The Ku Klux Klan began after the Civil War as a secret terrorist organization that used violence and intimidation against African Americans and their allies to reestablish white supremacy. It grew to millions of members in the 1920s while advocating for racist, anti-Semitic, anti-Catholic and anti-immigrant policies. Though later dismantled by federal laws, the KKK ideology continues through smaller groups that still employ hate crimes such as bombings and lynchings against religious and racial minorities to promote white power.