not only ordinary US citizens, but also politicians. In 1868, the Republican candidate for governor of the state was assassinated in Georgia. That same year, two members of the Legislative Corps were attacked in Alabama. One was shot dead, the other, who survived, curtailed his activities. In 1869, the clansmen killed a senator and a member of the Legislative Assembly. Fearing an assassination attempt, one of the radicals in Florida, Gibbs, set up a real arsenal at home, surrounding himself with guards. But this did not help - Gibbs was poisoned.
As a result, by the mid-1970s 19th century the clansmen staged total terror, having achieved the unprecedented power of the "Invisible Empire" in almost all states of the South. Therefore, the federal government was forced to actively intervene in the activities of the Ku Klux Klan, achieving great success in this field. Significantly contributed to the prohibition of the "Invisible Empire" and the death of the "great magician" Forrest in October 1877 (shortly before his death, he freed the "vampires" from all oaths), i.e. when the period of Reconstruction of the South came to an end. However, if the Ku Klux Klan disappeared, then not for long. Soon he reappeared.

Second birth
The second birth of the "Invisible Empire" occurred during the First World War. Although the Ku Klux Klan did not function for about 30 years, the memory of him in the South among the ardent supporters of the anti-Negro movement remained the most "favorable". The new "father" of the clan was a certain Williams Simmons - a brilliant speaker, a participant in the American-Spanish war of 1898, which he volunteered for.
October 28, 1915 in the office of I.R. Clarkson, Simmons' attorney, under the chairmanship of Speaker of the Georgia Legislature D.W. Bale, in the presence of 36 people (of which two were "vampires" under the "great magician" Forrest), a "constituent meeting" of the new Ku Klux Klan was held. The meeting participants signed a petition asking the State of Georgia for permission to establish the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan as a "patriotic, charitable social fraternal order."
On a Thanksgiving night in November, 16 people climbed to the top of Stone Mountain, 10 miles from Atlanta. They performed a ritual action - they built an altar from stones, on which they placed the American flag, a saber and a Bible. A wooden cross was erected nearby, doused with kerosene, which was set on fire.
The rebirth of the Ku Klux Klan happened for several reasons. One of the main reasons for reincarnation was the persistence in the hearts of the new southerners of the memories of the clan as a fighter against blacks, for whom the South had never had much love. This dislike became even more aggravated during the First World War. Secondly, at the beginning of the twentieth century. began a massive migration of blacks from the South to the North, which caused extreme disapproval among the northerners.
The impetus for the revival of the "Invisible Empire" was also the unprecedented popularity of the feature film by the American southern director D.W. Griffith's The Birth of a Nation (1915).
On December 4, 1915, the "Invisible Empire" received the right to legal existence and to use the former attributes, traditions, and regalia of the clan. Having revived, the clan partially accepted other forms of existence, completely unacceptable before. The leaders of the "Invisible Empire" emphasized in every possible way that their movement is "one hundred percent Americanism", that they preach truly patriotic and religious feelings. The clan called for law and order, put forward slogans against prostitution, in defense of morality, which attracted many Americans, and especially women, to the “empire”. One of the "great magicians" of this period, Evans, said: "We are a grassroots movement. We demand (and we hope to win) the return of power to the hands of the average citizen, a descendant of the pioneers…”. In addition to words, the Ku Klux Klan was also engaged in deeds - in 1921, he spent $ 1 million on charity.
At the same time, one should not idealize the "Invisible Empire" - the victory of the Bolsheviks in 1917 led to an increase in anti-communist sentiments, economic instability in the country in 1919-1920. - countless bankruptcies. In all troubles, the clan blamed the “Reds”, foreigners, and of course, the “Black Sea”, inciting chauvinism, preaching nationalism.
Therefore, due to the unfavorable internal situation in the United States, by the end of 1920, hundreds of thousands of people joined the clan, sincerely believing that it was he who could correct the situation. In June 1923, the "Women's Ku Klux Klan" was organized, in 1924 - the "Junior Ku Klux Klan" for boys and youths aged 12 to 18 years. The quantitative growth of "vampires" took place both in the city and in the countryside. From 1920 to 1925 revenues from membership fees alone amounted to $90 million, i.e. per year - 15 million!
As before, "vampires" enjoyed the support of " the mighty of the world this." The clan had huge funds. To bribe, to hold elections to the highest legislative bodies, the clansmen spent hundreds and hundreds of thousands of dollars. As before, their henchmen made their way into power - from the most grassroots bodies to Congress.
In 1922, people sympathetic to the cause of the clan were elected governors of the states of Georgia, Alabama, California and Oregon. In 1924, the number of "vampire" governors increased at the expense of Colorado, Maine, Ohio, Louisiana. In the same year, in 1924, the “great treasurer” of the “empire” allocated 500,000 dollars to support the senator from the state of Georgia. When the opponent of the future senator found out that his opponent was supported by the clan, he immediately "thrown the white flag", i.e. chose to give in.
During the Second World War, the activity of the clan began to decline due to excessive reactionaryness, and on April 28, 1944, due to non-payment of taxes in the amount of 685.305 dollars 8 cents, the Invisible Empire announced in Atlanta financial insolvency and self-dissolution. So that two years later, like a Phoenix bird, again be reborn from the ashes.

On the ruins of an empire
The third birth of the Ku Klux Klan occurred in 1946, in the same Atlanta. One of the last "great wizards" of the Clan was Samuel Greene, a "vampire" from 1922 who became the "great dragon" of Georgia in the early 1930s.
However, the unified, centralized "Invisible Empire" came to a natural end. Even under the chairmanship of Green, the clan was more or less obedient in his hands, but already thoroughly bursting at the seams. In the 40s, all clan organizations in the states of South Carolina, Tennessee, Florida, Alabama consisted of 10 thousand people.
In 1949 Green died and the "empire" collapsed. In the southern states, separate, independent clan organizations are being formed. The most famous "kingdom" was the "Knights of the Ku Klux Klan of America", which arose in 1949 in Alabama, claiming to be the leader of the Ku Klux Klan of the United States.
The split also occurred within these small organizations. Thus, in the “kingdom” of Georgia, local “claverns” in Columbus and Manchester separated, forming the “Genuine Southern Clans of America”, headed by 23-year-old World War II veteran Elton Pate, who proclaimed “a merciless fight against the doctrine communist party”, defending American Protestantism and opposed national minorities.
The abolition of school segregation in 1954 caused great dissatisfaction among all clanists. in this case, separate education for white and black children. Despite the quarrels and strife within the Clan, the "vampires" were, as in the old days, ardent haters of the "non-Americans", incl. blacks. So, in the city of Mobile (Alabama) in January 1957, the Klan blew up three houses in one night, made armed raids on three houses of Negroes, burned down a Negro house and a school building. Total from 1955 to 1965. racists of the South killed 85 people, including 69 blacks and 8 white fighters for the rights of the "colored population" of the United States.
By the beginning of the 80s. 20th century The Ku Klux Klan continued to exist in a fragmented form. The most famous 16 formally independent organizations. The largest are the "United Clans of America - Knights of the Ku Klux Klan" in the city of Tuscaloosa, and the "National Federation of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan" in Louisiana.
At present, the state of affairs in the Ku Klux Klan is almost unknown, in large part due to secrecy, which is the first rule of the "Invisible Empire", which still exists today, but not on such a scale as in past times. It is no coincidence that one of the oaths of the "vampire" was and continues to be the following phrase: "I would rather die than betray the secrets of the clan." In some "caves" coffins are prepared, on which the inscription: "This box is prepared for a talker" is made.
Very interesting is the fact that the leaders of various US clans often visit Russia. First of all, this is a character like David Duke. He began his career as the leader of a small white racist organization in State University Louisiana in the early 1970s. Now he is 50, and he is the national director of the clan. However, you should not take this position seriously, because other clans do not recognize him as such. In 2000, he was in our country twice. He even told reporters that he intended to settle here. Until he carried out his intention. True, most likely, it was not Russia that he liked so much. It's just that the FBI is looking for him at home. It seems that he appropriated the money of his associates, which he invested in the gambling business and lost. But he doesn't like to talk about it. He usually says that Russia is the last bastion of the white race, not yet stained. mixed marriages. Naturally, because in the USA the coordinator has nothing more to catch.
What the clan has become today is amazing: a once great and terrible organization is now a small gathering of degenerates, led by leaders who just want to earn a little money. The clansmen of the last century would have turned over in their graves if they knew that their followers had become, almost, the defenders of blacks. Here is what the same Duke says: “We do not kill blacks. This is a misconception about the clan. It's just that people used to join the clan who wanted to take advantage of the symbols and position of the clansman to kill. If we killed blacks, we would be arrested all the time. Some small clans still claim that they are fighting blacks. On the one hand, it's just ridiculous. On the other hand, we often think, are they provocateurs? Do they want to compromise the clan?”
Today, clansmen fuss about only one reason - they want their rights to be respected. For example, a few years ago they sued New York Mayor Giuliani, who forbade them to rally in overalls and caps. The Klan is suing New York City Hall to overturn the ban on the White Pride March. And the Federal District Court allowed them to march in Manhattan. The court also banned the arrest of marchers if they don their traditional hats, as it considered it illegal. Indeed, why arrest more clown-like racists who, despite the 21st century outside the window, still dream of a black and white world?

Documentary footage depicting a crowd of people in white robes with pointed caps on their heads, standing around a huge burning cross at night, was very often used in Soviet time to illustrate the decay of the West. The Ku Klux Klan, an organization of American racists, perfectly showed the "bestial face of capitalism."

Now it is rarely remembered, although the Ku Klux Klan continues to exist, uniting in its ranks the remnants of the outcasts, obsessed with the theory of racial purity, who continue to talk about the superiority of the white race. The organization has become stricter in keeping its secrets and does not disclose numbers. The FBI assumes that today it includes no more than 5 thousand people. In one century, the Ku Klux Klan "shrank" by almost 4 orders of magnitude.

Who created the Ku Klux Klan

The Ku Klux Klan was founded by six former officers Confederate Army in 1865 in Pulaski, Tennessee. The meeting was held in the office of Judge Thomas Johnson. After 50 years, a memorial plaque will appear on the wall of the building, reminiscent of memorable event. Half a century later, it will be removed, obeying the protests of the local black population. All visitors to the judge were participants in the Civil War between the progressive North and the conservative South.

The slave planters and their Southern Confederacy lost the war. Its outcome was the abolition of slavery. Millions of previously disenfranchised blacks have received, for now, on paper, equal with whites civil rights that daily traumatized the psyche of their former masters. The nature of the relationship between masters and slaves was rapidly changing. Initially, the Ku Klux Klan became a kind of entertainment club for bored former soldiers. They dressed in white overalls with masks and caps, mounted horses and rode through the streets of southern settlements late at night, frightening superstitious African Americans. Former slaves considered the riders to be the souls of those killed during civil war Confederates.

The Pulaski initiative quickly gained popularity throughout the American South. Whites poured into the secret society in droves. Per short term The Ku Klux Klan grew to over half a million members. In 1867, the heads of disparate groups from several states came together and elected the head of the organization, former General of the Army of the South Nathaniel Bedford Forest. He began to be called the Grand Master of the Invisible Empire of the South or the First Great Magician. At the same time, the constitution-prescription of the Ku Klux Klan was adopted.

The name Ku Klux Klan comes from the combination Greek word"circle" and the Scottish "tribal community". Its members considered themselves brothers, united by blood ties. For some, the pronunciation of the name Ku Klux Klan was consonant with the clanging of a rifle bolt. The organization had a complex internal structure. Primary departments were called "lairs". The heads of organizations in a particular state had the title of Great Dragon. Ordinary members, according to the accepted terminology, were called "vampires".

For membership in the Ku Klux Klan, only skin color mattered. Absolutely all American Christian denominations were represented in it, which did not prevent the "vampire" Christians from finding an excuse for intimidation and violence. In some ways, the Ku Klux Klan was similar to Freemasonry. The “freemasons” used to have secret activities, fraternity, and a complex hierarchy, but the Ku Klux Klans themselves considered Masons to be boring people.

Gradually the Ku Klux Klan became radicalized. Inside the organization, thoughts of overthrowing the Republican government were ripening. From harmless intimidation of blacks, the clan moved on to outright violence. A special ritual was developed. In the beginning, an oak branch or melon seeds or orange seeds were thrown to a black family. This meant that African Americans must immediately collect their belongings and leave their place of residence. Those who did not obey were severely punished. Their dwelling was burned, and the head of the family could be lynched.

At the same time, the fashion for clothes among members of the Ku Klux Klan finally “settled down”. White robes, a conical cap, similar to the headdresses of the Spanish inquisitors, and face masks became mandatory. Gradually, a reign of terror was established in the rural areas of the cotton states of America. Concerned about the constant violation of the laws of the country by members of the Ku Klux Klan, President Grant declared the organization a terrorist organization and promised to hang its members ruthlessly. The threat worked, and the Ku Klux Klan calmed down somewhat, and in 1871 Bedford Forrest disbanded the organization altogether.

After more than 4 decades, the second constituent assembly of the Ku Klux Klan was again held in the state of Georgia. Now his place was not the office of a judge, but a lawyer. Williams Simmons was chosen as the new Grand Magician. The organization received the right to legal existence. It was then that a memorial plaque appeared in the city of Pulaski. The second wave of the Ku Klux Klan reached its peak between 1920 and 1925. According to the most conservative estimates, a quarter of all white citizens of the southern American states. The organization extended its influence to the north of the United States. In total, it consisted of about 5 million people.

Its goal, as before, was to abolish equality between whites and blacks, and the means of achieving it was violence. Despite the legal status of the Ku Klux Klan, they mostly operated deep underground, avoiding prosecution for their crimes. Once again, lynchings, robberies and rapes began in rural areas. From the rituals in the 20s, the burning of a wooden cross and the wearing of an emblem appeared - on a red circle a white cross with a drop of blood inside.

The collapse of the clan across America occurred after the events in Indiana in 1925. Local Great Dragon Williams Stevenson forcibly held a white woman in his garage for 3 days. All this time he beat her and raped her. She ended up dying in the hospital a few hours after her release. The Ku Klux Klan has always declared one of its main tasks to protect the virtue of a white woman. One of the highest hierarchs of the organization committed a crime that crossed out not only the myth of the law-abiding Ku Klux Klan, but also all previous declarations about the exceptionalism of the white Americans gathered under the burning crosses of the KKK. Words diverged from deeds, a massive outflow from the ranks of the organization began. In 1944, for the second time, it was decided to dissolve the Ku Klux Klan.

Immediately after the end of the Second World War, the champions of the purity of the white race again put on white robes. Now the clan was not a single entity, but a Federation of separate clans, fighting among themselves for leadership. Branches of the Ku Klux Klan appeared in Australia and West Germany. In the 1950s, "black" America literally rebelled. The Ku Klux Klan proved true to itself and absorbed the most radical white citizens into its ranks. It became a cradle for killers who chose their victims on a racial basis.

If before the organization was a secret, now it has become top-secret. Concern about the radicalization of her remnants led to the fact that, on the personal instructions of the head of the FBI, Edgar Hoover, a “mole” was introduced into her. George Dorsett entered the "lair" of North Carolina, possessing remarkable abilities as an orator. He quickly moved up the hierarchy of the KKK, reaching the very top of it. The FBI paid their agent generously for the information. In the late 60s, the state dealt a massive blow to the racists, from which they were never able to recover.

Ku Klux Klan today

The Ku Klux Klan still exists and holds its meetings. Crosses are also burning and people in overalls are standing around them. After the cleansing fire ritual, they happily eat pork barbecue and talk about the Zionist occupation government that has taken over America. Their gatherings pose no danger to society.

Another thing is that some of them are too exalted participants. Often they grab weapons in their hands and rush to destroy the hated colored people. In 1981, all of America was shocked by the crime that occurred in the city of Nobil, Alabama. Nineteen-year-old African American Michael Donald was beaten to death by a group of whites and hanged. Then his corpse was attached to a car and dragged along suburban roads for several hours.

For the lynching, local KKK member Henry Hayes was sentenced to death penalty. Another of the participants in the lynching received a life sentence. Today's Ku Klux Klans are very hopeful that the influx of emigrants from Latin America and Asia will customize public opinion against visitors and will cause a renaissance of the organization.