The Invisible Empire of the KKK

Louisiana 1900's X Alt-1920s Covington X Novel 1920's New Orleans‎

History

Arising from the economic and social disorganization in the wake of the Civil War, six veterans of the Confederate army organized a small social club or fraternity. Their meeting took place in the summer of 1866, in the law office of Judge Thomas M. Jones of Pulaski, Tennessee. Initially organized for amusement purposes only, six former soldiers essentially engaged in horseplay, wearing disguises and riding their horses around town after dark. Finding that their actions frightened former and often superstitious slaves in the area, the members of the Pulaski Klan, thought to be ghosts of dead Confederate soldiers, heightened their activities in an attempt to restore the former plantation system. The idea of frightening former slaves back to work attracted numerous new members, resulting in the spread and rapid expansion of the Ku Klux Klan.

Relatively non-violent in nature, the Ku Klux Klan, under the leadership of Forrest, grew and transformed considerably following the passage of the Reconstruction Acts of March-July 1867. In fact, harassment, intimidation, and murder became more commonplace, as northern teachers, judges, politicians, carpetbaggers, and Freedmen were targeted indiscriminately. Louisiana was no exception, as conservative whites organized into a number of secret paramilitary organizations.

Hoping to elect Democrat Horatio Seymour over Republican candidate Ulysses S. Grant, Louisiana white paramilitary organizations, initiated a campaign of terror against Freedmen never before witnessed in Louisiana. Given that blacks outnumbered whites almost 3 to 1 in Northwest Louisiana, controlling the black majority and securing the Democratic vote took on increasing importance for these groups.

Historically, violence was nothing new to residents of Northwestern Louisiana. Shreveport was minimally affected by the Civil War and briefly served as the capital of Confederate Louisiana. Area whites never really felt defeated and very much despised the Reconstruction policies of the Federal government. Despite victories in Louisiana and six other states, Seymour and Blair lost to Grant and Colfax. Briefly returning in 1874, white on black violence fell sharply in Northwestern Louisiana. Relatively quiet for almost forty years, the “Ku Klux” movement returned with a vengeance in the 1920′s.

Spreading rapidly throughout the South, the Ku Klux Klan reentered Louisiana and began organizing a chapter in New Orleans in November of 1920. The chapter’s name was Old Hickory Klan Number One and consisted of lawyers, politicians and doctors. Approximately one week later, Shreveport Klan Number Two was established. Given its rural nature and the large number of protestant whites, Shreveport became the state headquarters of the Louisiana Klan. As the Klan spread throughout the state, most members became increasingly unconcerned with the national aims of the Ku Klux Klan. In general, the Louisiana Klan, at this time, was not concerned with immigration, the Jewish problem, or white supremacy, and thought of themselves as more of a moralistic law enforcement agency. The Klan took it upon them to clean up society and punish bootleggers, moonshiners, vagrants, and gamblers.