Process Paper
Seeing readings about recent acts of violence by the Ku Klux Klan on the news caught our attention. This helped us decide that it would be a very interesting topic for our National History Day project. We thought the Ku Klux Klan perfectly fit this year’s theme of “Leadership and Legacy.” As we began our research on the Ku Klux Klan, we came across several opinions on the Klan and their beliefs. We found the way the Klan sees themselves is very different from how society sees them. It was interesting for us to read about the three eras of the Ku Klux Klan, and how they have left a legacy of hate and destruction.
To conduct our research we acquired several pamphlets from the Ku Klux Klan. As we read these pamphlets, we were able to see the Klan’s views on the stereotypes society has placed on them. One of the pamphlets we found particularly interesting consisted of FAQs. Reading this we became aware of the responsibilities the Ku Klux Klan believes they possess. As we got further into our research we began to read archived websites that contain the “terrorist” acts the Klan has performed. By reading this we saw the image that the government and society paints of the Klan. We used sources from the school and public libraries. Primary source documents helped us place the Klan and its work in the context of history.
Choosing our presentation category was difficult. We started out the project set on doing a group exhibit, but then we stepped back and thought about what different aspects we wanted to show in our project. We wanted to show what different ceremonies were like and how the Klan got their message across to society. This left us with either a documentary or a website. In the end we decided a website would give us the most opportunity to explain our topic in all different ways.
Our topic fits the theme "Leadership and Legacy in History" in a number of ways. The Ku Klux Klan was founded in 1866 in the southern United States in response to Reconstruction policies, which were meant to uplift the African-Americans to full citizenship, but many former Confederates opposed these policies. In each of the three eras of the Ku Klux Klan, the Klan worked towards their idea of “True Americanism.” Their belief was God wanted all races and religions to be segregated and whites belonged in America. Even though the U.S. Government considers the Klan a terrorist group, the Klan perceives themselves as a "religion" working towards “America’s White Future.” The leadership of the Klan has kept the organization alive for nearly 150 years through intimidation, lynchings, and murder. The
Ku Klux Klan's destructive legacy of hate still lives on today. It is the responsibility of each American to work towards a country free of prejudice and hate. Organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan are not helping this vision of a unified nation become a reality.
To conduct our research we acquired several pamphlets from the Ku Klux Klan. As we read these pamphlets, we were able to see the Klan’s views on the stereotypes society has placed on them. One of the pamphlets we found particularly interesting consisted of FAQs. Reading this we became aware of the responsibilities the Ku Klux Klan believes they possess. As we got further into our research we began to read archived websites that contain the “terrorist” acts the Klan has performed. By reading this we saw the image that the government and society paints of the Klan. We used sources from the school and public libraries. Primary source documents helped us place the Klan and its work in the context of history.
Choosing our presentation category was difficult. We started out the project set on doing a group exhibit, but then we stepped back and thought about what different aspects we wanted to show in our project. We wanted to show what different ceremonies were like and how the Klan got their message across to society. This left us with either a documentary or a website. In the end we decided a website would give us the most opportunity to explain our topic in all different ways.
Our topic fits the theme "Leadership and Legacy in History" in a number of ways. The Ku Klux Klan was founded in 1866 in the southern United States in response to Reconstruction policies, which were meant to uplift the African-Americans to full citizenship, but many former Confederates opposed these policies. In each of the three eras of the Ku Klux Klan, the Klan worked towards their idea of “True Americanism.” Their belief was God wanted all races and religions to be segregated and whites belonged in America. Even though the U.S. Government considers the Klan a terrorist group, the Klan perceives themselves as a "religion" working towards “America’s White Future.” The leadership of the Klan has kept the organization alive for nearly 150 years through intimidation, lynchings, and murder. The
Ku Klux Klan's destructive legacy of hate still lives on today. It is the responsibility of each American to work towards a country free of prejudice and hate. Organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan are not helping this vision of a unified nation become a reality.