What began on Christmas Eve 1865 as a social group, grew to a terror organisation that by the 1920s reached peak membership of up to six million people across the United States.
From its humble beginnings, the Ku Klux Klan heralded an horrific chapter in American history that still exists today, 150 years after its initial formation.
The aftermath of the Civil War gave around four million African-Americans their freedom but there were several obstacles to successfully rebuilding the South during what was known as the Reconstruction Period of 1865-77.
From 1865 to 1871 the first wave of the KKK killed hundreds of African-Americans and their white supporters, driving thousands of families from their homes, sexually assaulting thousands of women and men.
Read Full Article »