The Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change
Ku Klux Klan
Begun before the Civil War, the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) was a secret terrorist movement and organization that sought to guarantee white supremacy. Dressed in white sheets and conical hats and hoods, KKK members murdered and pillaged the property primarily of blacks but also of non-Protestants, immigrants and political opponents. They were notorious for their cross burnings. The Klan’s membership grew into the millions and included governors, congressmen, presidents and other elites. The KKK’s violent crimes usually went unpunished with some exceptions such as the bombing and four deaths at Birmingham’s Sixteenth Street Baptist Church.
Associated Archive Content : 98 results
Letter from Claudette Holston to MLKClaudette Holston writes Dr. King expressing the plight she has faced as a black woman in Michigan and Georgia. She asks Dr. King, "how would you feel if I was your daughter or wife?" and strongly urges him to write back. |
Letter from Dan H. Elkind to MLKMr. Elkind discusses recent actions of the SNCC and the SCLC's plans for a massive civil disobedience campaign. He believes that the actions made by the SNCC will lead to violence and also "alienate" supporters of civil rights legislation. He views Dr. King's plans for a massive civil disobedience campaign to be unlawful, and therefore suggests a different approach for Dr. King to take. |
Letter from Dr. J. H. Young to MLKDr. J. H. Young writes this letter to Dr. King about slavery, the Civil War, and President Lincoln. He reminds Dr. King that the Civil War was fought not over slavery, but succession. |
Letter from Edmund Gordon to MLKEdmund W. Gordon expresses his gratitude for Dr. King's agreement to use his name in connection with the development of a Memorial Park honoring W.E.B Dubois. Mr. Gordon also informs Dr. King of the other participants of the project along with a brief description of his professional background. |
Letter from Franklin I. Gamwell with Enclosed Copy of the Interracial News Service NewsletterFranklin I. Gamwell, of the Student Interracial Ministry, requests if Dr. King would like to have an intern student at Ebenezer Baptist Church for 1963. |
Letter from Georgia Miller to MLKGeorgia Miller informs Reverend Abernathy and Reverend Young that she can no longer contribute funds to the SCLC due to their support of the New Politics group. |
Letter from MLK to Jesse W. FurlowDr. King disagrees with Mr. Furlow's theory that "we are the victims of a Catholic conspiracy." |
Letter from Mr. Weston to MLKMr. Weston writes Dr. King offering him advice regarding the Civil Rights Movement and how to seek peace between whites and blacks. |
Letter from Nathaniel L. Hawthorne to MLKNathaniel Lee Hawthorne, who describes himself as “a nonviolent militant Negro” from rural Virginia, asks Dr. King for advice on publishing a book. Hawthorne wants to tell the nation what it feels like to be poor |
Letter from Percy A. Blackburn to Ed ClaytonPercy A. Blackburn refers to a previous letter Alice Bucher, president of S. J. Bucher Ltd. Lucerne sent Ed Clayton, SCLC Director of Public Relations, concerning their book about the History of the American Negro. Blackburn encloses a "resume of the proposed contents of the book." He also informs Mr. Clayton of Mrs. Bucher and her associate's current visit to the US and that they would like to arrange an appointment with Dr. King at his convenience. |
Letter from Secretary to Daniel C. ThompsonDr. King's Secretary writes Dr. Daniel Thompson of Howard University and encloses a foreword written by Dr. King, discussing violence and the philosophies of Mahatma Gandhi. |
Letter from Sidney Eisenberger to MLKSidney Eisenberger sends a donation and words of encouragement to Dr. King. He praises Dr. King's work, particularly the focus on political involvement. He humorously writes that he hopes that he will one day be so unconscious of color that he will "feel free to regard a negro auto driver with the same venomous hatred I give to white drivers." |
Letter from the KKK Kids to MLKAn anonymous member of The K.K.K. Kids writes Dr. King expressing that he or she believes Dr. King to be "a very ignorant person." |
Letter from Tommie Crockett to MLKTommie Crockett expresses his appreciation for the work of Dr. King. He explains that black people are getting tired of the nonviolence method and are beginning to embrace the term, "Black Power." He explains that blacks will no longer participate in peaceful civil rights demonstrations because, "we already done that." |
Letter to MLK from A Friend of Justice and DemocracyAn anonymous individual writes Dr. King to declare that the Jewish people are responsible for the oppression of Negroes. |
Meet the Press InterviewThis is a transcript of NBC television's Meet the Press interview with Dr. King in August 1967 with Edwin Newman as moderator. King answered questions about his views on the Vietnam conflict, nonviolence, and the presidency of Lyndon B. Johnson. |
MemorandumThis memorandum, sent to Dr. King, expresses the need for a convocation between Negro and white Southern leaders. Recent developments, such as peaceful integration of lunch counters and schools, show that whites are respecting equal rights of Negro citizens more. |
MLK - Out of the Night of SegregationThis essay by Dr. King is featured in the February 1958 edition of Lutheran Woman's Work. King focuses on nonviolence and segregation while critiquing the sociological impacts of oppression. |
MLK Address - The Association of The Bar of the City of New YorkDr. King gives an address to the Association of The Bar of the City of New York at the Hilton Hotel in New York. He praises lawyers for using their knowledge to aid the Civil Rights Movement. He states that Negro lawyers bring wisdom and a determination to win to the courtroom. Dr. King also defines an unjust law as a law that is "out of harmony with moral law of the universe." |
MLK Address to a North Carolina Branch of the NAACPDr. King addresses a public meeting of Charlotte, North Carolina's NAACP branch. He lists five actions the Negro can do to assist America with realizing the dream. The Negro must challenge the system of segregation, make efforts to gain ballots, and sacrifice to achieve freedom. |
MLK Address to District 65 of the AFL-CIODr. King addresses District 65 of the AFL-CIO in Monticello, New York. He begins by expressing his appreciation to the AFL-CIO for their generous contributions to the Civil Rights Movement. He discusses the impact of the Albany Movement and segregation in the South. Dr. King makes the point that America refers to itself as a world leader, yet we are significantly behind other countries in social and welfare legislation. |
MLK Annual Report at the 1964 SCLC Convention |
MLK Speech: Acceptance of Spingarn MedalDr. King addresses the attendees at the NAACP 48th Annual Convention in Detroit, Michigan. He acknowledges the noble men and women of the Montgomery Bus Boycott Movement, for which his leadership earned him this award. Dr. King also discusses the ongoing struggle for civil rights and the nonviolent approach needed for the American Negro to win freedom and justice. |
MLK's Remarks to Swedish AudienceDr. King delivers a speech in Stockholm, Sweden applauding the nation's commitment and support of racial justice in America. King further articulates his belief that despite several social ills people will "be able to sing together in the not too distant future." |
New South: The Current Crisis In Race RelationsDr. King, as President of the Montgomery Improvement Association, examines the race relations crisis. He discusses how segregation makes the Negro feel inferior and unaccepted. Dr. King also affirms that he will not accept a system of violence and the "evils of segregation." |
Newsweek: Road to Selma - Hope & DeathNewsweek issues this synopsis of the 1965 voting rights march from Selma to Montgomery. The article illustrates the details surrounding the brutal racial murder of Viola Liuzzo, delving into the federal investigation of Mrs. Liuzzo's murder and its impact on the future passage of the pending 1965 Voting Rights Act. |
Next Steps In The SouthThe Southern Regional Council publishes a pamphlet that addresses the landmark Brown vs. Board of Education Supreme Court Case and what its implications mean for society. The pamphlet goes on to answer several questions concerning school integration and gives background information on the case and the issues of segregation. |
Non-Violent Procedures to Inter-Racial HarmonyDr. King proclaims that race relations is a crisis that has existed for many years in America. As a result of unjust race relations, Negroes have embarked upon the current fight for equal rights. |
Non-Violent Procedures to Inter-Racial HarmonyIn this early speech to a NY Universalists' convention, Dr. King lays out his nonviolence method, based on Gandhi's. He outlines five of the six principles he will use later. They are: active, courageous resistance; winning the moral conversion of the opponent, not defeating him; attacking the forces of evil, rather than the persons doing evil; using love to avoid "internal violence of the spirit"; and faith in the inclination of the universe towards justice. |
Out of Segregation's Long NightDr. King addresses the crisis of race relations in America by asserting that there would not be a crisis if blacks accepted inferiority and injustice. He also discusses the physical and spiritual harm that segregation and slavery has caused for blacks and the effect that violence has on the community. Dr. King closes with remarks regarding nonviolence and what it truly represents. |