Text C    The Ku Klux Klan

1.   The Ku Klux Klan is a racist, anti-Semitic(反犹主义) movement with a commitment to extreme violence to achieve its goals of racial segregation and white supremacy. Of all the types of right-wing hate groups that exist in the United States, the Klan remains the one with the greatest number of national and local organizations around the country.

2.    More than 40 different Klan groups exist, many having multiple chapters, or “klaverns," including a few that boast a presence in a large number of states. There are over a hundred different Klan chapters around the country, with a combined strength of members and associates that may total around 5, 000.

3.    The Ku Klux Klan first emerged following the Civil War as America's first true terrorist group. Since its inception(开端), the Ku Klux Klan has seen several cycles of growth and collapse, and in some of these cycles the Klan has been more extreme than in others. In all of its incarnations（化身）, however, the Klan has maintained its dual heritage of hate and violence.

4.    At first, the Ku Klux Klan focused its anger and violence on African-Americans, on white Americans who stood up for them, and against the federal government which supported their rights. Subsequent incarnations of the Klan, which typically emerged in times of rapid social change, added more categories to its enemies list, including Jews, Catholics (less so after the 1970s)，homosexuals, and different groups of immigrants.

5.    In most of these cases, these perceived enemies were minority groups that came into direct economic competition with the lower- and working class whites.

6.    The Ku Klux Klan was overshadowed（使显得逊色） in the late 1990s and early 2000s by growing neo-Nazi（新纳粹）activity; however, by 2005 neo-Nazi groups had fallen on hard times, with many groups collapsing or fragmenting. This collapse has helped create a rise of racist skinhead

（光头党）activity, but has also provided new opportunities for Klan groups.

7.    In addition, in the early 2000s, many communities in the United States began to experience a significant influx of immigrants, especially Hispanics, for the first time in their histories. A single issue movement opposing immigration has helped create fear and anxiety about immigration in the minds of many Americans. Many Ku Klux Klan groups have attempted to take advantage of that fear and uncertainty, using anti-immigration sentiments（情绪） for recruitment（招募） and propaganda（宣传）purposes to attract publicity.

Questions for Discussion or Reflection

1. What are the goals that KKK intends to achieve?

2. When did the Ku Klux Klan first emerge as America's first true terrorist group?

3. What is your personal view on the Ku Klux Klan?