Ku Klux Klan

[ koo kluhks klan ]

noun

1. U.S. History. a secret hate group in the southern U.S., active for several years after the Civil War, which aimed to suppress the newly acquired rights of Black people and to oppose carpetbaggers from the North, and which was responsible for many lawless and violent proceedings.
2. Official_name Knights of the Ku Klux Klan. a secret hate group inspired by the former, founded in 1915 and currently active across the U.S., especially in the South, directed against Black people, Muslims, Jews, Catholics, foreign-born individuals, and other groups.

Ku Klux Klan

/ ˈkuː ˈklʌks ˈklæn /

noun

1. a secret organization of White Southerners formed after the US Civil War to fight Black emancipation and Northern domination
2. a secret organization of White Protestant Americans, mainly in the South, who use violence against Black people, Jewish people, and other minority groups

Ku Klux Klan

1. A secret society dedicated to the supremacy of white people in the United States. It began in the South during the time of Reconstruction and attempted to terrorize the many southern blacks and carpetbaggers who had replaced white southerners in positions of power. The Klan gained renewed strength in the 1920s and again in the 1960s but is now very diminished. It has stated that it aims to preserve “pure Americanism.” It has attacked Jews (see also Jews ) and Roman Catholics , along with immigrants and communists but is still primarily opposed to equal rights for black people and has often engaged in violence against them. Klansmen wear white hoods and robes. Klan leaders have titles such as Grand Dragon, Grand Cyclops , and Imperial Wizard.

Notes

A favored tactic of Klansmen is to burn a wooden cross outside the house of someone whom they wish to intimidate. Typically, they want the occupant to move out of the vicinity. The burning cross is a threat of future assaults if the victim does not do what the Klan wants.

Derived Forms

• Ku Kluxism, noun
• Ku Kluxer, noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of Ku Klux Klan¹

First recorded in 1865–70; Ku Klux (perhaps from Greek kýklos “circle, assembly”) + Klan, spelling variant of clan

Word History and Origins

Origin of Ku Klux Klan¹

C19 Ku Klux, probably based on Greek kuklos circle + Klan clan

Example Sentences

Throughout the 1800s and early 1900s, racial scientists labored to transform the myths of the age of slavery and the more modern racist fictions of the Ku Klux Klan into scientifically verified facts.

From Salon

The journalist said he inherited his strong moral compass, including a deep-seated sense of equality, from his father, who was once was once assaulted by members of the Ku Klux Klan in North Carolina.

From Los Angeles Times

Higgins, a Louisiana representative who once admitted to voting for former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke, previously told colleagues that he’d pray over whether to delete the remarks.

From Salon

Last weekend, suspected members of the far-right Proud Boys marched through the streets and the Ku Klux Klan distributed hate-filled leaflets.

From Los Angeles Times

He shared Nazi extremism and racist videos from the Ku Klux Klan, and bragged about planning terrorist attacks, the CPS said.

From BBC