The second Ku Klux Klan was founded in 1915 by William J. Simmons. The new Klan had much more intense views than the Klan before it, for it added to white supremacy an intense nativism and anti-Catholicism. The Klan controlled politics in many communities and in 1922, 1924, and 1926 elected many state officials and a number of Congressmen. Its power in the Midwest was broken during the late 1920s when David C. Stephenson, a major Klan leader, was convicted of second-degree murder. Evidence of corruption also surfaced led to the indictment of the governor of Indiana and the mayor of Indianapolis, both supporters of the Klan. The Klan often took illegal measures, especially against those whom it considered its enemies. At its peak in the mid-1920s its membership was estimated at 4 million to 5 million. Although the actual figures were probably much smaller, the Klan then declined to an estimated 30,000 by 1930.
After World War II, Dr. Samuel Green of Georgia attempted to revive the Klan, but failed. Southern civil-rights activities during the 1960s gave the Klan a new mission, which led to revivals of many different Klan organizations. The most notable of these were Mississippi's White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, led by Robert Shelton. The newly revived Klan groups were responsible for violent attacks against blacks and civil-rights workers in cities throughout the South. In spite of its efforts, the new Klan was not strong, and by the end of the decade its power and membership had declined to practically nothing. Although a resurgence of support for the Klan was manifest in the surprising popularity in the early 1990s of David Duke of Louisiana, actual membership in Klan organizations is estimated to be in the low thousands.
The Klan’s beliefs are:
- The White Race is the irreplaceable hub of our nation, our faith and the high levels of western culture and technology.
- America should always be first before any alien influences or interest.
- The Constitution, as originally written and intended, is the finest system of government ever conceived by man.
- Every American has the right to practice their faith, including prayer in schools.
- The family is the strength of our nation.
- Abortion should be outlawed, except in the very rare case in which the life of the mother is endangered.
- All immigration should cease until all Americans are gainfully employed.
- Troops should be positioned at all borders to stop the flow of illegal aliens.
- The death penalty should be given to all convicted drug dealers and smugglers.
- The laws of the land should always be upheld. Criminal acts of any kind will not be condoned or tolerated.
Some symbols of the Klan are the fiery cross, the robe and hood. The Klan says “the fiery cross is an ancient symbol of white racial victory against tyranny.” They say that they do not “burn” the cross they light it to represent the “light of Christ” that cleanses evil from our land and dispels darkness and ignorance. Another symbol of the Klan is the robe and hood. They say that they wear the hood and robe in their ceremonies in honor of their traditions and to show brotherhood.
The Klan gains members like most other cults today, through use of the Internet. Klan websites use a tones-down approach, they try to appear normal and non-hate group. The websites preach white racial pride but state that they are neither anti-black nor anti-Catholic. “Thom Robb’s website relies on traditional Klan themes: whites are victims of intolerance who face racial extinction from a horde of Blacks and foreigners eager to intermarry and destroy American culture and religion; America should belong to Americans, not Asians, Arabs or Jews. Furthermore, early incarnations of Robb's site reprinted the "Franklin Prophecy," a vile, anti-Semitic speech falsely attributed to Benjamin Franklin.” The Klan claims to follow a form of Christianity and they say they are needed because history repeats itself. They make themselves appear greater than what they are by distorting and fictionalizing their past and comparing themselves to other religions and associating themselves with famous, well-respected people.
The Ku Klux Klan is very easily labeled a cult because they have had very many charismatic leaders, they create their own radical beliefs and they have an “us vs. them mentality”. The Klan has been present in the United States for over 130 years and has maintained itself throughout many ups and downs. Based on the facts that ignorance and racial discrimination is a part of our society and will always be present in the United States, I think that the Ku Klux Klan will always exist in the United States in one way, shape or form.