Klansville USA Reflection

 The state of North Carolina had been given the nickname “Klansville U.S.A..” The leader, Bob Jones, had been able to build the klan into something huge. He wanted this group to have the influence of something political. He was successful with growing the North Carolina klan group to be the biggest group with over ten thousand members. This had more members than all of the other southern groups combined. 

This organization was considered to be the spokesperson for the whites that felt as if integration was going to be a threat to things in their daily lives like their jobs. Those that were against integration had the Klan and those that were for integration had the NAACP. 

People like Bob Jones lacked respect for African Americans and refused to think integration was a good idea. He never even thought he was racist. He had formed opinions on groups of people without even trying. He showed his hate by leading the KKK in North Carolina.

Those that were apart of the KKK originally were coming back as former confederate leaders and after seeing the reactions of newly freed slaves, they became more violent. They did things that were so harsh like hanging people from trees or throwing them off bridges.

In 1915, the idea of the KKK came back as a presence from it being in a movie. This movie made it seem that the things that the KKK had done were necessary so they were justified, which I find insane. It made them seem almost heroic to those that saw it. After this, the KKK made a comeback in the 1920’s. These groups started to be all over, not just in the south.  There were over 4 million Klan members in the 1920’s, which I never knew it involved that many followers. 

When there seemed to be progress in integration, the KKK came back. They believed that the Klan was “saving” the south. But it was not saving the south but making change impossible. 

Something that I find crazy is there were members of the KKK that were ministers and other people that were religious. I don't understand how someone could share the love of God but not show love towards everyone, no matter race or religious beliefs. During initiation, a cross would be burned. I don’t understand how a true believer could be apart of something so tragic. They thought these cross burnings were fine. Things that are horrible were being normalized and causing bad things to happen over and over again. 

People were finding almost a feeling of belonging while doing things that were not sharing the feeling they were receiving. They felt as if they were doing what was right since they had seen these things happen for years, which didn’t make anything okay. 

I will never understand how things could get this violent and how people could be so stuck in their ways to not be accepting to those around them.