History is messy. It’s rarely a straight line from point A to point B, and when you look at the rise of the kkk, you aren't just looking at one single event. You’re looking at three distinct explosions of hate that happened for very different reasons. Most people think it was just some guys in robes in the woods after the Civil War. That’s only the beginning of the story.
Basically, the first iteration of the Klan started as a social club. Six Confederate veterans—including guys like Richard Reed and Calvin Jones—sat around in Pulaski, Tennessee, in late 1865. They were bored. They wanted to cause some trouble. But that "boredom" quickly turned into a violent insurgency designed to dismantle Reconstruction. It wasn't just "prejudice." It was a deliberate, tactical attempt to strip away the newly found rights of Black Americans.
By 1867, Nathan Bedford Forrest, a former Confederate general, was likely the first Grand Wizard. I say "likely" because the early Klan was a chaotic mess of local dens. There wasn't some corporate handbook. It was decentralized. They used fear to stop people from voting. They used fire. They used the rope.
Why the Rise of the KKK Happened Three Times
It’s tempting to think it just stayed around forever. It didn't. The first Klan was actually crushed by the federal government. President Ulysses S. Grant wasn't playing around. He pushed through the Enforcement Acts in 1870 and 1871, which basically allowed the government to use the military against these domestic terrorists. Thousands of Klansmen were arrested. By the late 1870s, the first rise of the kkk had largely fizzled out into the shadows.
Then came 1915. This is the version most people see in their heads—the millions of members, the marches on Washington. Why then?
Honestly, it was a movie. The Birth of a Nation. D.W. Griffith’s film depicted the Klan as heroes. It’s hard to overstate how much this propaganda changed things. William J. Simmons restarted the group atop Stone Mountain in Georgia. This time, it wasn't just about the South. It was a national movement. They hated everyone: Catholics, Jews, immigrants, and Black people. By the mid-1920s, they had something like 4 to 5 million members.
That’s a staggering number. In some states like Indiana, you basically couldn't get elected to dog catcher without Klan approval. D.C. Stephenson, the Grand Dragon of Indiana, was so powerful he famously said, "I am the law in Indiana."
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The Modern Era and the Third Wave
The third wave hit during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 60s. This was a reaction to Brown v. Board of Education. It was smaller than the 1920s version but much more lethal. Think about the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing. Think about the murder of Medgar Evers. This wasn't a mass social club anymore; it was a series of disconnected, highly violent terrorist cells.
Today, the rise of the kkk looks different. It’s fractured. The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) keep tabs on these groups, and they’ll tell you that "the Klan" isn't one thing anymore. It’s dozens of tiny groups like the Loyal White Knights or the United Northern and Southern Knights. They spend more time suing each other over who owns the "Klan" name than they do anything else.
But don't let the small numbers fool you.
The ideology has bled into the broader "alt-right" or white nationalist movements. It’s more about "Great Replacement" theories now than just robes and burning crosses. The digital age has allowed the rise of the kkk's core ideas to spread without the baggage of the old uniforms.
What Most People Get Wrong About the 1920s Peak
You probably think of the Klan as a rural thing. Poor farmers, right? Wrong. In the 1920s, the Klan was incredibly suburban. It was middle-class. We’re talking doctors, lawyers, and ministers. In cities like Detroit, Chicago, and Portland, the Klan was a political machine.
They sold memberships like a pyramid scheme. Seriously.
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Simmons hired two public relations experts, Mary Elizabeth Tyler and Edward Young Clarke. They took a cut of every initiation fee. It was a business model built on hate. They sold the robes. They sold the insurance. They even sold "Klan water." It’s kinda wild when you realize how much of the "Second Klan" was just a massive grift disguised as a "moral" crusade.
They also focused heavily on "Prohibition." They’d go around busting up speakeasies because they claimed to be the defenders of "traditional values." This gave them a weird sort of legitimacy in the eyes of people who wanted the law enforced. It’s a classic tactic: wrap your radicalism in a popular social cause.
The Internal Collapse
If the government didn't always stop them, their own egos did. The 1920s Klan collapsed because of scandal. D.C. Stephenson, that powerful guy from Indiana? He was convicted of the brutal kidnapping, rape, and murder of Madge Oberholtzer. When the Governor wouldn't pardon him, Stephenson started naming names. He showed exactly how many politicians were on the Klan payroll.
Membership plummeted. People realized the "defenders of morality" were actually monsters and thieves.
How History Repeats in the 21st Century
The rise of the kkk isn't just a history lesson. It’s a blueprint.
- Exploit economic fear. When people feel like they’re losing their jobs or their status, they look for a scapegoat.
- Use new media. In 1915, it was the cinema. Today, it’s encrypted telegram channels and social media algorithms.
- Claim the moral high ground. They always frame their hate as "protecting" something—their families, their culture, their country.
Historians like Kathleen Blee, who wrote Women of the Klan, have shown how these movements involve entire families. It wasn't just men in the woods; there were massive women’s auxiliaries that organized picnics and rallies. It was baked into the social fabric of the time.
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Understanding the rise of the kkk requires looking at the "Klanvokations" and the strange rituals, sure. But it mostly requires looking at why regular people decided to join. Usually, it was because someone convinced them that their neighbor was their enemy.
Actionable Insights for Today
If you want to understand or combat the echoes of this history, there are real things you can do.
Verify your sources. The 1920s rise happened because of a movie that people took as gospel truth. Always check the "why" behind a piece of media. Who funded it? What’s the goal?
Monitor local radicalization. Groups today don't usually call themselves "the KKK" anymore. They use coded language like "identitarian" or "Western chauvinist." Organizations like the SPLC offer "Hate Map" tools that let you see what groups are active in your specific area.
Support educational transparency. The best defense against the rise of the kkk's ideology is a clear-eyed look at what they actually did. Many school boards are currently debating how to teach this history. Getting involved in those conversations ensures that the reality of Reconstruction and the Jim Crow era isn't sanitized.
Understand the "Grift." Modern radical movements still use the 1920s business model. They want your clicks, your donations, and your attention. If a group is constantly asking for money while stoking your anger, you're likely being used for someone else's profit.
History doesn't have to repeat itself, but it’s really good at rhyming. The rise of the kkk happened because of a perfect storm of political instability, media manipulation, and genuine fear. By recognizing those patterns now, we can make sure the masks stay off for good.