Terrorism is the use of violence to intimidate others (dictionary.com). When people hear the word terrorism, most think of people from other countries, but what about here in the United States? The land of the free, home of the brave? Due to racial hatred, an American terrorist group is alive. Who are they? They are a group of white supremacists that go by the name, KKK.
The Ku Klux Klan was founded in 1865 in Pulaski, Tennessee (2). It started out as a Christian organization, beginning during the era known as Reconstruction (3). They promoted hatred to all non-white races and anyone who helped or supported them, wanting to maintain their own form of white supremacy in the south. Their main goal was to promote fear in the lives of people, …show more content…
He led the Klan through a very violent time and with the already racist atmosphere, membership if the skyrocketed. Quarrels between whites and blacks were not uncommon. In the summer of 1866, a riot of Klansmen went through Tennessee burning churches and school. After a brawl between the black and whites broke out, 46 people had died. By 1868 the Klan had morphed themselves into a hooded terrorist group, calling themselves the “Invisible Empire of the South” (2). In 1869 the Klan had gained a reputation for violence and in turn attracted criminal, causing many of the original members to drop out. Also because of this known violence, Forrest himself dropped out, temporarily breaking up the Klan. Even without a leader, a fraction of the supporters kept the Klan alive, slowly growing it into the rest of the country. In Kansas and Louisiana over 3,000 blacks were killed in connection to the Klan. …show more content…
It happened in 1964, during this time schools, churches, and even homes were being targeted and firebombed by the Klan (18). So on June 21, when three civil rights members, James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner heard that a church they had attended had been firebombed they went to go visit. The Mt. Zion Church in Neshoba County lied in ruins. After visiting the church, the three men were heading home and were stopped by Sheriff Cecil Price. Chaney, the driver, was arrested for speeding and the other two men were also taken in for investigation. Priced clocked the men in at around four-o-clock, telling them they had to wait until the Justice of Peace had arrived. What the three men did not know was that Price had lied to them, fines were posted and they should have been released. They waited in jail for six hours until Price returned, fined Chaney, and released them all without a representative from the Justice of Peace. After Cecil Price released the three men, they were never seen alive. All during this time, staff working with followed procedure where they call police and stations in order to find their co-workers. Every station said they had not seen any of the men. Soon enough the FBI got involved in the search for Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner. The search caught national attention, and six weeks later, investigators received a tip which led them to a
The Ku Klux Klan was founded in 1865 in Pulaski, Tennessee (2). It started out as a Christian organization, beginning during the era known as Reconstruction (3). They promoted hatred to all non-white races and anyone who helped or supported them, wanting to maintain their own form of white supremacy in the south. Their main goal was to promote fear in the lives of people, …show more content…
He led the Klan through a very violent time and with the already racist atmosphere, membership if the skyrocketed. Quarrels between whites and blacks were not uncommon. In the summer of 1866, a riot of Klansmen went through Tennessee burning churches and school. After a brawl between the black and whites broke out, 46 people had died. By 1868 the Klan had morphed themselves into a hooded terrorist group, calling themselves the “Invisible Empire of the South” (2). In 1869 the Klan had gained a reputation for violence and in turn attracted criminal, causing many of the original members to drop out. Also because of this known violence, Forrest himself dropped out, temporarily breaking up the Klan. Even without a leader, a fraction of the supporters kept the Klan alive, slowly growing it into the rest of the country. In Kansas and Louisiana over 3,000 blacks were killed in connection to the Klan. …show more content…
It happened in 1964, during this time schools, churches, and even homes were being targeted and firebombed by the Klan (18). So on June 21, when three civil rights members, James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner heard that a church they had attended had been firebombed they went to go visit. The Mt. Zion Church in Neshoba County lied in ruins. After visiting the church, the three men were heading home and were stopped by Sheriff Cecil Price. Chaney, the driver, was arrested for speeding and the other two men were also taken in for investigation. Priced clocked the men in at around four-o-clock, telling them they had to wait until the Justice of Peace had arrived. What the three men did not know was that Price had lied to them, fines were posted and they should have been released. They waited in jail for six hours until Price returned, fined Chaney, and released them all without a representative from the Justice of Peace. After Cecil Price released the three men, they were never seen alive. All during this time, staff working with followed procedure where they call police and stations in order to find their co-workers. Every station said they had not seen any of the men. Soon enough the FBI got involved in the search for Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner. The search caught national attention, and six weeks later, investigators received a tip which led them to a