Ku Klux Klan

The Ku Klux Klan, with its long history of violence, is the most infamous, and oldest, of American hate groups. Although black Americans have typically been the Klan's primary target, it also has attacked Jews, immigrants, gays and lesbians and, until recently, Catholics.

Top Takeaways
Unlike white nationalist organizations, whose meme wars and pressed khakis appeal to an impressionable younger generation, the Klan’s online presence and public image remains rigid and unrefined, effectively diminishing their recruitment. Infighting between members on Facebook and Stormfront involves accusations of drug use, domestic violence and disloyalty, and the number of groups continues to plummet. Klan groups have attempted to form alliances with other segments of the movement, such as the League of the South and the National Socialist Movement, to retain some semblance of relevance.

Key Moments
The most visible Klan activities have been few and far between. Besides flyering campaigns in Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia and a Sept. 1 rally in Madison, Indiana, which drew all of 12 Klan members, the most notable Klan news of 2018 involved a prison sentence. In August, Richard Preston, Imperial Wizard of the Confederate White Knights, was sentenced to eight years in prison with four years suspended for firing his weapon within 1,000 feet of a school at the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017.

What’s Ahead
Despite the Klan’s relatively low profile in 2018 and self-destructive infighting, the group should not be written off as obsolete. Their hateful ideologies beget racist rhetoric which can in turn become the impetus for violent action. While flyers may seem a petty attempt at recruitment and white robes appear antiquated in an era of refined optics, the fear that such materials and imagery incite should never be dismissed. The Klan’s long history is intrinsically tied to violence and soaked in the blood of thousands of innocent victims. Given the Klan’s structure based on familial bonds and inheritance, it will exist in the U.S. in some capacity for years to come.

Background
Started during Reconstruction at the end of the Civil War, the Klan quickly mobilized as a vigilante group to intimidate Southern blacks - and any whites who would help them - and to prevent them from enjoying basic civil rights. Outlandish titles (like imperial wizard and exalted cyclops), hooded costumes, violent "night rides," and the notion that the group comprised an "invisible empire" conferred a mystique that only added to the Klan's popularity. Lynchings, tar-and-featherings, rapes and other violent attacks on those challenging white supremacy became a hallmark of the Klan.

After a short but violent period, the "first era" Klan disbanded after Jim Crow laws secured the domination of Southern whites. But the Klan enjoyed a huge revival in the 1920s when it opposed (mainly Catholic and Jewish) immigration. By 1925, when its followers staged a huge Washington, D.C. march, the Klan had as many as 4 million members and, in some states, considerable political power. But a series of sex scandals, internal battles over power and newspaper exposés quickly reduced its influence.

The Klan arose a third time during the 1960s to oppose the civil rights movement and to preserve segregation in the face of unfavorable court rulings. The Klan's bombings, murders and other attacks took a great many lives, including, among others, four young girls killed while preparing for Sunday services at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama.

Since the 1970s the Klan has been greatly weakened by internal conflicts, court cases, a seemingly endless series of splits and government infiltration. While some factions have preserved an openly racist and militant approach, others have tried to enter the mainstream, cloaking their racism as mere "civil rights for whites." Today, the Center estimates that there are between 5,000 and 8,000 Klan members, split among dozens of different - and often warring - organizations that use the Klan name.