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Ku Klux Klan

The Ku Klux Klan (KKK) is the oldest organized hate group in the United States, dating back more than 135 years to the Reconstruction Era following the end of the Civil War. Although the Klan's original intent was to assert the supremacy of the white race over the newly freed black slaves, over the decades the organization widened the scope of its hatred to include Roman Catholics, Jews, immigrants, and homosexuals. The KKK has been a model for other extremist groups in the country, who have emulated Klan practices of intimidation and violence.

The Historical Klan

Accounts vary, but many believe that six Confederate soldiers formed the KKK on Christmas Eve 1865, in Pulaski, Tennessee. (Other accounts place the founding in May or June 1866). In its early years, the group was considered to be a social organization; however, the KKK soon began ...

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