"The Justification and Rationalization of the Ku Klux Klan". About how KKK thought what they were doing was right. Includes examples of crimes etc. 5 pages, 1704 words

Essay by JesscaHigh School, 11th gradeA+, December 2003

download word file, 7 pages 5.0

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The Justification and Rationalization of the Ku Klux Klan

When I was a sheltered, naive girl of seven, I caught a glimpse into minds of the people who have perhaps the most hatred in them and the most racist values of all. That day I had stayed home sick from school and simply turned on the television to watch something interesting. I ended up watching a very popular daytime talk show, Jerry Springer, and the topic was the Ku Klux Klan. Jerry Springer's guests, which were KKK members, totally appalled and shocked me. I was raised to be very open minded and to carry no prejudice. I had always thought that everyone was equal, and one's pigment made them different from others. So why is it that the people of the KKK can have so much hatred and vengeance for people of another color, religion, or sexual preference? The Ku Klux Klan (KKK) is a group of fundamentally decent white Christians who justify their discrimination, violence, and unfair "rules" towards blacks, immigrants, gays, and people of other religions.

The Ku Klux Klan was founded in 1865 by Nathan Bedford Forrest, who was a cavalry commander in the Civil War (Nash 1855). The KKK is the largest, oldest, and most professional white rights organization in the world (Homepage: KKK). This organization is promoting a message of white Christian revival (Homepage: KKK). The members of the KKK are people that are decent, meaning if one were to meet a member of the KKK on the street, they would appear to be ordinary, respectful people. They are doctors, lawyers, of upper and middle classes, blue collar workers, and professionals. They could be your next-door neighbor, your husband or wife, or even your own sister. According to an anonymous survey, some people...