Why did people join the Ku Klux Klan?

[bigqueen887]

Why did so many people decide to join this group that revolved around hate and discrimination? Why did so many deem it acceptable to victimize these minority groups?

Detailed and long answer please! Thank you very much!

[Elana]

Somebody writing a paper, eh?

There are a lot of unexpected reasons, at least in the deep South. The KKK was a social organization, a place to meet business contacts, much the way the rotary club might be. Indeed, its secrecy and it's midnight rides added to the thick-as-thieves comradery business community bonds in many small towns.

Why does Joe the grocer always buy his lettuce from the most expensive farmer in town? I just don't get it? Welll .....

There was also an element of "you're either one of us or you're one of them." Whites who were appalled by what the KKK did were occasionally themselves targets of the KKK. What better way to say you support the organization than to join it?

But the most obvious reason is the same reason why Hitler rose to power in the 30s; by extolling the virtues of hating Jews. if you can convince one segment of the population to blame all of its woes on another segment of the population, you get them to rally around a cause and you bond them together.

Frequently, a bogus cause is better than no cause. In Hitler's cause, not only was the cause bogus, it was profitable because by collecting the Jews they were able to directly acquire all of their belongings. Similarly, the KKK could terrorize competitive business owners by virtue of those business owners being the wrong color.

Eliminate the competition and you basically increase the potential market size for the remaining white business owners.

[Brandon]

People became Klansman because they felt it'd been necessary, almost everyone is misunderstood about the Ku Klux Klan. It'd been started in Pulaski, Tennessee, Christmas, 1865. Basically it'd been started as a social club, they'd prank innocent people. It didn't have to do about White pride, White supremacy. Quite soon, it'd expand, they'd soon decide to appoint Nathan Bedford Forrest as their Imperial Wizard.

As they'd expand, Klansman came and came. Ku Klux Klan didn't tell anyone to commit criminal activity, those Klansman that have committed criminal activity did so on their behalf. It'd become so horrible, Nathan Bedford Forrest decided he'd disband it.

It'd come back in Stone Mountain, GA. 1915, by William J. Simmons. Simmons started it mainly as a political party, they had no intention to commit criminal activity. They had some infamous people, Harry S. Truman had been a Klansman. Warren G. Harding had been a Klansman.

So many people decided they'd become Klansman, there'd been a different reason behind each Klansman. Some decided to become Klansman because they liked the mystery. Some decided to become Klansman because they'd been upset about Catholic Immigration. Some decided to become Klansman because it's a brotherhood.

Ku Klux Klan never has been revolved around discrimination, it's mainly a misconception. They believe everyone is created equally, they do believe everyone is meant to be seperated, they believe America has been started as a White Christian Country.

Currently, it still isn't at all about discrimination, it's about brotherhood. It's about White pride, it isn't about White supremacy, there's a difference. There isn't any Ku Klux Klan, currently. There's numerous, anyone, I mean anyone, could start one, anytime, anywhere. Problem is, many people don't understand Klancraft, they don't realize the real reason behind Ku Klux Klan. These idiotic people are those that you'll see on History Channel.