Fourth Grade
Worksheets
The Start of the Ku Klux Klan
Blacks gained more rights after the Civil War. But blacks and whites were still not equal. Groups were forming to fight back against some of the rights that blacks had gained after the Civil War. One of these groups was the Ku Klux Klan or KKK. This group was formed by six men in Tennessee. It was 1866. The name came from the Greek word "kuklos," which means circle. At first, the group was supposed to be just a social group. Soon it turned to more violent actions. At first the actions were almost like practical jokes. Later the group became deadly.
The KKK wanted to defend whites against blacks. It saw the white race as the better race. The rights that blacks had gained after the Civil War made members of the group angry. The KKK was their way of fighting back.
The identities of the members of the group were supposed to be a secret. But people usually knew who was a member of the KKK. To try to hide their identity, men would wear white robes and hoods.
