MISLEADING

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.