The Rise of the KKK The Ku Klux Klan grew to over 4.5 million members in the 1920s as a reaction to increased immigration and changes in American society, using tactics like wearing white hoods and burning crosses. Lynching, which involved illegal executions without trials, was commonly used in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as a scare tactic against minorities, with over 5,000 people killed between 1880-1950, the majority being black. Lynching was most prevalent in southern states and was often tolerated by racist communities and indifferent government officials.

1. The Rise of the KKK

4. LYNCHING 1880 – 1950 = 5,000 killed with 70% being Black 1880 = 23 people every 2 ½ days Heaviest in Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama, Lousiana and Arkansas – What do they all have in common? Not restricted to South – for example: Zacharia Walker 1911 – Coatesville, PA