Ku Klux Klan history and impact

Secrecy and Titles in the KKK

One of the most important elements of drawing recruitments to the Ku Klux Klan was the element of secrecy. Another draw into the secret circle of the Klan was the opportunity to achieve a "grand title." That is, a title of importance, accompanied by ritual ceremony, that distinguished the person receiving the title as an honored member, who met and achieved the organization's goals and mission such that they were deserving of a title. Both secrecy and grand titles serve to entice otherwise socially disassociated individuals into its brotherhood.

Secrecy, like grand titles, helps the new member gain a sense of importance. That the process and group that he or she is becoming a member of, has a knowledge or other secret or purpose that would cause others, particularly those opposed to that secret or purpose; to want to either have it, or destroy it. In the case of the KKK, it is the purpose to protect and defend the rights of the citizens of the United States and to uphold its Constitutional Laws. Their need to be a group separate and apart from the institutional apparatus of the country which are officially designated with that same responsibility, suggests that the apparatus in place is deceptive in fulfilling its purpose, and will not protect the Constitution or uphold Constitutional Law. Therefore, especially in approaching the day when the public at large might see that the powers that be have indeed failed them; then the KKK must act on behalf of the public - or at least on behalf of the states identified as constituting the "empire" of the KKK.

The areas or states participating in the KKK are administered by a KKK hierarchy. The hierarchy is essential to the nature of the KKK, because it gives the membership an opportunity to achieve status within and over the ranks of membership. The KKK recognizes that power is a necessary ingredient in attracting people to its cause. They empower the hierarchal administrators with certain authorities over the membership, their states, and creates the personal sense of power that individuals who might not be otherwise competent or confident in their own abilities to nonetheless have an authority over others.

That the regions wherein the KKK operates, those states listed in its charter, are divided amongst the hierarchy administratively, creating a sense of ownership over the states. Certainly it must be the hope of the hierarchal administrators that they will one day have an opportunity to assert their authority beyond the limits of the organization. In fact, the very essence of this doctrine, the charter by which the organization operates and its secret nature, suggest that there is the anticipation that the infrastructure of the United States will breakdown, and that the "empire" will prevail by way of its cohesive organization and internal structures that they have created within the KKK.