in rural Mississippi. The event instigated new scrutiny towards hate crimes and the Ku

Klux Klan. So what is the Ku Klux Klan?

Well, it’s an American hate group, also known as the KKK, that generally promotes

the supremacy of the Christian Caucasian ethnicity. They operate primarily in the Southern region,

and are infamous for using extreme torture and violence to oppress other races, especially

African Americans.

The group was founded in 1866, at the close of the American Civil War, and the early days

of the Southern Reconstruction. During this time, African American slaves became legally

free. But many ex-slaveholders sought to maintain pre-Civil War conditions, and intimidate African

Americans into submission. From this time until around the civil rights era in the 1950s,

racist “Jim Crow” laws were enforced exclusively by KKK vigilantes. And any person who tried

to upset the status quo could be tortured and killed.

Ku Klux Klan members originally were distinguished only by cross-like insignias and hoods or

masks covering their faces. But in the early 20th century, KKK uniforms evolved into a

standardized white costume with a peaked hood. This, and the burning cross, remain the two

archetypal symbols for the group today.

During the 1920s, the group experienced a peak popularity of more than 4 million members,

after the release of the pro-KKK film, “The Birth of a Nation”. However, the Great Depression

in the 1930s depleted their ranks, as did an IRS tax dispute in the 1940s. Although

there was a brief resurgence in popularity during the 1950s, generally the KKK’s influence

recently has been on the decline. As of 2015, the group claims a total membership of 4 to

6 thousand. They live mostly in Southern states, especially Mississippi, South Carolina and

Texas.

Today, some chapters of the KKK claim that they are not a hate group, but rather a non-violent

“Christian organization” that disagrees with the way America is changing politically.

One Klan leader in Montana is even claiming that his chapter is “all-inclusive”, and

open to recruiting non-white members. Still other Klan groups have increased their ranks

by joining forces with Neo-Nazi groups, and holding rallies to express racist and anti-immigration

views.

Despite their attempts at rebranding, the core foundation of the Ku Klux Klan remains

white supremacy. And as their membership dwindles, there is little hope for the KKK to ever return

to their former numbers. Experts at the Southern Poverty Law Center who track US hate groups,

have claimed the KKK is having its “last gasp” as an influential organization in

America.

Since the end of World War 2, and even ‘til today, Germany has enforced an incredibly

strong policy against anything related to Nazism. To learn about what some of these

laws look like, check out our video here. Oh, and please remember to subscribe so you

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