Lynchings, bombings, assassinations and shootings are some of the many ways a secretive white supremacist group, otherwise known as the Ku Klux Klan, has used to spread terror in the hearts of civil rights activists. “White power, white pride, whole world” was an iconic motto of the Ku Klux Klan. Ironically, in To Kill a Mockingbird, Bob Ewell seemed to follow the motto, which makes you wonder, was Bob Ewell a member of the Ku Klux Klan? Bob Ewell's constant suppression of Tom Robinson led to Tom's imprisonment and ultimately his (Lee) death. The repression of blacks is characteristic of the ideology of the Ku Klux Klan. The Ku Klux Klan was a complex organization that affected the civil rights movement; the Klan had many goals, terrorized many people, and left a profound impact on the lives of many. The Ku Klux Klan emerged in two phases from the South during the civil rights era with the goal of destroying the civil rights movement. Initially "a wacky social organization in Pulaski, Tennessee" formed by "six former Confederate Army officers in 1865" (Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia), "quickly turned violent" (Leonard) because of its political leadership. The Ku Klux Klan began as a fun game, but over time it became serious. It first started with pranking African Americans, then it escalated to hurting them and eventually killing them. Tennessee was the ideal place for the Klan to rise to power, as Tennessee was known for having a high concentration of blacks and developed many Jim Crow laws. “The second Ku Klux Klan was organized by William J. Simmons, a Methodist minister in 1915” (“Social Causes”), also had many goals, one of the main ones being to maintain “white supremacy” (John) and to prevent “the ascension of former slaves to e...... middle of paper ......lux Klan Logo. Illustration. and Ku Klux Klan. American History Course Blogger. Internet. December 1. 2013. “Ku Klux Klan.” (nd): Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia. Internet. November 13, 2013. Lee, Harper. To kill a mockingbird. New York: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, 2000. Print.Moore, Leonard J. “Ku Klux Klan.” Dictionary of American History. Ed. Stanley I. Kitler. 3rd ed. Flight. 4. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2003. 551-553. Student resources in context. Internet. November 15, 2013. Popham, John N. “The KKK in the Civil Rights Era.” Terrorism: essential primary sources. Ed. K. Lee Lerner and Brenda Wilmoth Lerner. Detroit: Gale, 2006. 332-335. Student resources in context. Internet. November 15, 2013. “Social causes”. Terrorism Reference Library. Ed. Matthew May, James L. Outman and Elisabeth M. Outman. Flight. 1: Alamanac. Detroit: UXL, 2003. 147-169. Student resources in context. Internet. November 15. 2013.