FACT CHECK #UZDBWA4T

EXHIBIT A

What you submitted

WHAT WE FOUND

The claim that the Democratic Party founded the Ku Klux Klan is historically inaccurate, although significant political affiliations existed between the group and individual party members 2 4 7. The KKK was founded between 1865 and 1866 in Pulaski, Tennessee, by six former Confederate soldiers 1 4 12. While these founders were likely Democrats, multiple historical sources confirm the institutional Democratic Party did not create or sponsor the organization 2 4 7. During the Reconstruction era, the Klan functioned as a terrorist organization that frequently aligned with the Democratic Party's goals of opposing Republican policies and suppressing Black voters 7 13 16. This historical overlap is well documented, with some sources describing the Klan as a miserable terrorist excrescence of the party 11. The group's influence persisted into the 20th century, most notably at the 1924 Democratic National Convention, where Klansmen attempted to influence the party's platform and nominations 10 14. Ultimately, while the party and the Klan shared white supremacist objectives and political enemies for decades, they remained separate entities 2 6 8 13.

SOURCES

1. 1 · pbs.orgWEB
   Grant, Reconstruction and the KKK | American Experience - PBS

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2. 2 · apnews.comFACT-CHECKER
   Ku Klux Klan not founded by the Democratic Party | AP News

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3. 3 · history.comWEB
   Ku Klux Klan: Origin, Members & Facts | HISTORY

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4. 4 · usatoday.comFACT-CHECKER
   Fact check: Democratic Party did not found the KKK, start Civil War

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5. 5 · ebsco.comACADEMIC
   Birth of the Ku Klux Klan | History | Research Starters - EBSCO

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6. 6 · faa.govACADEMIC
   [PDF] Democrats and Republicans: In Their Own Words

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7. 7 · politifact.comFACT-CHECKER
   No, the Democratic Party didn't create the Ku Klux Klan - PolitiFact

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8. 8 · en.wikipedia.orgWEB
   Ku Klux Klan - Wikipedia

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9. 9 · ojp.govACADEMIC
   [PDF] KU KLUX KLAN - Office of Justice Programs

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10. 10 · factcheck.orgFACT-CHECKER
    Photo Shows 1924 KKK March in Wisconsin, Not Democratic ...

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11. 11 · docs.house.govACADEMIC
    [PDF] Whitewashing the Democratic Party's History

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12. 12 · cambridge.orgWEB
    Ku Klux Klan (KKK) - The Cambridge Guide to African American ...

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13. 13 · georgiaencyclopedia.orgWEB
    Ku Klux Klan in the Reconstruction Era - New Georgia Encyclopedia

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14. 14 · jstor.orgWEB
    Power Devaluation, the Ku Klux Klan, and the Democratic National ...

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15. 15 · pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.govACADEMIC
    A Critical Examination of the History and Adaptation of Ku Klux Klan ...

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16. 16 · fjc.govACADEMIC
    Ku Klux Klan Trials of 1871-1872 | Federal Judicial Center

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