Ku Klux Klan Expands as Paramilitary Terrorist Force

Founded in Pulaski, Tennessee in late 1865, the Ku Klux Klan expanded dramatically under former Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest as Grand Wizard from 1867-1869. The Klan used night raids, whippings, and murder to destroy Republican Party infrastructure, suppress Black voting, and drive Black people from land they had acquired. Targets included Black officeholders, teachers in Freedmen's Bureau schools, and white Republican allies.