Klansville, USA Documentary

Following the Civil War, decommissioned Confederate soldiers in Pulaski, Tennessee established the Ku Klux Klan in 1865 as a fraternal social club. The group became violent and had already begun to dissolve in 1871 under pressure from the federal government but made it resurrection when it was featured in D.W.Griffith's "The Birth of A Nation" film in 1915. The film portrayed their violence towards African Americans as justifiable and necessary to restore order in the South. The popularity of the film helped to fuel a Klan revival during the 1920s, and by 1925, four million Americans were members. The resurrection of the group didn't last long because a struggle for power tore the group apart again by the 1930's.

The Ku Klux Klan reemerged in the U.S. after the 1954 Supreme Court Brown v. Board of Education decision, gaining momentum in the U.S. as the Civil Rights Movement grew. To many the fact that the KKK re-emerged wasn't surprising. The biggest shock of the reformation was that it took place in North Carolina, rather than far more anti-civil rights states such as Alabama, Mississippi, or Louisiana. North Carolina was long considered the most progressive southern state and home to the enormously popular "Andy Griffith Show", which only furthered the states positive reputation.

In 1963, North Carolina salesman Bob Jones gathered what would become the largest KKK group in the country. He used the fears and resentments of low-income whites who believed that a changing America would leave them behind to recruit people. Jones took his message across the state, establishing Klaverns and signing up hundreds of members. Under Jones’ leadership, membership grew to some ten thousand members helping the state of North Carolina gain it's Klansville, USA nickname.

MORE:

https://www.history.com/topics/ku-klux-klan

WATCH:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3aYXdIYu0A