Mississippi Burning the 1988 Film

Mississippi Burning

The 1988 film Mississippi Burning depicts a true case involving a showdown between the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The film clearly depicts the KKK as a domestic terrorist organization, not just a criminal group. The members of the KKK commit hate crimes that upset general law and order within the United States. Because their targets are Americans, and because their tactics involve invoking and inflicting terror on Americans, the KKK can be classified as a terrorist group. The time frame addressed in Mississippi Burning is one in which definitions of terrorism had yet to be solidified.

Moreover, race relations in the United States were poor enough to create situations like the one depicted in the film. Law enforcement was complicit in the actions of the local KKK. This reveals the extent to which terrorism had infiltrated Southern politics and society. Townsfolk who are not members of the KKK are nevertheless intimidated and downright afraid of them. The KKK has arguably more power over the citizens of Mississippi than the police do, and many of the police officers in Jessup County are KKK members themselves. When Agents Alan Ward (Willem Dafoe) and Agent Rupert Anderson (Gene Hackman) arrive to assist in finding the murderers, they too are intimidated by the KKK. This shows the extent to which the KKK has infiltrated American politics. Their power is abusive, threatening to undermine law and order in the way only terrorist groups are capable of. A standard criminal wreaks havoc but does not target the actual government. In this case, the government of the United States is one of the primary targets of the KKK. The KKK acts as a proxy government in the state of Mississippi.

Although not all members of the local KKK organization participated in the murders, each and every member is indirectly responsible. Membership in the KKK implies a support for hate crime; membership in the KKK is equivalent to membership in a domestic terrorist group. No Klan member can plead ignorance about the motives and tactics used by the organization. The organization exists to perpetuate a culture of white supremacy, by whatever means possible. Using violence, intimidation, infiltration of law enforcement, and conspiracy all point to terrorist acts. The KKK is highly organized and systematic, designed with clear motives in mind. One of the reasons why Lester Cowans becomes such a significant character in the film is because he is among the members who does not participate in the murder but whose membership in the Klan becomes crucial to the FBI's case.