Authentic History of the Ku Klux Klan, 1865-1877

Modern Introduction written by Michael Andrew Grissom.

About the book:

No part of history, no era, has been more written about, talked about, and argued over than the War for Southern Independence and its aftermath, known as Reconstruction. No element of that epoch has been the subject of more confusion …

Modern Introduction written by Michael Andrew Grissom.

About the book:

No part of history, no era, has been more written about, talked about, and argued over than the War for Southern Independence and its aftermath, known as Reconstruction. No element of that epoch has been the subject of more confusion and political distortion than the Ku Klux Klan. Many books have been written about the KKK by people who only know it from what they have heard or imagined, but Miss Davis writes from the vantage point of having lived during the time of the Klan's birth and its subsequent years of operation. Her father was a founding member of the Ku Klux Klan in Athens, Alabama, and she was personally acquainted with General Forrest and General John B. Gordon, both of whom were guests in her parents' home during the years of the Klan's unrelenting efforts to free the white people of the South from black rule.

When Miss Davis decided to write an authentic his tory of the KKK, she left no stone unturned, seeking out the original founders and major players who were still alive so that her account would be complete and au thentic in every detail. Some writers suppose, for in stance, that General Forrest disbanded the Klan in 1869, less than four years after its inception; but Miss Davis provides evidence that its work was far from done in 1869 and that the Ku Klux Klan was actually dissolved by General Forrest eight years later in September, 1877, in the town of Athens, Alabama.

Susan Lawrence Davis was born into a well-known Alabama family, her uncle being Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court. Her cousin was a justice on that same court. Another cousin was a representative in Con-gress, while yet another was a state senator. Her connections gave her a unique opportunity to know not only the inner workings of the Klan, but its leaders, as well.