The second Klan, founded in 1915, was by far the largest, with up to five million members. Its power base was not the South but the industrial North and Midwest. While white supremacist, its primary focus was nativist, anti-Semitic, and especially anti-Catholic.
Contrary to popular imagery, the original post-Civil War Ku Klux Klan never burned crosses. This iconic act of terror was introduced by the second Klan, founded in 1915, which was inspired by its depiction in the film "The Birth of a Nation."
Klan terrorism was a calculated political strategy. By creating persistent violence and chaos, white Southern Democrats aimed to exhaust the North's will to enforce Reconstruction. They correctly gambled that Northerners would eventually tire of the costly project and withdraw federal power.
The first Ku Klux Klan was not founded as a paramilitary force but as a fraternity-style social club in Pulaski, Tennessee. Its founders were young, well-educated veterans seeking amusement through secret rituals and costumes, only later evolving into a violent political entity.
The KKK's name has mundane origins. "Ku Klux" is a corruption of the Greek word "kuklos" (meaning circle or ring), a common naming convention for 19th-century American university fraternities. "Klan" was added with a "K" simply for the alliterative effect.
The Klan adopted a bizarre, elaborate hierarchy with fantastical titles. This included a "Grand Wizard" of the Empire, "Grand Dragons" for each state, and ordinary members called "Ghouls." This structure reflected a blend of fraternal ritual, theatricality, and pseudo-chivalric nonsense.
The KKK had three separate incarnations: a post-Civil War paramilitary group (1866), a massive anti-Catholic and nativist movement popular in the North (1915), and a smaller far-right group fighting the Civil Rights movement (1940s). Each had different characteristics and goals.
Beyond overt violence, the first Klan engaged in bizarre "practical jokes" as psychological warfare. They used costumes to appear 12 feet tall or offered detachable hands in handshakes. This forced terrified African Americans to feign fright, reinforcing the Klan's power and control.
The Klan was not ubiquitous across the South. It was most successful in counties where black and white populations were roughly equal, creating maximum social and political friction. It failed to gain traction in majority-black areas (due to fear of reprisal) or overwhelmingly white areas (due to lack of a perceived threat).