Non-racially aware people read this.

A really old black man. Like 140 years old at least.

No. Ask a 70 year old black man . . .

My grandfather says he remember hearing from his grandparents and great grandparents about what it was like. So you can't get first-hand stories from a slave, but there are people who've actually heard exactly what it was like, and I think if you don't want to believe a history book, then perhaps you'd believe it from somebody who actually knows about it.

Well zonalon knows about it! Cmon! He was there!

Ask a really old white guy what it was like living in the South in post-Civil war pre-KKK times.

Ask a really old white guy what it was like living in the South in post-Civil war pre-KKK times.

Why don't you take your own advice. It was good for the white folks. I mean -- they were allowed to vote and everything.

Why don't you take your own advice. It was good for the white folks. I mean -- they were allowed to vote and everything.

HAHA! WRONG!

Did you even read any of my posts? One delegate to the Tennessee Constitutional Convention stated that the only right the Rebels had was to be hung. Worsening the post war situation were the infamous Carpetbaggers and Scalawags, who sought personal profit and political power by exploiting the plight of both the freed Negroes and conquered Whites. The Radical Republicans declared the Southern States would have to be re-constructed before they could be re-admitted into the Union. Until then, the ex-Confederates had no rights of citizenship. Southern whites were completely disenfranchised with no legal standing. They could not vote, hold public office, or petition for the redress of grievances. In an effort to stop the lawlessness, the South was divided into five military districts and marshal law declared. Through out the South, freed Negroes formed the Union League and Black Militias and in most areas were given the task of enforcing marshal law. Led by corrupt officers and self serving politicians, the Union League became the most violent and murderous arm of the reconstruction to Blacks and Whites alike.

The North opressed us both.

HAHA! WRONG! Did you even read any of my posts? One delegate to the Tennessee Constitutional Convention stated that the only right the Rebels had was to be hung. Worsening the post war situation were the infamous Carpetbaggers and Scalawags, who sought personal profit and political power by exploiting the plight of both the freed Negroes and conquered Whites. The Radical Republicans declared the Southern States would have to be re-constructed before they could be re-admitted into the Union. Until then, the ex-Confederates had no rights of citizenship. Southern whites were completely disenfranchised with no legal standing. They could not vote, hold public office, or petition for the redress of grievances. In an effort to stop the lawlessness, the South was divided into five military districts and marshal law declared. Through out the South, freed Negroes formed the Union League and Black Militias and in most areas were given the task of enforcing marshal law. Led by corrupt officers and self serving politicians, the Union League became the most violent and murderous arm of the reconstruction to Blacks and Whites alike. The North opressed us both.

Well, no shit. The south broke the fucking country up and started a war. There's plenty of reason that the north was wary of having the south back in power, and giving rebel leaders U.S. citizenship. But in the 1870s, everything returned to normal. You know what you needed to do to vote? All you needed to do was make a simple pledge that you were loyal to the union. That's it. Now, when the south couldn't do that . . .

Also, white people couldn't vote directly after the war in the south, for a couple of years maybe. By the next presidential election, though, the southern whites were voting. Of course, grandfather clauses didn't affect white poeple.

And the north didn't opress either of us. Perhaps you don't know, but I was born 130 years after that time period.

Well, no shit. The south broke the fucking country up and started a war. There's plenty of reason that the north was wary of having the south back in power, and giving rebel leaders U.S. citizenship. But in the 1870s, everything returned to normal. You know what you needed to do to vote? All you needed to do was make a simple pledge that you were loyal to the union. That's it. Now, when the south couldn't do that . . . Also, white people couldn't vote directly after the war in the south, for a couple of years maybe. By the next presidential election, though, the southern whites were voting. Of course, grandfather clauses didn't affect white poeple. And the north didn't opress either of us. Perhaps you don't know, but I was born 130 years after that time period.

The North still opresses us today. They keep sending in illegal immigrants to steal our jobs.

Besides, our votes don't even count. The elections are always rigged.

In Portland, Or., in the early 1920's, the Ku Klux Klan pledged $50,000 to a children's home and held a Christmas party featuring Kris Kringle. The Klan also organized a Klan Kommunity Kit to compete with the Community Chest, church visits became a kind of ritual. Typically, a small group of Klansmen would march down the aisle, hand the minister an offering of money, and silently depart. (page 39)

Protestant ministers quickly found that the Klan's emphasis on religion helped swell church attendance. (page 41)

Most Klansmen were law abiding, church going family men. Klansmen also hoped to eliminate vice and corruption through the ballot box. One Klansman declared, "Everybody knows that politicians nowadays cater to all kinds of elements, mostly selfish, some corrupt, and some definitely anti-American. They cater to the vice vote and even to the violently criminal vote. What the Klan intends to do is make them pay some attention to the decent God fearing, law abiding vote." (pages 42-43)

During the 1920's, the Klan was subjected not only to verbal abuse but also to physical assault in some areas. Bootleggers, for example, did not take kindly to the Klan's attempts to enforce prohibition. When New Jersey's Klan declared war on local bootleggers, the rum runners formed a defense council and publicly threatened to "Shoot to kill" anyone other then a policeman who interfered with their illegal traffic in liquor. (page 68)

The Klan always believed in justice. It against (or it was, anyway) Klan law to kill an innocent.

http://www.kkklan.com/various.htm

All you liberals listen up. If the Klan was an all Protestant group, then why were/are there other types of religious groups in the Klan?

One lie leads to another.

HAHA! WRONG! Did you even read any of my posts? One delegate to the Tennessee Constitutional Convention stated that the only right the Rebels had was to be hung. Worsening the post war situation were the infamous Carpetbaggers and Scalawags, who sought personal profit and political power by exploiting the plight of both the freed Negroes and conquered Whites. The Radical Republicans declared the Southern States would have to be re-constructed before they could be re-admitted into the Union. Until then, the ex-Confederates had no rights of citizenship. Southern whites were completely disenfranchised with no legal standing. They could not vote, hold public office, or petition for the redress of grievances. In an effort to stop the lawlessness, the South was divided into five military districts and marshal law declared. Through out the South, freed Negroes formed the Union League and Black Militias and in most areas were given the task of enforcing marshal law. Led by corrupt officers and self serving politicians, the Union League became the most violent and murderous arm of the reconstruction to Blacks and Whites alike. The North opressed us both.

That's why Johnson threw out pardons like there was no tomorrow? Basically the only person who wasn't pardoned was Davis.

Grant intervened with military action because preventing people (blacks) from voting was a federal crime.

And who were intimidating voters? The KKK.

That's why Johnson threw out pardons like there was no tomorrow? Basically the only person who wasn't pardoned was Davis. Grant intervened with military action because preventing people (blacks) from voting was a federal crime. And who were intimidating voters? The KKK.

It will offend some members of the various Klan organizations and it will offend some anti-Klan people. But what I put here are the documented facts. I will list my sources so that skeptics can research this information themselves. The simple truth is that no American organization has had its true history so distorted and misrepresented as the Ku Klux Klan. What is taught in schools today about the KKK is largely myth. What modern day Klan groups present as Klan history is largely myth. What is presented as Klan history today by anti-Klan groups is largely myth. After over twenty years of extensive research I stand by my findings regardless of who it offends or who doesn't believe it. Facts are facts. One of the greatest crimes that can be committed against future generations is to re-write history for the sake of modern present day political or social attitudes. Future generations as well as the present generation have a right to know the truth about their nation's history.

We have recently made a new historical find concerning Negroes in the KKK that you will find surprising. It appears that in some cases Whites and Blacks belonged to the same local chapters of the Ku Klux Klan. Our source of information is from the book: Hard Times by Studs Terkel (1970, New York). The book is about the conditions in this country during the Great Depression. On page 239 we read:

"The Ku Klux was formed on behalf of people that wanted a decent living, both black and white. Half the coal camp was colored. It wasn't anti-colored. The black people had the same responsibilities as the white. Their lawn was just as green as the white man's. They got the same rate of pay. There was two colored who belonged to it. I remember those two coming around my father and asking questions about it. They joined. The pastor of our community church was a colored man. He was Ku Klux. It was the only protection the working man had. ....... One time a Negro slapped a white boy. They didn't give him any warning. They whipped him and ran him out of town. If a white man slapped a colored kid, they'd have dome the same thing. They didn't go in for beating up Negroes because they were Negroes. What they did was keep the community decent to live in. What they did object to was obscenity and drinking."

Remember, we're talking about the old Knights. A few 1960's Klan branches gave the Klan a bad image overall. (which is probably why there are so many lies concerning the Classic Klan these days)

The following are all from the years 1920 - 21:

On Sept. 17, in Richmond, Va., a police officer was killed by a criminal. The Richmond Klan sent $100 to the widow.

On Aug. 27, in Charleston, W.Va., Klansmen contributed $275 toward the support of the Old Ladies Home in Kanawha County.

In March the Charlottesville, Va., Klan gave $1,000 to the University of Virginia Centennial Endowment Fund.

November 24, the Henderson, Tx. Klan gave $50 to two Negroes in needy circumstances. (http://www.kkklan.com/various2.gif)

October 1, the Atlanta Klan contributed $100 to help pay expenses of Confederate veterans from Atlanta to Houston, Tx., at the annual reunion of the United Confederate Veterans.

Nov. 23, the Greenville, Tx., Klan contributed $1,000 toward rebuilding Wesley College, which had been destroyed by fire.

On Christmas Day, 1921, the Atlanta, Ga., Klan contributed $125 to the Christmas fund for former slaves.

Nov. 25, the Memphis, Tn., Klan gave $100 to the Red Cross.

Nov. 7, the Goliad, Tx., Klan contributed $50 to a town citizen whose home and possessions had been destroyed by fire.

June 22, the San Antonio, Tx., Klan gave $100 to the local Orphan's Home.

July 6, the Wharton, Tx., Klan contributed $50 to a destitute widow.

July 9, the Cureo, Tx., Klan gave $60 to help a man afflicted with tuberculosis.

Nov. 21, the Austin, Tx., Klan sent $100 to the Salvation Army.

July 20, the Dallas, Tx., Klan sent $100 to the Orphans' Home.

The Atlanta Klan gave $1,000 to the Agnes Scott Girls' School in that city.

Nov. 29, the Washington, D.C., Klan gave $100 to the Salvation Army.

During this same time period the Atlanta Klan loaned $15,000, interest free, to small tradesmen who needed capital for their businesses. The Klan loaned many more thousands of dollars, free of interest, to small tradesmen across the country.

The Execution of Bill German in Overton County.

The Union and American of Saturday says: "By a private letter from a trustworthy gentleman residing at Cookville in Putnam County, we give some further information in regard to the recent execution near Livingston, in Overton County, by a body of supposed Ku-Klux, of the young man Wm. German, an account of which we published Thursday morning. "He says that a few days before the execution, German shot and badly wounded, and supposed he had killed, a Negro man living in his neighborhood. The shooting took place in a public road, and the Negro managed to crawl to the house of his employer, where he told who had shot him. The Negro had the character of being a quiet, peaceable man, and as there had been no previous trouble between him and German, it was supposed the crime was perpetrated in pure wantonness.

It is thought that the persons by whom German was killed were members of a secret organization, to which he belonged - but whether Ku-Klux or not, nobody in the neighborhood appears to know. The body of men concerned in the execution numbered about 200, and none of them were identified by citizens who witnessed their appearance and departure. Accounts reported Bill German was found hanged in a nearby barn; a sign posted there declared: Hung for shooting a Negro, Bill Cullum, and violating the laws of Ku Klux."

After the original KKK disbanded there was no Ku Klux Klan until it was revived in 1915. Therefore, we feel that the 1911 edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica gives an unbiased and accurate brief description of the original Ku Klux Klan. It will be interesting to the reader to compare today's Encyclopaedia Britannica to this edition.

http://www.kkklan.com/briefh4.gif

The following are all from the years 1920 - 21: On Sept. 17, in Richmond, Va., a police officer was killed by a criminal. The Richmond Klan sent $100 to the widow. On Aug. 27, in Charleston, W.Va., Klansmen contributed $275 toward the support of the Old Ladies Home in Kanawha County. In March the Charlottesville, Va., Klan gave $1,000 to the University of Virginia Centennial Endowment Fund. November 24, the Henderson, Tx. Klan gave $50 to two Negroes in needy circumstances. (http://www.kkklan.com/various2.gif) October 1, the Atlanta Klan contributed $100 to help pay expenses of Confederate veterans from Atlanta to Houston, Tx., at the annual reunion of the United Confederate Veterans. Nov. 23, the Greenville, Tx., Klan contributed $1,000 toward rebuilding Wesley College, which had been destroyed by fire. On Christmas Day, 1921, the Atlanta, Ga., Klan contributed $125 to the Christmas fund for former slaves. Nov. 25, the Memphis, Tn., Klan gave $100 to the Red Cross. Nov. 7, the Goliad, Tx., Klan contributed $50 to a town citizen whose home and possessions had been destroyed by fire. June 22, the San Antonio, Tx., Klan gave $100 to the local Orphan's Home. July 6, the Wharton, Tx., Klan contributed $50 to a destitute widow. July 9, the Cureo, Tx., Klan gave $60 to help a man afflicted with tuberculosis. Nov. 21, the Austin, Tx., Klan sent $100 to the Salvation Army. July 20, the Dallas, Tx., Klan sent $100 to the Orphans' Home. The Atlanta Klan gave $1,000 to the Agnes Scott Girls' School in that city. Nov. 29, the Washington, D.C., Klan gave $100 to the Salvation Army. During this same time period the Atlanta Klan loaned $15,000, interest free, to small tradesmen who needed capital for their businesses. The Klan loaned many more thousands of dollars, free of interest, to small tradesmen across the country. The Execution of Bill German in Overton County. The Union and American of Saturday says: "By a private letter from a trustworthy gentleman residing at Cookville in Putnam County, we give some further information in regard to the recent execution near Livingston, in Overton County, by a body of supposed Ku-Klux, of the young man Wm. German, an account of which we published Thursday morning. "He says that a few days before the execution, German shot and badly wounded, and supposed he had killed, a Negro man living in his neighborhood. The shooting took place in a public road, and the Negro managed to crawl to the house of his employer, where he told who had shot him. The Negro had the character of being a quiet, peaceable man, and as there had been no previous trouble between him and German, it was supposed the crime was perpetrated in pure wantonness. It is thought that the persons by whom German was killed were members of a secret organization, to which he belonged - but whether Ku-Klux or not, nobody in the neighborhood appears to know. The body of men concerned in the execution numbered about 200, and none of them were identified by citizens who witnessed their appearance and departure. Accounts reported Bill German was found hanged in a nearby barn; a sign posted there declared: Hung for shooting a Negro, Bill Cullum, and violating the laws of Ku Klux." After the original KKK disbanded there was no Ku Klux Klan until it was revived in 1915. Therefore, we feel that the 1911 edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica gives an unbiased and accurate brief description of the original Ku Klux Klan. It will be interesting to the reader to compare today's Encyclopaedia Britannica to this edition. http://www.kkklan.com/briefh4.gif

Very nice. More copy and paste.

http://www.cosforums.com/archive/index.php/t-19529.html

Of course, the fact that you got this from a klan website discredits what you have to say anyway. And really, was the klan so petty that it recorded when it gave $50, and considered it a good thing. Perhaps you should also mention, as many "good things" the klan did from 1920-1921, it also did that many lynchings in a day.

Very nice. More copy and paste. http://www.cosforums.com/archive/index.php/t-19529.html Of course, the fact that you got this from a klan website discredits what you have to say anyway. And really, was the klan so petty that it recorded when it gave $50, and considered it a good thing. Perhaps you should also mention, as many "good things" the klan did from 1920-1921, it also did that many lynchings in a day.

Just read Invisible Empire, by Stanley Horn. Not available from the IHRF, but it can be found on the internet, in libraries, and book stores.

Available from the IHRF and listed on our web page:

The Knights of the Ku Klux Klan $18.00

The Story of the Ku Klux Klan $ 8.00

A Story of the Original Ku Klux Klan $ 2.50

Ku Klux Klan: Its Origin, Growth, and Disbandment $7.00

A Pictorial History of the Ku Klux Klan $ 5.00

the 1911 edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica

Besides, the original Klan was way better than the 1920's one, I'll agree with you on that one. If it wasn't revived, perhaps we'd hear more of the good things the Klan did back in the 1800's. The original Klan did not support the killing of innocent men, black or white.

More good things the Klan did in 1920:

During this same time period the Atlanta Klan loaned $15,000, interest free, to small tradesmen who needed capital for their businesses. The Klan loaned many more thousands of dollars, free of interest, to small tradesmen across the country.

January, 1921, there was a race riot at Winter Gardens, Fl., the local Klansmen helped to suppress the riot, and members of that Klan stood guard for three days and three nights, protecting lives and property in the Negro quarters.

Feb. 5, 1921, the Mayor of Columbus, Ga., praised the Columbus Klan for its assistance to the police department during an epidemic of burglaries.

In Atlanta, Ga., a mob formed to storm the jail and lynch a Negro charged with an atrocious crime. Col. Simmons happened to be passing and sent Klansmen among the mob to persuade them to disband, which was done. Later when the Negro was taken from the jail to the courthouse, Klansmen stationed along the way prevented any act of violence against the accused.

Nov. 25, the Little Rock, Ar., Klan gave the chief of police $1,000 as reward money for the arrest and conviction of anyone attacking a woman.