Howdy, my name is Lee and I’m a senior at Keene State College who’s just about to graduate. I’m a double major in both History and English Lit, with a focus on Russian literature/history. I’m a New Hampshire resident, living only 30 minutes or so south of Keene, and I live with my rescue dog, Brownie.   

My research blog primarily follows the development of the first KKK movement (1865-1872) and how it’s origins directly relate to the Southern loss of the Civil War. My focus is on how the war disrupted certain cultural norms and means of maintaining identity, creating a space from which the Klan could form. The course of my paper first examines the origins of the organization, the Pulaski members, and how their ideology directly related to identity. Then it focuses on the shift in these values and violence that came about in 1868. That distinguishes a change from the original group ideology and solidifies the cultural background for their violence.