These Photos Of History Will Change How You View The World

The Beginnings Of A Hate Group

This is an early photo of the Ku Klux Klan, which was founded in 1866 in Tennessee. The KKK’s localized groups banded together the following year to establish and “Invisible Empire of the South.” At the time, their organization was founded off disagreements with the post-Civil War Reconstruction policies but soon radicalized following African-American participation in public life. Violence grew so strong during the Reconstruction era that Congress passed Enforcement Acts that criminalized certain KKK activity. The group was revived by 1915 in Georgia and the second time around was not only anti-black but also discriminated against Catholics, Jews, foreigners and organized labor.