But you also have to remember what place America was in at the time. And conservatism was a value of the Dems at the time, not the Reps. The roles have changed because today the right wants to preserve what has been made while the left wants to liberate it. The Klan was also created to undermine works of REPUBLICANS and restore DEMOCRAT rule to the South. And mind you, JIM CROWE was part of this cult. Which inspired the names of laws that Dems used to keep segregation alive after the slaves were freed during the Civil Rights Movement. And ALL of its founders were from the Confederacy. (At least in its inception chapter). While the membership of the cult is WAY lower than it is today, it is still around. Its ideologies have changed, but it forever will be a stain on the past of the USA. However, over its ENTIRE history, it has had three primary targets: African Americans, Jews, Catholics (This is another Christian denomenation, but I digress, so if anyone has insight to it, please tell me why this is), and immigrants. I don't have a whole lot more I want to say, but I will say this: Its inception in America by the people that lead it, was, and probably always will be a product of its time.