Greatly affected by Nazi propaganda in Germany, many US citizens began to blame not only the blacks, but also the Jews, and other immigrant groups, for their economic troubles. They also targeted homosexuals, communists and organized labour. Arguably in an attempt simply to make money, Simmons took advantage of these feelings of hostility towards such groups, and established a 20th century version of the Ku Klux Klan. Where the first KKK had been southern and of Democratic persuasion, this second version attracted both Democrats and Republicans from all over the country. Regardless of their different political beliefs they were united in their hostility towards the slaves and foreigners who were detrimental to the welfare of their white nation.
The list of those despised and victimised by the Klan grew ever longer. Klansmen were sent out to uncover society’s fears and exploit them in an attempt to attract new members. Targets now included anyone who disrespected the Sabbath, had or condoned sex outside of marriage, dealt in drugs and ran or frequented night-clubs. Membership flooded in as law-abiding US citizens looked to the KKK to purge society of all its evils. At a cost of $10 per person, the money poured in too.
A greatly influential group, this organisation had over four million members at its highest point. In the 1920s, Klansmen were even occupying positions of political power. Should any members of the KKK have been arrested for their violent crimes, the southern courts were very unlikely to return a guilty verdict. The authorities turned a blind eye to the Klan’s activities, even when reports were coming in of the letters ‘KKK’ being burnt, with acid, on to the faces of anyone considered anti-American.
A brave media eventually faced up to the Klan, but reports of immoral behaviour and corruption within the Klan headquarters and the brutal violence perpetrated by them, seemed simply to encourage more people to join. Simmons recognized this, and could give no explanation for it, but welcomed it whole-heartedly. Congress investigated further, but Simmons merely denied any knowledge of the violence, and explained the secretive nature of the group as being a feature no different from that of any other fraternal organization.
LEADERSHIP DISPUTE
The Klan’s growth surge led to revolts within the organization, and eventually Simmons’s leadership was overthrown by Hiram Wesley Evans and six co-conspirators. The KKK had now amassed a great fortune and owned property valued at millions of dollars. Simmons was not willing to let this go so easily, and a massive court battle exploded. When one of Simmons’s lawyers was shot by Evans’s publicity chief following a heated argument, Simmons backed down and agreed to a cash settlement.
Although this struggle was over, it had badly damaged the group. The internal organization of the Klan had been laid bare for the courts, the media and the public to examine, and the secrets of the group had been exposed. What was supposed to be a non-profit organization was clearly making huge amounts of money, and the claims of immorality made against both parties by each other directly contradicted the declaration of the KKK that it existed to protect the morals and the purity of America.
The continued reports of violence did not escape the public’s notice either. Men, women and children were being flogged by the KKK for immoral crimes such as missing church, or defending those who did. One divorced woman received a beating simply for remarrying, and young girls were frequently flogged if caught riding in cars with boys.
Yet still the popularity of the KKK appeared to grow and it advanced further politically. Klansmen appeared in the US Senate, and were elected to governors. Evans decided it was time to for the KKK presence to be felt in the presidential elections. He had supporters in both the Republican and Democratic parties and so felt confident that he could influence the government whichever party was elected.
DECLINE OF THE KU KLUX KLAN
But the KKK presence on such a high-profile political stage pulled the traditionally secretive Klan right into the public arena, and there they encountered as much hostility as they did support. More and more graphic news stories detailing the atrocities perpetrated by the Klan hit the headlines and this time they could not be ignored. One report detailed how a Texas man had been dowsed in oil and burned before hundreds of Klan members. Membership figures, formerly in their millions, dropped to hundreds of thousands.
The Great Depression of the 1930s saw a further reduction in membership figures and the remaining members were advised to keep a relatively low profile and stay out of the public eye. The diminishing Klan funds were hoarded by Evans and his circle.
In 1939, James A. Colescott took over leadership of the Klan, but he was to preside over it for only five years. The end for this second KKK followed a combination of events. The first was the shocking reports of a rape and murder committed by the ‘Grand Dragon’ of Indiana. The woman he attacked had been so badly bitten that the assault was viewed by some as cannibalistic. This stunned the nation and the KKK once again declined.
The final blow came with a lien filed by the Internal Revenue Service for a sum of over $685,000 of back taxes accrued from profits gained in the 1920s. The Klan was forced to sell all its assets in 1944, hand over any monies to the government, and cease its activities.
SPLINTER GROUPS
The Ku Klux Klan appeared again in the 1960s, but this time forming as several offshoots instead of one united body. Their main aim was to oppose the civil rights movement. With the increase in racial tolerance across the US though, these bodies, the biggest of which were the Imperial Klans of America, the White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, and Knights of the White Kamelia, were driven underground. Yet, they still struck fear into the hearts of the black communities. In Mississippi for example, where 42 per cent of the population were black, only 2 per cent registered to vote.
The Congress of Racial Equality and another organization campaigning non-violently for black Americans, decided to concentrate their efforts in Mississippi and set up 30 ‘Freedom Schools’ across the state. Over 3,000 students attended these schools, which now taught black history and the civil rights movement as part of their curriculum.
The schools became an obvious target for the KKK, as did those who had organized them and were campaigning for black rights. Their homes and churches were firebombed, and they were attacked and beaten. Three were murdered.
SIXTEENTH STREET BAPTIST CHURCH BOMBING
The KKK, in its various guises, was also still evading conviction for its crimes in the 1960s, even though some were so shocking that they made national headlines. One such case was the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church Bombing. On
the morning of September 15, 1963, a bomb exploded underneath the church, killing four teenage girls and injuring 23 other people who had been attending the Sunday School held there.
A man, identified as Robert Chambliss, had been witnessed at the scene earlier that morning. He had placed a box under the steps of the church. Although arrested for murder and for illegal possession of explosives (122 sticks of dynamite), he was only found guilty on the second charge. He was given a fine and sentenced to six months in prison, but walked free on the murder charge.
Only 14 years later, in 1977, was Chambliss finally brought to justice for his crime. When Bill Baxley was appointed attorney general in Alabama, he requested the FBI files on the case and found masses of evidence against Chambliss which had been ignored at the trial. In November 1977, Chambliss was re-tried, convicted, and sentenced to life imprisonment. Another 25 years later, three more men were accused of having been involved in the bombing with Chambliss. The four men belonged to a KKK faction called the Cahaba Boys. One of the three had died, and one of the remaining two was given a life sentence.