The Ku Klux Klan, or KKK, is a white supremacist hate group that originated in the Southern United States after the Civil War. The KKK's goals were to terrorize African Americans and promote a white Protestant society. The KKK developed in three periods between 1865-1944 and targeted African Americans, Jews, Catholics and other minority groups through violence and intimidation. While the KKK splintered into smaller groups over time, it remains an active white supremacist organization that uses threats and violence to spread its racist ideology.