Methodology of Ku Klux Klan Organization - Research Paper Example

Ku Klux Klan Organization Ku Klux Klan Organization The United s made significant gains in Civil Rights throughout the 20th century. In the 21st century, the country that had once enslaved hundreds of thousands of African Americans, elected its first black President. However, despite the substantial gains that have been achieved in past decades, its clear that race relations continue to an area of high tension. Perhaps nowhere is this more evident than in the continued existence of the white supremacist group the Ku Klux Klan. Today, the Ku Klux Klan stands as one of the most notorious terrorist organizations in United States history. Although the Klan’s numbers have dwindled, the terrorist outfit remains a threat and voice in the United States. The present research provides a background summary of the Ku Klux Klan, considers the organization’s methodology, its tactics and method of operation, and the potential threat it poses to the United States. Background The Ku Klux Klan was founded in 1866. Of course, one recognizes that at this time slavery had recently been outlawed and the United States was entering into a major transition stage regarding the rights of African Americans. After its 1866 founding, the Klan quickly spread throughout the United States and by 1870 – only four years – the organization had a substantial presence in every state in the union. While the Klan experienced a slight period of decline in the late 19th century, in the early 20th century concerted efforts occurred that contributed to its revival during this period. Particularly, D.W. Griffith’s film the “Birth of a Nation” motivated much new Klan membership. While Klan membership would gradually decline throughout the 20th century, it experienced a period of revival during the Civil Rights Movement, as Klan organizations mobilized in protest efforts. Since this period the Klan’s numbers have gradually declined (Bullard, 2005). Methodology of Organization As the organization began in the wake of the Civil War and the emancipation of the slaves, one recognizes that white supremacy constitutes perhaps its primary epistemological assumption. Of course, one recognizes that the Klan’s most thematic message is its support of racism and white supremacy throughout the United States. While the Klan’s outward expression of racism is a major factor in its overarching methodology, the organization also is recognized as adopting Christian ideals and has historically been linked to Protestanism as a major religious element. In terms of structure, the Klan has evolved a significant amount throughout its extended existence. While at one time in the United States’ history the Klan had a substantial national presence, in recent decades the organization’s dwindling numbers have resulted in it splintering into a variety of groups throughout the country. Although these groups are tangentially related, in many ways they are segmented and independent entities. Among the independent entities currently in existence include the American Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, the Imperial Klans of America, and the Knights of the White Kamelia. To some degree, these independent Klans have made efforts to promote their philosophical orientations to a mainstream audience. This approach was inspired by former Klan Imperial Wizard David Duke, who himself attempted to popularize the organization through repeated fail efforts at political office. In this guise, the Klan has attempted to hide its blatant racism and instead incorporate euphemisms into its political messages (Archive.adl.org, (2015). Although these Klan organizations remain in existence, this approach has not been effective in energizing the forms of enrollment that had occurred in past decades. Tactics and Method of Operation The Klan has implemented a multitude of tactics throughout its over 100-year existence. Among the most prominent and iconic of these tactics constitutes the cross burning that the Klan members engage in. As the Klan claims to be a Christian organization, its adoption of cross burning as a sign of protest is perplexing to many. However, the practice is one that dates back to the Medieval Period in Europe, which is a historical epoch the Klan members embraced as the most pure period in world history. Koerner (2002) indicated that, “In the days before floodlights, Scottish clans set hillside crosses ablaze as symbols of defiance against military rivals or to rally troops when a battle was imminent.” The extent that the early (pre-20th century) Klan members burned crosses is not known, but theorists have speculated that the organization’s cross burning was initially imaged by writer Thomas Dixon, who wrote the novel the Clansman which detailed a fictionalized account of cross burning. Cross-burning from this novel was then included in D.W. Griffith’s film “Birth of a Nation.” The film glorified the Klan and contributed to a revival in its membership. The new members, influenced by the film, began incorporating cross burning in regular ceremonies beginning in Georgia in 1915. Cross-burning has remained a prominent tactic implemented by Klan members throughout the 20th and now the 21st centuries. Koerner (2002) further noted that since the late 1980s close to 1,700 cross burnings have been documented throughout the United States. In addition to cross burnings, the Klu Klux Klan has regularly participated in lynching African Americans or other people they deem antithetical to their mission. Recently, the Federal Bureau of Investigation even conducted an investigation into the lynching of four black men that occurred approximately 70 years ago. The Bureau questioned whether or not elderly people who had been identified and had previously been a part of the Ku Klux Klan, had ties with these killings. While one predominantly associates the Klan lynching people with events that occurred in the early 20th century of during the Civil Rights Movement, reports have continued to links the Klan with such killings. Even as the Klan has changed a substantial amount throughout the decades, in many regards it has continued to implement the same forms of terrorist tactics. In recent years, the Klan was involved in a protest that went beyond what might consider its normal fare. In these regards, the organization protested the extremist Westboro Baptist Church. While historically such an extremist church is something that one might assume the Klan would have supported, the Klan, which showed up at the Westboro Baptist church’s protest in front of Arlington National Cemetary, believed that the Church was not properly recognizing the soldiers who were buried in the cemetery (Read, 2015). Such an event attests to the Klan’s continued activity and the breadth of its political and philosophical orientations. Potential Threat to the United States The late 20th century witnessed a number of things that have greatly diminished the potential threat the Klan poses to the United States. A substantial amount of lawsuits in the late 20th century inflicted significant damage on the Klan, as these lawsuits deemed many of the Klan’s activities to have gone beyond simple free speech efforts. However, while in many ways the Ku Klux Klan’s operations are a thing of the distant past, in some ways this organization continues to present a threat to the United States. Currently, the amount of members in the Klan is believed to be between 5,000 – 10,000. These figures are significantly lower than the amount of members the organization had throughout much of the 20th century, particularly during the Civil Rights Movement, when membership increased to levels that matched the group’s early 20th century membership. Still, as the 20th century demonstrated, Klan membership has been cyclical. Bullard (2005) considered the potential and the extent that the Klan poses a continued threat to the United States. While she recognized that the Klan’s numbers and influence had greatly dwindled, she believed that the Klan’s underlining tenants remain. Although the membership rate is relatively low compared to past decades, these members still regularly disrupt organizations and pose challenges to public stability. While African Americans remain a continued target of Klan enmity, increasingly the organization has directed its hatred towards other groups throughout the country. In the 21st century, this has particularly involved increasing amounts of hatred towards immigrants and Hispanics. The Klan additionally has been active in anti-Semitism. Conclusion In conclusion, while the Klan has been predominantly aligned with anti-African American efforts, their prejudice has extended well beyond these borders. Recognitions that the Klan has directed terrorist activities towards immigrants and Jews attests to a general recognition that rather than racism being an underlining factor that has propelled the organization forward, that instead the Klan’s main philosophical orientation is its embracement of a conservative mindset that positions it against individuals who enter the country and threaten their livelihood. With this recognition in mind, the Klan can be said to perhaps constitute the most extreme of American impulses and fears. Even while the Klan’s numbers have dwindled and, to a great extent, no longer pose a major terrorist threat, the mindset of the people who have supported and joined their efforts over the years still exists in pockets of extremism throughout the country. Whenever the Ku Klux Klan appears at a protest event, their continued presence is a testament to the history of racism and prejudice that has long been an element of the United States. References Archive.adl.org,. (2015). Ku Klux Klan -- Extremism in America. Retrieved 8 July 2015, from http://archive.adl.org/learn/ext_us/kkk/history.html?LEARN_Cat=ExtremismLEARN_Su bCat=Extremism_in_Americaxpicked=4item=kkk%20 Boyle, L. (2015). FBI investigates if KKK suspects in lynching of black men still alive. Mail Online. Retrieved 8 July 2015, from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article- 2955711/FBI-investigates-KKK-suspects-lynching-black-men-alive.html Bullard, S. (2005). The Ku Klux Klan. Montgomery, Ala.: Klanwatch, a project of the Southern Poverty Law Center. Koerner, B. (2015). Why does the Ku Klux Klan burn crosses?. Slate Magazine. Retrieved 8 July 2015, from http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2002/12/why_does_the_ku_kl ux_klan_burn_crosses Read, M. (2015). KKK Counter-Protests God Hates Fags Church. Gawker. Retrieved 8 July 2015, from http://gawker.com/5806819/kkk-counter-protests-god-hates-fags-church Read More