Ku Klux Klan Expands as Confederate Paramilitary Force

Founded in Pulaski, TN in 1865, the KKK expanded under ex-Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest as Grand Wizard from 1867-69. The Klan used night raids, whippings, and murder to destroy Republican infrastructure and suppress Black voting. Targets included Black officeholders, Freedmen's Bureau teachers, and white Republican allies.