Ku Klux Klan (1915- ), Tacoma (Wash.)

The organization known as the Ku Klux Klan emerged in U.S. history as a secret society of the South whose mission was to reassert white supremacy in the aftermath of the Civil War. The organization became known for terrorism and for the ritualistic use of white masks and robes by its members. The Klan flourished again in the period of patriotism which followed World War I, reaching a peak in the 1920s. During this period, the Klan added to its pursuit of white supremacy an intense nativism, anti-Catholicism, and anti-Semitism which permeated its organizations of the North as well as the South.