Unites States of America was built from the immigration of people from an international array of backgrounds. A large number of white supremacists blame their personal as well as economic misfortunes on other ethnic groups like the African-Americans, Jews and Catholics to mention but a few. As the amount of ethnic diversity gradually increased in the political systems of Louisiana and the United States, organizations rapidly formed to challenge the new ethnic variation in government.

The Ku Klux Klan has played a major role in United States history. As the south was undergoing the era of Reconstruction after the Civil War, the votes of newly emancipated black Southerners put the Republicans in power throughout the state. White Southerners resorted to brute force to preserve the white supremacy they once had. The Klan was originally arranged into secret societies that terrorized local white and black Republican leaders. They also threatened all African Americans who violated the old ideas of black inferiority.

Sworn to secrecy, its members wore white robes and masks and adopted the burning cross as their symbol. They were noticed for their horrible acts of violence that they called nighttime rides. These attacks included murder, rape, beatings, and warnings and were designed to overcome Republican majorities in the south. Due to the fear of a race war, state officials were unable to suppress the violence. The Klan is still fairly active in the USA today. The main form of action in today's Klan is protests, rallies and Internet shows. The Klan also seems to be led by different religious figures, such as Rev. Jeffery L. Belly (American Knights of the Ku Klux Klan), Pastor Thomas Robb (The Knights Party) and Rev. John Howard (International Knights of the Ku Klux Klan). To justify their existence, the Klan refers to the high crime rates and the defects in society, and how they wish to change them.

The Ku Klux Klan is first and foremost an American phenomenon, although it has spread to Europe and other continents propagating their extreme racists ideology. Over its 130-year history the Klan has reacted according to different social changes, claiming to protect the interest of the white people. It has been an excluding, anti-social racist group, which has judged people according to color, faith, and conviction.

References:
George J and Wilcox L, Nazis, Communists, Klansmen, and Others on the Fringe, Buffalo NY, Prometheus, 1992, 445-447

Hewitt, Christopher. Understanding Terrorism in America: From the Klan to Al Qaeda.

Southern Poverty Law Center - Fighting Hate, Teaching Tolerance, Seeking Justice
http://www.splcenter.org/

Vohryzek-Bolden, M. Olson-Raymer, G. and Whamond,  J. O. Domestic Terrorism and Incident Management: Issues and Tactics. Springfilled, IL: Charles C. Thomas