Although the KKK weren’t active as an organisation for the final part of the 19th century, there was a revival around the time of the First World War. This revival could have been due to the impact of the war, as it increased tensions on the home front, but it was also partly due to the film “Birth of a Nation”, which depicted hundreds of KKK members “saving” white civilisation. The films racist message was greeted with enthusiasm from white supremacist groups, particularly the KKK. The revived Klan had a huge impact, as membership rose, not only in the South but in the North and mid West. This could have been a result of the war, as the Great Migration meant that there were more African Americans living in the North than there had been before the turn of the century, and could have caused the racist attitudes to spread beyond the southern States. The revival of the KKK lasted for several years after the war, and by 1924 had around for million members. This huge increase in membership meant that as well as taking part in their normal violent activities, the KKK also became influential in politics. During the 1928 election, the Klan ran a hate campaign against Albert E. Smith, the Democratic candidate, as he was a Catholic. As a result of this, Hoover won the election, which can be seen as a negative development for African Americans, as he held slightly more racist views, and did little to help the course of Civil Rights. This also highlights the fact that the Presidents could hinder the movement, by being unsympathetic and refusing to help African Americans in their struggle for equal rights.
The way that the KKK came to have an influence can be compared to White Citizen’s Councils that were set up in the Deep South during the 1950s to maintain segregation. The first Councils were set up in 1955, and were seen as a reaction to the verdict of the Brown v. Topeka case of 1954. The Councils aimed to maintain segregation in the South, and opposed any one who supported integration. They were prepared to defy Supreme Court rulings in order to do this, so in many ways they were similar to the KKK, but without the violence and lynchings, which would have caused public outrage at this time. Like the KKK, the Councils gained some influence over politics. As a result of the White Citizen’s Councils, John Patterson, who was a strong supporter of segregation, became Governor of Alabama. This was a negative development, as segregation was still a huge problem in the South, and wouldn’t be solved if people like Patterson were in influential positions.
Although the Ku Klux Klan and White Citizen’s Councils were the largest anti-rights groups during this period, they weren’t the only groups to hinder the course of African American Civil rights. From 1868, at the end of Reconstruction, a number of secret societies were set up in the South which opposed Civil Rights. These ranged from smaller groups such as neighbourhood police to larger, federated organisations. Apart from the KKK, some of the most significant groups were The Knights of the White Camilla, The Constitutional Union Guards, The Pale Faces and the White Brotherhood. The thing which united all these groups was hatred of freed African American slaves, and by 1971 most of these groups openly fought to maintain control of southern society. Many were armed, and like the Klan were prepared to use violence against black people. Lynching became a particular problem in the south, particularly in Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana and Georgia. As white mobs hung an estimated 2,500 people in the Southern states between 1882 and 1930. The attacks were almost always racially motivated, and made it more dangerous for African Americans to take action or speak out against the racism they faced. It also made it more difficult for black people to vote, as they lived in fear of the white lynch mobs. This would have hindered the progress of Civil Rights, as having the right to vote was seen as an essential part of gaining equal rights. These white mobs weren’t always part of an organisation such as the KKK, showing that ordinary members of the public could hinder the progress of African Americans just as much as big organisations could.
As the Civil Rights Movement became more popular during the 1960s there seemed to be a decline in the influence of anti-rights groups. However there were a number of individuals who hindered the movement. An example is police chief Eugene “Bull” Connor, who was involved with controlling the protests in Birmingham, Alabama in 1963. Many teenagers and children took part in the march organised by the SCLC, but Connor decided to counter the protesters with fire hoses and police dogs. Images of children being beaten and arrested were televised around the world. Although Connor and the city’s police force received much criticism for this, so did the SCLC, who were criticised for allowing children to take part in a protest, in the knowledge that they could be arrested or subjected to violence. This could have hindered the movement slightly, as it created bad publicity, and possibly a more negative public opinion. Another individual who hindered the progress of Civil Rights in same area was George Wallace, who tried to prevent the university of Alabama becoming integrated in 1963, by standing in the doorway and refusing to let black students enter. This event reflected Wallace’s view on segregation, which he strongly supported, declaring “Segregation now! Segregation tomorrow! Segregation forever!” While people such as Wallace held public office, there wasn’t much hope of segregation coming to an end in the South, especially as these views were shared by many members of the general public, who were used to segregation and didn’t want to see it ended.
Anti-rights group were significant in hindering the Civil Rights movement, but they weren’t the only factor holding it back. The movement didn’t always have the support of the Supreme Court, which made it difficult for any changes to be made, particularly regarding segregation in the South. The President’s also played a significant role, as their attitude towards the Civil Rights movement could hold it back. For example, President Wilson had a very negative attitude towards the idea of equal Civil Rights, and did very little to help it develop. In fact it could be said that he did the opposite, as he held racist views, and openly praise the film “Birth of a Nation”, which had helped cause the revival of Ku Klux Klan in 1915. The attitudes of Presidents Reagan and Bush can be compared to this, as although they weren’t as openly racist, they both did very little to help the Civil Rights Movement develop even further in the 1980s. Reagan didn’t see Civil Rights as an important issue, while Bush opposed the Civil Rights Act of 1990.
Although anti-rights did hinder the Civil Rights movement to some extent, there were cases when this failed, mainly due to intervention from the federal government. In 1869, Nathan Bedford Forrest was forced to disband the KKK, because of threats from the government. Some Klan members carried on with their illegal actions, so Congress passed the Third Enforcement Act, also known as the Ku Klux Act, in 1871. This made it illegal to go out in disguise and enter the property of another, and clearly aimed to stop the activities of the KKK. Similarly President Kennedy intervened in both the Birmingham protests and the events at Alabama University in 1963. After the Birmingham protests, the Kennedy administration took part in negotiations with the SCLC and the local government and agreed to integrate department stores in the area, as well as freeing protesters who had been arrested. At Alabama University, Kennedy intervened and the students who had been refused entry by Wallace were allowed to register at the University. This shows how, although groups or individuals tried to hinder the course of Civil Rights, they weren’t always able to, especially as the movement grew and gained popularity.
Overall, anti-rights groups did a lot to hinder the progress of African American Civil Rights in the late 19th century and the early 20th century. However as the movement developed more from the 1960s onwards, they had much less influence, as public opinion generally supported the advancement of Civil Rights, and Congress and the President were more likely to speak out against racist actions. Anti-rights groups may have slowed down the course of Civil Rights, but they didn’t hinder them completely.