How far was the Ku Klux Klan responsible for the lack of progress towards civil rights for

Black
Americans in the years up to 1941?
Despite Black people being freed in 1860, they faced heavy discrimination and prejudice in all areas of life. It was not until
the 1960s, 100 years later, that they began to make progress towards equal rights with white men. This was due to a wide
variety of factors. The Ku Klux Klan used violence, fear and intimidation to keep Blacks in their place and to stop them
trying to improve their situation. The innate racism of the US, especially in the south, provided another barrier, especially
after those feelings manifested into the Jim Crow laws. The disinterest of Federal government, combined with the difficulty of
voting, meant they couldn't change their situation through elections. The lack of a unified Civil Rights movement didn't help,
with many groups each with their own methods and agenda. And the discrimination and poverty, both in the north and south
of the US, meant that people were too bust struggling through life to campaign for a better one. Overall, the Ku Klux Klan
was largely responsible for the lack of progress towards civil rights for Black Americans in the years up to 1941.
The KKK was founded in the 1860's by 3 confederate veterans, and aimed to keep the now freed blacks below white people.
It enjoyed a revival in 1915 and at it's peak had over 2 million members, from judges to hairdressers and policemen to
bankers. They wanted to keep America following their warped notion of Americanism, i.e. WASPs (White Anglo-Saxon
Protestant) and nothing else. They used violence and fear to keep blacks in line, and activities ranged from burning crosses
on hills to lynching people for the heck of it. Because of the Klan's massive membership, blacks could do very little without
fear of violence and this helped to keep them in their place. Also, the Klan's reach was widespread, so even if blacks
complained or campaigned it would most likely fall on unsupportive ears. Many historians argue that the KKK was widely
responsible for the lack of progress towards civil rights in the period up to 1941, but many other factors had roles to play, like
institutional racism and poverty.
The American south was (and is) much more racist than the north. This is because, even back to the days when it was a
colony of Britain, the south was where the slaves were sent to work. These differences really came to the forefront when the
13th amendment was passed to end slavery, and in response, many southern states ceded from the USA and formed the
Confederate States of America, starting the American Civil War. Even though the North won, and freed the slaves, old habits
die hard and the rich whites of the south didn't want their way of life ruined. To this end, they passed a number of laws,
collectively called 'Jim Crow laws' which discriminated and segregated blacks. To back this up, in 1896 the Supreme Court
made the 'separate but equal' decision, effectively legalising these laws and proving that the federal government had no
interest in helping the blacks. The Supreme Court's decision meant that many blacks saw no opportunity for change as it
seemed like the government would not help them. In addition, many historians argue that the Jim Crow laws gave a legal
pathway for racist attitudes and actions. The racist attitudes and Jim Crow laws were a large reason behind the lack of
progress towards civil rights in the years before 1941, but they were not as important as the KKK. This is because the threat
of being randomly beaten and killed is more of a concern than sitting at the same table as a white man, and the KKK would
have been there even without Jim Crow laws.
Black men were given the right to vote under the 15th amendment, but many states found ways to ensure that they would
not be able to exercise that right. This ranged from answering questions like 'How many bubbles in a bar of soap?' or
reciting part of the constitution to the satisfaction of the examiner, to the famous 'Grandfather Clause', which meant that you
could only vote if your grandfather could have voted in 1866, and as the 15th amendment was not passed until 1870, this
excluded blacks from voting. In addition, the federal government had little interest in civil rights and this would also prove to
be a major obstacle. In fact, President Wilson supported segregation and famously said "Segregation is not humiliating and
it is a benefit for you black gentlemen". The obscure voting qualifications meant that it would be hard for blacks to change
their situation using politics, and the lack of government support meant it was almost impossible to make changes legally.
The lack of political influence was a large factor in explaining the lack of progress towards civil rights in the period up to
1941, and it was more important than the threat of the KKK. This is because, with governmental support, blacks could have
done something about all the discrimination and racism, and take action against the KKK.
Unlike in the 1960s, when the civil rights movement rallied behind Martin Luther King Jr and his charismatic personality, in
the early 1900s the Civil rights movement was a mess of smaller, independent groups, each with its own agenda and aims,
and very little communication between each other. The movement had 3 major players at the time: Booker T. Washington

and the Tuskegee Institute, who believed that through hard work and education, blacks would earn the respect of whites and
be granted rights; W.E.B. Du Bois and the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP), who
believed in fighting discrimination through legal methods; and Marcus Garvey and the Universal Negro Improvement
Association (UNIA), who aimed for complete separation of whites and blacks and for black people to all return to Africa. The
fragmented nature of the civil rights movement certainly did not help the cause, as the movement lacked the momentum,
mass and visibility of later efforts, and each of the 3 main groups was marred with problems, further bringing down the
cause. The splits in the Civil Rights movement were a contributing factor in the reasons behind the lack of progress towards
Civil Rights in the period before 1941, but they were less important than the KKK. This is because the groups still existed
and could have done something, like the suffrage movement in Britain, and the KKK would threaten and kill any one who
tried to unify the movement.
Another reason for the lack of progress towards civil rights was the poverty and discrimination blacks faced on a day-to-day
basis. Many people were too busy trying to make it through life in one piece to try and campaign for a better one. In the
north, there was no 'official' segregation, but in employment blacks were 'last hired, first fired' and excluded from things like
skilled jobs and trade unions, keeping them in low pais, unskilled jobs. In the South, sharecropping kept black farmers in a
constant cycle of debt and almost never met voting qualifications. In addition, segregated education kept black people out of
the political loop, meaning they were less likely to get involved in political activities. The poverty and discrimination certainly
kept blacks from campaigning often, but as the situation had not improved much by the 1960s, when massive amounts of
blacks joined forces for a better life, it could not have been that important. Poverty and discrimination were a contributing
factor in the lack of progress towards Civil Rights before 1941, but they were less important than the KKK. This is because
the KKK kept many blacks in poverty, by punishing and even killing those who got too successful.
In conclusion, the KKK were a major factor in why there was a lack of progress towards civil rights before 1941, but they
were not the most important factor and certainly not the only one. Poverty and Discrimination played a part, but as it had not
changed much in the 1960s it was not that big of a factor. The splits in the Civil Rights movement certainly did not help the
movement, but the individual groups could have still achieved something together. Racist attitudes and institutional racism
were very important, as they kept black people 'in their place' and provided legal methods of racism. The KKK were another
major factor, as their fear tactics stopped blacks from even attempting to change their situation for fear of death. But the
most important factor was a lack of political influence. This is because without it, it was very hard to get the civil rights ball
rolling and to do something about the racism and discrimination blacks faced.