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U.S. Klans

January 01, 1970

The U.S. Klans, officially, the U.S. Klans, Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, Inc. was the dominant Ku Klux Klan in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The death of its leader in 1960, along with increased factionalism, splits and competition from other groups led to its decline by the mid-to-late 1960s.[1]

Flier advertising the U.S. Klans.

Origins edit

The group was first organized in Atlanta, Georgia in September 1953 as the U.S. Klans of Georgia by Eldon Edwards. Initial membership was drawn from the remnants of Dr. Samuel Green's old Association of Georgia Klans. More members came to the group after the Supreme Court's so-called "Black Monday" decision mandating school desegregation. On October 24, 1955 the national group was chartered, with Samuel Green, Jr. as attorney and William Daniel and M. Wesley Morgan as incorporating officers.[2] Edwards revised and copyrighted a new version of William Joseph Simmons's Kloran and claimed this as a "direct link" to the Klan of the 1920s. By 1959 the organization was at its peak with 15,000 members in nine or ten states, with the greatest concentration of members in Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama and Louisiana. A recruiting drive in March 1961 featured simultaneous cross burnings throughout the South.[3] In 1955 the clans stone mountain site gained the support of Governor Marvin Griffin.[4] On September 29, 1956 the US Klans staged the largest KKK rally since World War II when it gathered nearly 3,000 people at Stone Mountain, Georgia. The crowd reportedly came in over 1,000 cars decked out in Klan insignia and bearing license plates from Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, Louisiana, Virginia and Tennessee.[5]

Factionalization edit

Nevertheless, the group still suffered from factional problems. In late 1956, the Rev. James W. "Catfish" Cole defected to form his own North Carolina Knights of the Ku Klux Klan which made headlines during its confrontation with Lumbee Indians in January 1958.[6] In 1957 Edwards banished Texas kleagle Horace Sherman Miller for failing to establish a single klavern in his two years in office, and using his kleagle monies for private purposes. Miller responding by establishing his own Aryan Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, which did not have much formal membership, but gained notoriety by its contacts with like minded groups all around the world.[7] Another group of Klansmen were expelled from the Chattanooga Klavern #1 in the summer of 1957 for unspecified reasons. This group reconstituted itself as the Dixie Klans, Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, Inc. in October of that year and would expand into Alabama and northwestern Georgia in the following years.[8]

More serious issues were coming to ahead in Alabama. That realm had been led by one of the US Klans most effective organizers, Grand Dragon Rev. Alvin Horn. Under Horn's leadership the realm had expanded from two klaverns in the summer of 1956 to 100 by early 1957. However, when Horn's wife became despondent over a recent surgery she committed suicide, leaving him to care for their six children by himself. Horn then married a 15-year-old girl whom he had gotten pregnant. The scandal forced Horn to step down as Grand Dragon and he was replaced by Robert Shelton. Shelton quickly became disenchanted with Edwards' leadership and split to form his own Alabama Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, which became a competitor with the US Klans in Alabama and started to outgrow it.[9]

On August 1, 1960 Imperial Wizard Edwards died of a heart attack, at age fifty one. A bitter power struggle then ensued between Edwards' widow, who wanted Rev. E.E. George to be the new Imperial Wizard and the faction around Georgia Grand Dragon Robert "Wild Bill" Davidson who was chosen by the membership as the new leader.[10] Initially, Imperial Wizard Davidson struck a moderate tone, stating that he wanted to bring the Klan "out of the darkness and make it a progressive movement, not just a protest movement." He distanced the organization from people like George Lincoln Rockwell, Robert Shelton, Asa Carter and the National States' Rights Party. He told the press "I don't get myself connected with any fanatical movement". By November he was taking a more militant stand, stating that, if necessary, Klansmen would use buckshot to prevent integration. Davidson's reign as Imperial Wizard proved short-lived. Facing harassment and lawsuits by Mrs. Edwards and E.E. George, Davidson resigned on February 18, 1961, founding his own group, Invisible Empire, United Klans, Knights of the Ku Klux Klan of America, Inc.[11] He was joined by Georgia Grand Dragon Calvin Craig and klaverns in Georgia and Alabama. Davidson's commitment to non-violence and condemnation of the violence during the integration of the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia, in which Calvin Craig was personally involved, led to his second resignation as Imperial Wizard on April 1, and he was succeeded by Craig. The Invisible Empire, United Klans, Knights of the Ku Klux Klan of America, Inc merged with Shelton's Alabama Knights on July 8 to form the United Klans of America, which became the dominant Klan of the 1960s[12]

Freedom Rides and decline edit

During 1961 the US Klans, along with several other groups, attempted to resist the freedom rides which were attempting to test integration of Interstate transportation. On May 14, in conjunction with the Alabama Knights, they stopped and boarded a bus in Anniston, beat several of the passengers and drove it to Birmingham, where they drove the passengers out of the bus and into the hands of an angry mob. On May 20 they attacked another bus as it arrived in Montgomery. A federal temporary restraining order was issued against the US Klans (and against Alvin Horn, who had been reappointed Grand Dragon of Alabama by Davidson) by the United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama on May 20 and a preliminary injunction on June 2, enjoining, them from interfering with interstate commerce, committing acts of violence or intimidation against the freedom riders.[13]

E.E. George remained imperial wizard until October 26, 1963 when the College Park Klavern #297 engineered a special klonvocation to oust George on charges of financial irregularity and install their Exalted Cyclops, H. J. Jones, as leader. The victory proved hollow as all other active klaverns in the group followed George into yet another faction, the Improved Order of the U.S. Klans. By January 1967 the US Klans numbered less than fifty members and was still declining. It disappeared entirely by the end of the decade.[14]

While the US Klans proceeded with the single klavern in College Park, the Improved Order maintained a presence in Lithonia, Georgia, its headquarters, as well as klaverns in Tallapoosa, Georgia, two in Union Springs, Alabama, one in Heiberger, Alabama and one in Florida.[15] By January 1967 it was estimated to have about 100 members.[16]

In October 1965 the US Klans, the Improved Order and the Dixie Klans were all identified as being members of James Venable's National Association of the Ku Klux Klan, a federation of semi-autonomous groups. All of these factions were defunct by the early 1970s.[16]

References edit

  1. ^ Michael and Judy Ann Newton eds. The Ku Klux Klan; an encyclopedia Garland Reference Library of the Social Science Vol.499 London and New York; Garland Publishing inc. 1991 pp .xi, 571-2
  2. ^ Newton p. 571
  3. ^ Newton pp. 181, 571 Newton p.xi say it was active in 9 states, while the entries for US Klans on p. 571 and Eldon Edwards on p. 181 say 10
  4. ^ Onion, Rebecca (8 July 2020). "How Georgia's Stone Mountain Became a Monument to White Supremacy". Slate.
  5. ^ The Ku Klux Klan: Legacy of Hate Emergence of the UKA 2007-11-10 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ Newton pp.123, 433
  7. ^ James Michael Davis, "MILLER, HORACE SHERMAN," Handbook of Texas Online (http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fmi93), accessed June 29, 2012. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
  8. ^ Newton pp. 77, 164
  9. ^ Newton pp. 9, 273, 513
  10. ^ Newton pp.181, 571
  11. ^ Newton pp.152-3
  12. ^ Newton pp. 29, 291, 573
  13. ^ Newton pp. 213-4, 273; United States v.U.S. Klans 2015-12-08 at the Wayback Machine
  14. ^ Newton pp. 223-4, 303, 572
  15. ^ Activities of Ku Klux Klan organizations in the United States. Hearings before the Committee on Un-American Activities, House of Representatives, Eighty-ninth Congress, first session pp. 1543-4, 1568 and 1580
  16. ^ a b Newton pp.285

Publications edit

  • The principles of the U.S. Klans, Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, Inc. College Park, Ga.
  • The Georgia Klansman Macon, Ga. : U.S. Klans-Knights of the Ku-Klux-Klan, 1959-?

Further reading edit

  • Davis, James Michael. "Horace Sherman Miller and the U.S. Klans" Thesis (M.A.)--Baylor University, 1989.

External links edit

January 01, 1970
klans, officially, knights, klux, klan, dominant, klux, klan, late, 1950s, early, 1960s, death, leader, 1960, along, with, increased, factionalism, splits, competition, from, other, groups, decline, late, 1960s, flier, advertising, contents, origins, factional. The U S Klans officially the U S Klans Knights of the Ku Klux Klan Inc was the dominant Ku Klux Klan in the late 1950s and early 1960s The death of its leader in 1960 along with increased factionalism splits and competition from other groups led to its decline by the mid to late 1960s 1 Flier advertising the U S Klans Contents 1 Origins 2 Factionalization 3 Freedom Rides and decline 4 References 5 Publications 6 Further reading 7 External linksOrigins editThe group was first organized in Atlanta Georgia in September 1953 as the U S Klans of Georgia by Eldon Edwards Initial membership was drawn from the remnants of Dr Samuel Green s old Association of Georgia Klans More members came to the group after the Supreme Court s so called Black Monday decision mandating school desegregation On October 24 1955 the national group was chartered with Samuel Green Jr as attorney and William Daniel and M Wesley Morgan as incorporating officers 2 Edwards revised and copyrighted a new version of William Joseph Simmons s Kloran and claimed this as a direct link to the Klan of the 1920s By 1959 the organization was at its peak with 15 000 members in nine or ten states with the greatest concentration of members in Georgia South Carolina Alabama and Louisiana A recruiting drive in March 1961 featured simultaneous cross burnings throughout the South 3 In 1955 the clans stone mountain site gained the support of Governor Marvin Griffin 4 On September 29 1956 the US Klans staged the largest KKK rally since World War II when it gathered nearly 3 000 people at Stone Mountain Georgia The crowd reportedly came in over 1 000 cars decked out in Klan insignia and bearing license plates from Georgia South Carolina Alabama Louisiana Virginia and Tennessee 5 Factionalization editNevertheless the group still suffered from factional problems In late 1956 the Rev James W Catfish Cole defected to form his own North Carolina Knights of the Ku Klux Klan which made headlines during its confrontation with Lumbee Indians in January 1958 6 In 1957 Edwards banished Texas kleagle Horace Sherman Miller for failing to establish a single klavern in his two years in office and using his kleagle monies for private purposes Miller responding by establishing his own Aryan Knights of the Ku Klux Klan which did not have much formal membership but gained notoriety by its contacts with like minded groups all around the world 7 Another group of Klansmen were expelled from the Chattanooga Klavern 1 in the summer of 1957 for unspecified reasons This group reconstituted itself as the Dixie Klans Knights of the Ku Klux Klan Inc in October of that year and would expand into Alabama and northwestern Georgia in the following years 8 More serious issues were coming to ahead in Alabama That realm had been led by one of the US Klans most effective organizers Grand Dragon Rev Alvin Horn Under Horn s leadership the realm had expanded from two klaverns in the summer of 1956 to 100 by early 1957 However when Horn s wife became despondent over a recent surgery she committed suicide leaving him to care for their six children by himself Horn then married a 15 year old girl whom he had gotten pregnant The scandal forced Horn to step down as Grand Dragon and he was replaced by Robert Shelton Shelton quickly became disenchanted with Edwards leadership and split to form his own Alabama Knights of the Ku Klux Klan which became a competitor with the US Klans in Alabama and started to outgrow it 9 On August 1 1960 Imperial Wizard Edwards died of a heart attack at age fifty one A bitter power struggle then ensued between Edwards widow who wanted Rev E E George to be the new Imperial Wizard and the faction around Georgia Grand Dragon Robert Wild Bill Davidson who was chosen by the membership as the new leader 10 Initially Imperial Wizard Davidson struck a moderate tone stating that he wanted to bring the Klan out of the darkness and make it a progressive movement not just a protest movement He distanced the organization from people like George Lincoln Rockwell Robert Shelton Asa Carter and the National States Rights Party He told the press I don t get myself connected with any fanatical movement By November he was taking a more militant stand stating that if necessary Klansmen would use buckshot to prevent integration Davidson s reign as Imperial Wizard proved short lived Facing harassment and lawsuits by Mrs Edwards and E E George Davidson resigned on February 18 1961 founding his own group Invisible Empire United Klans Knights of the Ku Klux Klan of America Inc 11 He was joined by Georgia Grand Dragon Calvin Craig and klaverns in Georgia and Alabama Davidson s commitment to non violence and condemnation of the violence during the integration of the University of Georgia in Athens Georgia in which Calvin Craig was personally involved led to his second resignation as Imperial Wizard on April 1 and he was succeeded by Craig The Invisible Empire United Klans Knights of the Ku Klux Klan of America Inc merged with Shelton s Alabama Knights on July 8 to form the United Klans of America which became the dominant Klan of the 1960s 12 Freedom Rides and decline editDuring 1961 the US Klans along with several other groups attempted to resist the freedom rides which were attempting to test integration of Interstate transportation On May 14 in conjunction with the Alabama Knights they stopped and boarded a bus in Anniston beat several of the passengers and drove it to Birmingham where they drove the passengers out of the bus and into the hands of an angry mob On May 20 they attacked another bus as it arrived in Montgomery A federal temporary restraining order was issued against the US Klans and against Alvin Horn who had been reappointed Grand Dragon of Alabama by Davidson by the United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama on May 20 and a preliminary injunction on June 2 enjoining them from interfering with interstate commerce committing acts of violence or intimidation against the freedom riders 13 E E George remained imperial wizard until October 26 1963 when the College Park Klavern 297 engineered a special klonvocation to oust George on charges of financial irregularity and install their Exalted Cyclops H J Jones as leader The victory proved hollow as all other active klaverns in the group followed George into yet another faction the Improved Order of the U S Klans By January 1967 the US Klans numbered less than fifty members and was still declining It disappeared entirely by the end of the decade 14 While the US Klans proceeded with the single klavern in College Park the Improved Order maintained a presence in Lithonia Georgia its headquarters as well as klaverns in Tallapoosa Georgia two in Union Springs Alabama one in Heiberger Alabama and one in Florida 15 By January 1967 it was estimated to have about 100 members 16 In October 1965 the US Klans the Improved Order and the Dixie Klans were all identified as being members of James Venable s National Association of the Ku Klux Klan a federation of semi autonomous groups All of these factions were defunct by the early 1970s 16 References edit Michael and Judy Ann Newton eds The Ku Klux Klan an encyclopedia Garland Reference Library of the Social Science Vol 499 London and New York Garland Publishing inc 1991 pp xi 571 2 Newton p 571 Newton pp 181 571 Newton p xi say it was active in 9 states while the entries for US Klans on p 571 and Eldon Edwards on p 181 say 10 Onion Rebecca 8 July 2020 How Georgia s Stone Mountain Became a Monument to White Supremacy Slate The Ku Klux Klan Legacy of Hate Emergence of the UKA Archived 2007 11 10 at the Wayback Machine Newton pp 123 433 James Michael Davis MILLER HORACE SHERMAN Handbook of Texas Online http www tshaonline org handbook online articles fmi93 accessed June 29 2012 Published by the Texas State Historical Association Newton pp 77 164 Newton pp 9 273 513 Newton pp 181 571 Newton pp 152 3 Newton pp 29 291 573 Newton pp 213 4 273 United States v U S Klans Archived 2015 12 08 at the Wayback Machine Newton pp 223 4 303 572 Activities of Ku Klux Klan organizations in the United States Hearings before the Committee on Un American Activities House of Representatives Eighty ninth Congress first session pp 1543 4 1568 and 1580 a b Newton pp 285Publications editThe principles of the U S Klans Knights of the Ku Klux Klan Inc College Park Ga The Georgia Klansman Macon Ga U S Klans Knights of the Ku Klux Klan 1959 Further reading editDavis James Michael Horace Sherman Miller and the U S Klans Thesis M A Baylor University 1989 External links editUnited States vs United States Klans Archived 2013 07 20 at the Wayback Machine original document at the National Archives Video of interview of Eldon Edwards by Mike Wallace Archived 2012 02 12 at the Wayback Machine at the Henry Ransom Center U S Klans flier Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title U S Klans amp oldid 1169592758, 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