The KKK was a politically motivated insurgency group that was formed to rebel against the imperialist Union Army immediately following the end of the Civil War In America. How can you understand and or sympathise with Iraq defending itself from Bush but not support Americans doing Exactly the same thing? "Oh because the south was fighting to keep slavery and that's immoral".
You have to read between the lines man.
believe what you want to believe. But these are the real facts.
Americans in the south were not fighting for slavery. They were reacting to a Tyrant Republican dictator that wanted to steal the South's resources. (sound familiar?) Slavery ended in the north in 1812 so they weren't able to create the same amount of capital in trade as the South so they wanted to create special tariffs that would allow the North to use the Souths slaves to regain their position of power over the rest of the country (now we use Chinese people). Slavery would have ended by 1880. The industrial revolution would have ended the need for slavery because it replaced the position of the blacks with machines. All the civil war was about was seizing the Souths assets just as you're seeing today with Bush in Iraq. Just ask yourself, Did Bush free the Iraqi people? Well then why do you so easily believe that a GOP republican with the nickname "honest Abe" really freed anybody? Or was even remotely concerned about creating freedom for a minority that couldn't vote?
Slavery was in America for 200 years before the signing of the constitution. It was Americas most economically productive source of income. It wasn't something that could easily just be taken out of the structure at the time. The south already offered Blacks their freedom before the war in that they could buy their freedom (even though the price was beyond reach much like health insurance and other capitalist understandings). In Fact George Washington Bought His Slaves' Freedom when he retired. So there have been free Black men roaming in America since the year 1800. Slavery was our economy. That would be equivalent to saying - Ok No more using Saudi Oil. No ifs ands or buts. This very second we have to take it out of everything and give it to the federal government. Can you see how that might disrupt our livelyhood?
Abraham Lincoln was no saint. He was just well spoken. He was a lawyer from Illinois. He won the ticket on Americans wanting to end slavery. Lincoln used propaganda that moderately embraced this idea but what they got was a tyrant that wanted to dominate America in a fascist way. Not unlike George Bush's activities towards American economic policies.I'll tell you a little unknown secret about American History. When they "freed" the slaves. They put a special clause in the amendment that said "they have the right to own property". Which meant, yea here you go I'm going to start paying you 20 cents a month now. But you own that shack you've been living in for 20 years now and that stands on my property so if you want to keep living in it you're going to have to start paying me rent. hence Jim Crowism. And then Andrew Jackson used that opportunity to come after all of us with the tax "code".
As for the brutality. The lynchings were terrorist political statements against the Yankee propaganda to try to influence the South to fight against the sanctions Andrew Jackson put on the South that made it impossible to rebuild after the North destroyed the South's economy. It wasn't so much that they hated black people, it was more that the federal government made the Blacks the principle example as to why they should be permitted to destroy the south. So sadly they inherited most of the blowback that came after the war was declared over. Much like a mother and father using their child in an argument.
Having blacks in Slavery wasn't considered hateful back then. They just thought less of these people. It was entirely ignorant behavior but that was just the common understanding of the majority. That they just weren't equal. Also they felt like they were doing Africans a favor by bringing them here in that they could baptise them and save them from whatever God the Africans believed in. I know it seems stupid now But this was 200 years ago. Keep in mind, it had only been 200 years that Humans knew the world wasn't flat. People had entirely different frames of mind and things were much more difficult. Knowledge today is taken so much for granted. To even be able to spell your own name back then was considered an achievement. The easiest way to understand this is to look at it metaphorically. Think of the KKK as a dog. If you kick that dog around enough it's eventually going to bite back. But unfortunately the only thing close enough there was to bite were the innocent black Americans who were thrusted in the middle of the debate by the Union. And honestly because of Black Americans stance at that time being such a minority they had little to no protection underr the law. So tragically they were easy prey in an extremely volitile social climate.
But Much like the beheadings you see in Iraq today, no one in the south condoned this behavior but it was a desperate attempt to obtain some sense of justice against the Union empire by a people that felt powerless against oppression. It's disgusting behavior and it did nothing to help the cause of making the south respected but you have to keep things in context. The daily carnage in America before the industrial revolution and sheer anarchy that ruled the land made people much more susceptable to tolerating violence just because there was no viable way to massively rule a rapidly spreading mass of people. This is before telephones, and cars and highways. We were all out here on our own doing whatever we wanted with little to no authority to command us.
I'm in no way apologizing or condoning the violence. I'm just saying how can you condone one side and condemn the other side for doing the Exact same thing? Look at John Brown. Swore his life to ending slavery. formed a plan with a small group mostly consisting of his sons and friends and went to the south and used terrorism to stir up the population. It didn't work and he was hung in the streets because just as today the townspeople he tried to motivate to follow his vision were mostly complacent in their surroundings. Including the blacks.
My point is in any argument you should look at both sides as innocent before proven guilty. And if found guilty try to understand not only the motive and intentions but the circumstances surrounding the events. In other words. Don't fight ignorance with ignorance.
I'm speaking of the original conception. The KKK in the early 20th century was a rapid departure from the original vision of the insurgency. Much like how the original insurgency in Iraq was mostly formed of Hussein loyalists but over time slowly turned into radical muslim fundamentalists.
I'd like to end this post by making it abundantly clear that I fully appreciate black Americans contributions to American society. When Martin Luther King marched for Civil Rights in America he demanded that America redefine itself as a nation of compassion. Which has lead to nothing but progress towards instituting peace and equality through out society and helped us to become the prime example of human decency through out the world. Not to mention all the amazing music, art, and culture they created as Americans. You see, if not for slavery we wouldn't have these precious commodities. It's all very complicated when you actually try to figure it out.
