How did the KKK intimidate black people?

They beat whipped and gunned African Americans. They also burned cross on their lawns.



The KKK were a very hateful group who considered everyone who was not white and Catholic "impure." They killed many people who were not "pure" and separated many families. You can think of them like "American Nazis." You could argue that these people were just trying to spread their religion and their pride, but they hurt/killed many innocent people. Today, they do not pose as much of a threat and do not kill people, so they are considered legal. But I believe they are just using freedom of speech to their advantage. Freedom of speech has been stretched too far. As for "maintaining power over non-whites" they didn't. They were not trying to spread an empire of white people, they just believe that they are superior. They did frighten people and kill people, but they were never like a government. Sometimes they could control people in a way by saying if you do this I will kill you. Or sometimes, they would threaten the safety of people who were very close to the person who was doing something "wrong." Most people in the KKK had very serious mental disorders and did not understand that they were killing others. The KKK, however, obviously was not very proud of their actions because they wore masks, hats, and long flowing robes that protected their identity. If you believe so strongly in something that you would kill a person, you should not be afraid to reveal your true identity.