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Show Development of the Ku KluTKffl By POLLY STEWART Spotlight Chairman Last week I discussed two of the expressions ex-pressions white supremacy has assumed in the South slavery and Jim Crow (segregation) laws. Another arm of the white supremist "assault," though held in disrepute by the majority ma-jority of conscientious ft. - :-: : . A ' Southerners, is the Ku : Klux Klan. Like the rest of the South, the Klan has S changed considerably - over the last century. Although its basic strategy stra-tegy and purpose to well as the rather hokey mystic propensities propen-sities of its founders: "Ku Klux" is a fanciful corruption of the Greek word for Circle; "Klan" is, of course, a corruption cor-ruption of the Scots word, Clan. In the 1870's, '80's and '90's the Klan was behind much of the violence that characterized that era in the South. The open lynching of thousands of Negroes, however,- was distasteful to enough prominent pro-minent Southerners (and Northerners) to cause agitation leading to the end of Klan activities for a couple of decades. The Klan lay dormant .after this initial coup, until the days following World War I, when Negroes, returning to their Southern homes and finding plenty of reason to voice discontent and having now the courage to complain, com-plain, once again struck fear into the hearts of the Klansmenwho, being themselves them-selves of middle class or lower middle class origins, knew their economic security se-curity would be dangerously threatened unless concerted action were taken. Hence the 1920's say another five years of the most incredible violence imaginable; the violence was not only against Negroes, but also against such ethnic minorities as the Catholics and the Jews. Curiously enough, in the 20's Klan activities were not restricted to the South. Branches of the Ku Klux Klan spread to many places throughout the nation, particularly par-ticularly to areas settled thinly and by overwhelming! DrM I Population such a, n do,r Many Western sta e? I Klan agitation, a!o Sffc- ' ateS, until the K I i extended itself and " l0 t credited. . 0 Was on . The resurrection nf ,v the late 1950's 1 f of increasing civil te South. This tim S'5' wings have b en c i forbidding the use ? before, Klansmen (ad S Klanskinder) had K Klar the form of use of was gone mor. :"' ground: OpenUC&S question, lynchings W " fhemuchimorei,5iiijJ. mg, shooting from J! KlandestineLrdS, I think a couple of geS, , be drawn from the histoS Klan in the United State. !1 s and always has beencorl; white folk running sc? the years advance and as become increasingly outran" activities, the organization ; becomes less and less pove . ally now, with the Kian JJ -tion by, of all people, HU it will not be long before ' on the face of Americans pears altogether. keep Negroes, Catholics Stewart and Jews in their place have changed very little, the Klan's tactics have altered a great deal. But more of that later; first I would like to discuss some of the Klan's background, in the hope of clarifying its present position posi-tion and approach. The Ku Klux Klan was organized in the latter days of the Reconstruction period, by some disgruntled and unreconstructed unre-constructed ex-Confederates who feared the ascension of the Negro community would endanger the traditions, as they understood them, of Southern life. The Klan's corporate name betrays its largely Scotch-Irish membership and origin, as |
