Ku Klux Klan titles and vocabulary: Difference between revisions

The sources of the rituals, titles and even the name of KKK may be found in antebellum [[College|college fraternities]] and [[Collegiate secret societies in North America|secret societies]] such as the [[Kuklos Adelphon]].<ref>Michael and Judy Ann Newton, eds. ''The Ku Klux Klan; an encyclopedia Garland Reference Library of the Social Science'' Vol. 499. London and New York: Garland (1991), p. 338</ref> Earlier source material however states, "The ceremony of initiation was borrowed from some of the features of the introduction of candidates of the long defunct Sons of Malta and other like societies, and was calculated to, and did provoke, much amusement for most of those, if not all, who were present," according to the [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015020238435&view=1up&seq=7&q1=klux%20MALTA 1907 Cyclopedia of Fraternities].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Stevens |first=Albert |date=1907 |title=The Cyclopaedia of Fraternities |url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015020238435&view=1up&seq=7&q1=klux%20MALTA |website=Hathitrust}}</ref> J.C. Lester, one of the original members of the group, stated that the Klan rituals were "modeled on and embraced the leading features of the rituals of an order which has long been popular in many colleges and universities under various names" such as the [[Sons of Confucius]] or [[Guiasticutus]] but always styled '''{{va|Ancient and Honorable}}''' and '''{{va|Mirth-Provoking}}'''. [[Walter L. Fleming]] stated in a footnote to Lester's text that the contemporary (early twentieth century) Southern college fraternity that most nearly mirrored the early Klan was "known as Alpha Sigma Sigma" and the institution of [[snipe hunt]]ing.<ref>[[John Lester|Lester, John C.]] ''Ku Klux Klan: Its Origin, Growth and Disbandment''. [[Walter L. Fleming]] ed. New York: Neale, 1905. Texts of the first and second prescript as Appendices I and II, p. 60</ref> The original prescript of the Ku Klux Klan was adopted by a convention in [[Nashville, Tennessee]] in April 1867. A slightly revised edition appeared the next year.<ref>Lester, texts of the first and second prescript as Appendices I and II p. 133–176</ref>

 

[[File:Children with Dr. Samuel Green, Ku Klux Klan Grand Dragon, July 24, 1948.jpg|thumb|Grand Dragon (later Grand Wizard) [[Samuel Green (Klansman)|Dr. Samuel Green]] in [[Atlanta, Georgia]], July 24 1948, being flanked by two children during the initiation ceremony at Stone Mountain.]]

In both prescripts there were four levels or "departments" of organization, above the basic level:<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nlhHAQAAIAAJ&q=%22Grand+Wizard+of+the+Empire%22 |title=Congressional Serial Set |date=1872 |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |language=en}}</ref>