IB History The Ku Klux Klan Notes

The Ku Klux Klan

1. Founded in Tennessee after the Civil War, the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) evolved from a secret society into a violent vigilante group aiming to undermine Reconstruction.
2. The KKK terrorized African Americans and their allies through intimidation, lynchings, assaults, and church burnings.
3. Many members of the KKK held positions of power in government and law enforcement.

Enforcement Acts

1. The Enforcement Acts of 1870–71 and local policing efforts curtailed early Klan violence.
2. As Jim Crow laws disenfranchised Black Americans and entrenched white supremacy, the Klan’s influence declined by the late 19th century.
3. In 1915, the Klan resurged, fueled by anti-immigrant, anti-Catholic, anti-Semitic, and anti-Black sentiment.
   1. The film The Birth of a Nation glorified the Klan, serving as propaganda and winning President Wilson’s praise.
   2. By 1925, membership peaked at around 4 million, including elected officials, before infighting and public backlash led to decline.
4. The Klan also drew strength from the “Myth of Redemption”, a Southern narrative that reframed the violent overthrow of Reconstruction governments as a noble and justified “redemption” of the South.
5. Redeemers (white Southern Democrats) claimed they had “rescued” the South from corrupt, incompetent, and illegitimate rule by Northern Republicans and African Americans.
   1. This narrative cast Reconstruction as a tragic mistake, portraying Black political participation as chaotic, criminal, or dangerous.
   2. White violence and voter suppression were justified as acts of self-defense to restore order, tradition, and “civilization.”
6. The new Klan built directly on the Myth of Redemption, presenting itself as a moral guardian of white supremacy and traditional values against modernity, immigrants, and Black progress.