The KKK has historically been tired to die hard "conservatives" and even today many are outspoken for the Republican party. All that really doesn't matter though as the true KKK has been on the decline and has been essentially dieing a slow death for about 3 decades now. Most people view any racist group that has white members as the KKK, which is not even close to the truth.

The klan was formed over a period of months stretch from 1865-1866 by Democrats, and their sole purpose was to counter the Republican uprising throughout Southern states. At a time all of the southern state GOP parties were formed by a majority of former slaves (minus one) the Democrats realized that blacks coming to power represented a near termination for their party. (Especially in 1865 when many Democrats throughout the South were still unwilling to swear an oath of fidelity to the United States.)

It was Democrats not Republicans that sought to impose literacy tests to prevent uneducated blacks from voting. It was Democrats not Republicans that sought to impose poll taxes which sought to disenfranchise black voters. It was Democrats not Republicans who also sought to create White-only primary elections. It was Democrats not Republicans who used lynchings, rape, hangings, and other forms of intimidation to prevent blacks from exercising the newly established political powers and freedoms that emancipation had brought to them.

During reconstruction blacks were elected to Congress.

All during one of the biggest run ups in Republican power in our nation's history.

Towards the end of the 1800's due largely to the efforts of the KKK, and the overt efforts of Democratic party the voter intimidation worked and Democrats began to win state houses, state courts, state Governorships, and eventually congressional seats, and eventually the Presidency which gave way to an exclusively Democratic United States Supreme Court.

It was that court at the end of the 1800's and early 1900's that began to repeal every single federally established civil right blacks were granted by emancipation and the ensuing legislation that granted those rights.

In the early 1920's Congress held a lengthy set of hearings simply titled "The Klan Hearings." At that time under those political circumstances with Democrats in control of both houses, they felt nothing was lost in loudly proclaiming the historical truth and so they did. Literally hundreds of witnesses were called and Democrat after Democrat came to the floor of the House and bragged as to their initiation of, membership in, and eventually involvement with the Klan.

You can still access the transcripts through the Library of Congress... it is a 13 volume set.

Blacks would not again have a champion of civil rights on the national stage until the man Dwight David Eisenhower became president - a republican. It was Ike that drafted the language eventually ratified by Congress. But it did not come under his administration because of Congressional democrats that blocked the legislation each time it was introduced.

Eventually under enormous pressure President Lyndon B. Johnson reintroduced the exact same legislation originally authored by Ike and it finally became law.

It was the second time in American history that blacks have been made full and equal citizens. Sadly it was Democrats that revoked all of the rights blacks had originally been granted.

Drew, from the time of Lincoln and emancipation all the way until the early 1960's the Republican party issued a condemnation of lynchings, race-based intimidation, and specifically the existence of the Ku Klux Klan -- in every platform the party adopted.

To date from its inception - the Democratic party has NEVER CONDEMNED the Ku Klux Klan, nor called for an end to race-based violence, intimidation, etc.

Since you studied perhaps mainly the era leading up to through the end of the civil war, you might not have known this documented piece of history. No worries.

Here's a link that will give a nearly 150 footnoted sources and also provide a concise and fact based history of the black experience, and its continual oppression from the Democratic party from its beginning to present day.

This portion of American history is not taught in many prominent history courses, though it is a sad reality that it doesn't, because as you pointed out - truth counts.

And the truth has been from the beginning the Democratic party has been and continues to be the black man's enemy.