KKK
...y would try to scare the blacks that had just recently gained voting power. They would mostly threaten the blacks that they felt threatened by. The first era of the Ku Klux Klan was shorter than the rest because in 1871, congress passed the Force Bill, which gave the president authority to use federal troops against the Klan. That bill helped President Grant put a stop to the Klan early. The traditions and basic ideas were set during the first era, such as white hoods and clocks and the ritual of the “Cross lighting”. Cross lighting is a ceremony that takes place at night at a secluded location in the woods. Before the Klan members could set up the cross, they would soak the cross in kerosene. Only about 15 Klansmen would participate in the ceremony. To start the ceremony, the leader of the Klan was passed an unlit torch each member of the Klan. They would then slowly form a circle around the 15-meter high cross that stood in the center of the men. In figure 1.A. is two of the main leaders of the group standing in the 100-foot circle at the base of the cross. The reverend of the group would start the ceremony off with a 10-minuet prayer, “A Knight Hawk then lit his torch with a lighter and from it lit the torch of the Ohio Grand Dragon. He then held his torch up and passed it to another Klansmen and said, ‘brother will you accept this light and pass it on.’ The next Klansman said, ‘brother I accept the light and pass it on.’ The passing then continued in a progression around the circle until all the torches were lit” (Smith). Since the cross-had been soaked three times in kerosene, the cross flew into flames in a matter of seconds. After they had said a few prayers, they walked around in a circle around the cross. After the ceremony was finished, the Klan held a secret initiation of new members. Before the second era of the Ku Klux Klan began two big waves of immigration happened. First came about 9 million Germans and Aniosachsian, and then there came about 14 million others. Pastor William J. Simmons, a former Methodist clergyman, lit a 15-meter high cross on Stone Mountain near Atlanta, Georgia. After that Simmons organized a new Klan in Atlanta. The Klan was for “patriotic fraternal society for American-born white Protestants”(Hohmann). David Wark Griffith was a pioneer American movie director and producer. Between 1908 and 1012 he built basic strategies that made filmmaking popular. Griffith was very productive from 1913 through 1924. Griffith put out a film that was promoting the organization and also promoted racism. Millions of people around the United States watched the film. By the mid 1920s the number of members had reached around 1 million. Members of the Klan burned crosses, whipped, tortured, and murdered people who angered them. The Klan had its own newspaper called “The Projector”. Also the Klan had a textile factory that produced the robes and hoods. The Klan elected public officials and became a powerful force in the south and part of the north and western part of the United States. Public criticism of the Klan’s violence and quarrels among the group leaders weakened the organization. By the 1930’s only local groups in the south remained quite strong. The group soon died out by 1944. “After World War II, Dr. Samuel Green of Georgia led a concerted attempt to revive the Klan, but it failed dismally as the organization splintered and as state after state specifically barred the order”(Columbia). Southern civil rights acts during the 60s gave the Klan reasons for the organization to come to life again. There were many Klan’s around the county but they were small and scattered. The most remember able were the white knights oh the Ku Klux Klan, which was led by Robert Shelton. This era’s Klan was known and responsible for violent attacks on blacks and also civil rights workers in cites in th...