Ku Klux Klan

The Ku Klux Klan (KKK; ), sometimes referred to as the Klan, is an American Protestant-led white supremacist and far-right hate group. Historians widely identify it as one of the earliest terrorist groups in the United States, citing its organized use of violence and intimidation to influence political and social conditions, particularly in the post-Civil War South. Across its three major iterations, the Klan has operated as a secret society made up of multiple affiliated organizations that used threats, assaults, and killings to advance their aims. Over its various eras, its targets included African Americans, Jews, Catholics, and immigrants. The first Klan emerged during Reconstruction, founded by former Confederate soldiers who opposed federal efforts to extend civil and political rights to formerly enslaved people. It carried out widespread violence against Black voters, officeholders, and their white allies in an effort to undermine Republican state governments and restore white Democratic control in the South. Federal Enforcement Acts and prosecutions beginning in 1871 significantly weakened this iteration. A second Klan, founded in 1915 and reaching its peak in the 1920s, expanded beyond the South and attracted millions of members from segments of the native-born white Protestant population. It promoted nativism, racial segregation, and "100 percent Americanism," and engaged in intimidation and, at times, mob violence. A third wave arose in the mid-20th century in response to the civil rights movement; although smaller, it included groups that carried out acts of racial terror aimed at resisting desegregation and racial equality. Despite differences in size and structure, all iterations shared core ideological elements, including white supremacy, racial segregation, and hostility toward perceived outsiders. Over time, Klan groups espoused positions associated with white nationalism, anti-immigration nativism, antisemitism, anti-Catholicism, anti-communism, homophobia, Islamophobia, and opposition to civil rights reforms. Some members framed their activities as defending "Americanism" and Christian morality, and certain local chapters sought social respectability through parades, charitable events, and political organizing. Major Christian denominations, including leading Protestant bodies, formally condemned the Klan's ideology and methods as incompatible with Christian theology. The Klan is widely viewed as a violent extremist movement that contributed to systematic racial oppression and domestic terrorism. Modern scholarship has documented its extensive use of intimidation, lynching, and political violence, emphasizing its long-term impact on American history. Earlier supporters offered alternative interpretations, portraying the Klan as a patriotic or law-and-order organization responding to social or political upheaval. They cited agreement with its racial policies, approval of its fraternal or charitable activities, and the belief that it upheld "law and public morality." Historians generally contrast these justifications with extensive records of Klan violence and coercion, highlighting the gap between the organization's self‑presentation and its documented actions.