The Ku Klux Klan (KKK) is an American white supremacist hate group, which existed in three distinct eras, the First, Second, and Third (Current) Klan. In each era, the Klan advocated extremist reactionary positions to undermine the Republican Party, ensuring that white racial maintain a ruling racial order and economic superiority. The Klan secretly called for the “purification” of the American society. In all the three movements, Klan’s form of the organisation changed due to the changes in American society over time. Also, the ideology of the group changed over time. Klan’s American supremacy and hatred ideology incited violence, and its ideology qualifies as hate speech. This paper will delve at explaining how the changes in American society affected the KKK. The paper will also discuss how the KKK used its right of speech to socialise new member and how it incited violence with its ideology. The paper will further outline whether KKK’s ideology qualifies as hate speech and whether hate speech should be considered a crime.
Key Words: Ku Klux Klan (KKK), American white supremacist, Klan, Republican Party, and ideology .
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The Ku Klux Klan
The Ku Klux Klan was a white supremacist terrorist organisation that gained political footing during the reconstruction era. The organisation had its headquarters in the South and white Americans across the US joined the organisation. The KKK took egregious, violent steps to undermine the Republican Party, ensuring that white racial maintain a ruling racial order and economic superiority in the Antebellum South (Trumentary, 2011). The KKK committed acts of violence and performed heinous crimes against African Americans, white Republicans and sympathisers. Other than black Americans, the Klan targeted Jews, immigrants, the LGBT community and Catholics. According to an article posted in Khan Academy (N.d), the organisation is estimated to have “performed over 3500 racially motivated lynchings in the South between 1865 and 1900.”
Democrats relied on the organisation to secure election victories. This is because the Republicans, taking part in elections, were threatened or killed (Khan Academy, N.d). This forced the Republicans to abandon their campaigns, as they feared for their lives. This paper will delve at explaining how the changes in American society affected the KKK. The paper will also discuss how the KKK used its right of speech to socialise new member and how it incited violence with its ideology. The paper will further outline whether KKK’s ideology qualifies as hate speech and whether hate speech should be considered a crime.
How the Changes in American Society over time affected the KKK
The KKK has operated in three periods to promote white supremacy and resists immigration. The First Klan was founded by Confederate generals after the Civil War as a secret society. It primarily focussed on preventing emancipated African Americans from receiving the benefits of citizenship. The Klan succeeded in gaining a political footing in the United States. Despite its success, activities of the Klan was suppressed by the federal government in 1870-1870 (Odlum, N.d). The influx of immigrants, as well as the emergence of the US as an industrial nation, led to a resurgence of the KKK. Early in the 20 th century, racist propaganda increased in the US, and this fueled the reorganisation of the KKK. The KKK had to reorganise itself in order to appeal to new members. The First Klan positioned themselves as the protectors of the whiteness.
In 1915, the Klan reorganised itself as a fraternal organisation. It recruited people from different states to operate in every state from a national headquarters. It espoused nativist ideologies to discriminate African –Americans and other groups deemed “un-American.” The Second Klan is regarded as the KKK’s period of popularity and centralised organisation and lasted until 1944. The Klan reorganised itself with time in order to remain relevant and appeal to new members. The Third, which is the current Klan, is classified as a terrorist organisation. It began independent local groups in order to oppose Civil Rights Movements.
Apart from organizational form, the ideology of the group has also changed. KKK’s American supremacy ideology changed as it gained a political footing in the United States. At first, the Klansmen discriminated African American and other groups based on race. Later, they changed their ideology to include religion, ethnicity, Republicans, and nationality. The KKK was against Jews, African American and immigrants and wanted the white Americans to maintain a ruling racial order and economic superiority in the United States. It burnt black churches, lynched African American, flogged Mexicans, and bullied Jews (Trumentary, 2011). The group also targeted white republicans.
How the KKK uses its Right of Free Speech to Socialize New Members
The Klan gave voice to anti-black, anti-Semitic, and anti-Catholic sentiments, which were profoundly rooted in white Protestant society. The organisation’s racism, as well as xenophobia, fitted well into the culture of white Protestant. The organisation used to provide an organisational means to transform fears as well as resentments into political action. Their culture was characterised by religious and racial homogeneity and distrust of others (Trumentary, 2011). This culture enabled the Klan to transform social hatreds into a political movement. They did so in two ways. First, they made cultural traditions become the core of a new Klan society. Secondly, they made their culture serve as a powerful weapon against the enemy. This enabled them to socialise new members as well as youngsters into the values and political agendas of the Klan. The Klannish culture was composed of many activities, such as weddings, parties, and parades that made up much of Klan life and the activities were designed to reinforce social hatred and to perpetuate Klan’s political agenda across generations (Trumentary, 2011).
Does the KKK Incite Violence with Ideology?
According to Rotham (2018), the Klan has, ideologically, “blended xenophobia, religious prejudice, and white supremacy together with a broadly conservative moralism.” Despite its low profile, especially in recent years, the Klan should not be written off as obsolete. The organisation’s hateful ideologies beget racist rhetoric, and this can become the impetus for violent action. The Klan has a long history of violence because its ideologies are intrinsically tied to violence. It advocated for the restoration of “true Americanism”, and the Klansmen were given a platform that demonised African Americans, Jews, Asians, Jews, white Republicans and sympathisers while also condemning Communism (Trumentary, 2011). As a vehicle for entrenching the economic and political power of American Whites, the KKK flourished with the promise that it will ensure that white racial maintain a ruling racial order and economic superiority. In other words, the Klan promised to keep at bay forces scheming to undermine the authority of white Americans.
Unsurprisingly, such ideologies and antagonistic worldviews resulted in a great deal of violence. The organisation has carried out hundreds of beating and whippings and carried out dozens of murders. According to Rothman (2018), the Klan lynched African Americans, terrified prostitutes, bullied Jews, threated bootleggers, and flogged Mexicans. However, most members of the Klan would likely have disavowed their support for violent activities. Most of the Klansmen were attracted to the organisation’s endorsement of raw hatred directed towards non-whites.
Does the Ideology of the KKK Qualify as Hate Speech?
The Council of Europe Portal (N.d) defines hate speech as speech that “covers many forms of expressions which spread, incite, promote or justify hatred, violence, and discrimination against a person or group of persons for a variety of reason.” They are statement intended to demean as well as brutalise an individual or society based on race, religion, ethnicity, nationality, sex, gender, sexual orientation and disability. As seen, KKK’s American supremacy ideology if founded in race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and nationality and this qualify as hate speech. Hate speech can lead to acts of violence. Most hate groups in America, including the KKK, espouse some form of a white supremacist ideology. The KKK organisation, its leaders and activities attached to African Americans. The KKK is America’s best-known hate group. The KKK terrorised African Americans, Jews, Asians, and sympathisers through physical and psychological intimidation during the Civil War and the Reconstruction era. The ideology of KKK qualifies as hate speech. This is because it leads to acts of violence and conflict on a wider scale. There are dangerous links between hate speech and violence. The KKK’s ideology secretly incites violence against groups that are deemed “un-American.”
Should Hate Speech be considered a Crime?
In many consensuses, a consensus on the legitimacy of using laws exists to deter hate speech and prevent hate crimes while protecting and promoting values of equality and respect. Many nations have enacted hate speech legislation to combat racism. Hate speech is merely saying hateful things. It cannot be put in the same category as harassment and violence, which are qualitatively worse and are rightly criminalised. Thus, I believe hate speech should not be considered a crime but should be discouraged and challenged. Hate speech is dangerous because words have power and can influence others to act. If hate speech is expressed in a particularly aggressive or sustained manner, it should be criminalised. This is because it would amount to criminal threats or harassment. Hate speech promotes division and intolerance and has a negative impact on the targets. Unlike incitement to violence, it is highly subjective, and this makes hate speech laws find it difficult to define what constitutes hate.
A democratic society needs to guarantee free speech. However, it ought to be restricted in extreme, compelling circumstances. Mere hateful views should not be criminal. Although many people claim that hate speech influences people to commit violence, it is hard to demonstrate that people respond to hateful words with violent acts. The causal link between hate speech and violent acts is unproven. People are not born hateful but can become hateful. A better solution to prevent hateful speech and ideas is education. Prevention is better than punishment.
Conclusion
The KKK symbolises the extremes of race and religious hatred in the United States. The Klan’s organisation, mission, and power have varied tremendously since its inception. The organisation gained a lot of members, and political influence peaked in the mid-1920s. Klan’s American supremacy and hatred ideology incited violence, and its ideology qualifies as hate speech.
References
Khan Academy. (N.d). The re-emergence of the KKK. [Online]. Retrieved from: https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/us-history/rise-to-world-power/1920s-america/a/the-reemergence-of-the-kkk . Accessed 13 th July 2019.
Odlum, L. (N.d). Second Ku Klux Klan and the birth of a nation. [Online]. Retrieved from: https://dp.la/primary-source-sets/second-ku-klux-klan-and-the-birth-of-a-nation . Accessed 13 th July 2019.
Rothman, J. (2016). When bigotry paraded through the streets. [Online]. Retrieved from: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/12/second-klan/509468/ . Accessed 13 th July 2019.
Trumentary. (2011). KKK inside Americans terror. [Online]. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D16Xu2gYYdg&feature=youtu.be . Accessed 13 th July 2019.
