I heard that the KKK wasnt supposed to be all what it was (killing and hating wise)...is that true?

Answer 1

They came about shortly after The Civil War. Originally they were a fraternal order similar to The Elks or The Moose Lodge. White supremacy was not their number one priority. However, they were all white Southerners and definitely not fond of the idea that blacks should act as free men.

When blacks began to establish organized bureaucracies of their own (schools, churches, local leadership in any fashion) the Ku Klux Klan felt their way of life threatened and hatred reared it's ugly head. It was at this time they (the KKK) started wearing the white hoods and terrorizing black Americans. They just gut uglier and meaner as the years progressed, turning to out right torture and murder of the perceived enemy.

They were rotten souls from the start, but they didn't focus their hatred on blacks until a decade or two after their beginning.

Answer 2

I don't know about that. All I've heard is about their hatred. I live in a state where their are still many KKK and they are proud of it. I've seen on many talk shows how they are still in full force and teaching their kids to hate anyone who isn't white.

I am white, but do not agree with this. Supposedly in my home town many years ago the KKK used to hang undesireables from the flagpole. It was always rumored there was a sign at each end of town that said a N----- in town at sundown is a dead N-----. Just a few miles away there also is a hanging tree that supposedly was used by KKK for many years.

I don't approve of this, just telling you what I've heard. It wasn't more than 5 years ago however, that a friend of mine had a black Santa hanging on the outside of her house. It was taken down and burned in her front yard.

It is hard to believe that people act this way in this day and age. But, if they act this way now, I can just imagine how it was when the KKK first started.

Answer 3

The KKK did indeed start out as a fraternity. For Confederate war veterans and sympathizers. Once Black people started to do stuff like start businesses and schools they felt that Blacks were trying to rise above their "station" in life. The real catalyst for the violence was Lincoln's assassination and Johnson's forgiving men who were considered traitors to the Union. Once Johnson did that Reconstruction ended and "Redemption" began. During the Redemption the KKK and other white supremesist groups began the reign of terror they're now imfamous for. Once the Civil Rights Acts were passed the KKK's days of carefree lynching and terror were really over. Today, the KKK want to be known as White Nationalists, not White Supremesists.

A note for people who don't know: In early part of the 20th century most parts of the country made it illegal to wear a mask during a parade, demonstration, or public meeting in an effort to quell the KKK and other similar groups. All these laws really accomplished was to let everyone know who was a diehard supremesist and who wasn't. That's why the KKK members who go on daytime TV are always unmasked. Its become a part of their culture to be confrontational terrorists rather than boogie men who come to burn you out in the middle of the night.

Answer 4

The answer above is right in that it started as a fraternity sort of thing, but the dressing up in white sheets gave people a freedom to exploit their cruelty without fear of reprisal.

What most people don't know is the breadth of the KKK's hatreds; most people only know about their intolerance for black people, but this occured in the southern states and the poorer states where poor white people were competing with freed slaves for land and jobs - they used the KKK as a way of terrorising the black population so that the white people could get the jobs. In the richer states and the northern states, the KKK focussed mainly on Jews and Catholics, and in states like New York on the Italian and Greek immigrant populations. In fact, the KKK would turn on anyone who wasn't like them - they tarred and feathered and beat and branded a protestant preacher because he was preaching for inclusion. They used to tar and feather and beat white protestant women who they thought were having extra-marital affairs.

In short, the KKK were a very very nasty bunch of people - it is everything that it has been made out to be, killing and hating wise.

Answer 5

I know what the KKK is today- a place for those with troubles to find a way to blame other people for their problems. And I know what it was back in the late 1800's, early 1900's. My great-grandfather was a member back in the hills of West Virginia. Back then they were the only law-enforcement. If a man was abusing his wife/family, the Klan talked to him. It didn't matter if he was black/white/polka-dotted. If someone broke the law, they were warned by a cross burning on a hillside. Back in those days, in the small communities, there was no racism. Everyone took responsibility for themselves and were too busy scraping out a living to have time to blame others for their problems. It seems that today and for the last 20 years, no one wants to be accountable for their actions or un-actions and it is easier to blame it on someone else. This holds true for members of gangs, KKK, neo-Nazis, teen-agers, and even some black organizations. If we could all learn from the past, but not dwell on it or use it as excuses for our current failings, we could all finally progress to the point of just living our lives to the best and getting along.

Answer 6

They didn't start out that way, but as in all things, as time wore on they evolved into the most hate filled organization that the US has ever seen. They hide behind the christian bible and use it for an excuse for their bad behaviour.

Originally they were opposed to the black folks having equal status as them, but then they started attacking the jewish and muslim folks, and recently they've been targeting bi-racial people as "contaminating" their pure race.

I have wondered if Hitler based his atrocities on the activities of the KKK.

Answer 7

the KKK actually started out as a Gentlmens Group by some X cilvil war genrals then it was takin to xtreames by a few radicals you can watch a intresting show on the history of the KKK on A and E

Answer 8

The KKK is just a bunch of horses a$$es that their lives are so shallow that these people get their rocks off by causing harm and disruption to other people lives. Black people especially. You get one drunk yahoo talking crap and they all jump in. Like flies on a pile of crap. They have to wear their white sheets like a diaper because they are full of ..it. They feel they have to take out their frustrations of their failures on others that are not of their kind. And this gives them satisfaction in their life. Isn't it odd that the people in the KKK are all men? Bunch of fags.
KKK = Kissen kousin Ken.

Answer 9

The Klan that I have always known is just a group of evil, barbaric people who bring shame to the South and the white race. I did a little research, and according to this website - you are right, it was not originally organized to be the monster that it is today. BUT, haven't read the book - may not be a word of truth in it. Maybe someone will read it and report back to us :-)

Answer 10

Anyone who belongs to the KKK suffer from inferiority complexes. They are deranged and need serious medical attention. White jackets with lots of straps look best on them.