Ku Klux Klan Founded by Confederate Veterans in Tennessee

Confederate veterans including former General Nathan Bedford Forrest founded the Ku Klux Klan in Pulaski, Tennessee, on Christmas Eve 1865. Within two years it had spread across the South as a terrorist organization targeting Black voters, officeholders, teachers, and community leaders, along with white Republicans. Using night raids, beatings, and murder, the Klan systematically dismantled Black political participation. Forrest served as first Grand Wizard.