By: Misty Wood E-mail: woodmisty@hotmail.com Despite the civil rights amendments being passed over 40 years ago, racism continues to thrive in America. A good example of this is the southern-based organization called the Ku Klux Klan. Immediately following the Civil War, this group came about during the Reconstruction Era. Because of the ratification of the 13th amendment, ending slavery in the south, the KKK emerged with a cause that has yet to be put to rest…the rise of white power. Although slavery was abolished, racism was not. Because the government had started recognizing African Americans as more than just slaves, the Klan deci