Although the Ku Klux Klan and the Black Panther Party both employed violence to obtain their objectives, few similarities exist between the two groups. The Ku Klux Klan was committed to maintaining the status quo, white supremacy, in the communities in which it operated. Their objective was to suppress the activities of people of color, whom they perceived as threats to the established order. In contrast, the Black Panthers considered themselves revolutionaries. Their goal was to elevate the oppressed masses of African-Americans and to overthrow the existing political system. Thus, the Klan sought to restore a sense of power to whites, while the Black Panthers sought to gain a rightful share of power for blacks.
The Ku Klux Klan is a name that describes two distinct groups of white racists in American history. The first Klan emerged during the Reconstruction era, as a secret society committed to the preservation of white supremacy. Blacks had only recently been given the right to vote during this era, and this electorate was instrumental in putting Republicans in power in the Southern states. In retaliation, Klan members terrorized local white and black Republican leaders and blacks whose behavior violated old ideas of black subordination.
During Reconstruction, the Klan was especially active in Tennessee and North and South Carolina. Members wore white robes and masks and adopted the burning cross as their symbol. During their nighttime rides, they murdered, raped, and beat the opposition into submission. Most Southern states were powerless to thwart the Klan's reign of terror. By 1871, the violence was so serious that Republicans in Congress gave President Ulysses S. Grant authority to use national troops to restore order in affected districts. The strategy was successful, and the Klan as an organization disappeared by the end of 1872. However, the Klan was soon to reappear in different form: "Ever since the...