From Reconstruction to the Ku Klux Klan
The ideology of white supremacy in the United States stretches back to European colonization and was codified through slavery, genocide of Native Americans, and subsequent Reconstruction-era violence. The Ku Klux Klan (KKK), founded in Pulaski, Tennessee in 1865, became America’s first modern terrorist group, enforcing racial hierarchy through terror, lynching, and intimidation. The Klan’s resurgence in the 1920s amassed millions of members, targeting Black people, immigrants, Catholics, and Jews. Its third iteration still operates today, albeit on a smaller scale, perpetuating anti‑Black, anti‑Semitic, and anti‑immigrant ideology.

Federal response began early: in 1871, Congress passed the Ku Klux Klan Act to prosecute Klan violence, and the Department of Justice prioritized countering white supremacist terrorism from its inception.
The Guardian, U.S. House of Representatives

Ideological Evolution: Dystopian Propaganda and Militia Movements
By the 1970s, groups such as the Aryan Nations and Christian Identity combined religious nationalism with neo‑Nazi ideology, fueling paramilitary activism among disaffected veterans and others. In 1978, William Luther Pierce published The Turner Diaries, a dystopian novel depicting a violent revolution culminating in genocide. More than 200 murders—including Timothy McVeigh’s 1995 bombing—are linked to its influence. The novel became a practical blueprint for extremist violence, inspiring operations like The Order and embedding tactics into white supremacist extremism.
Wikipedia: Aryan Nations, The Atlantic, Wikipedia: The Turner Diaries

Modern Flashpoints: Waco, Ruby Ridge, and the Oklahoma City Bombing
The early 1990s saw dramatic confrontations in Ruby Ridge (1992) and Waco (1993), where federal law enforcement used force against armed civilians, resulting in multiple deaths. These events were quickly mythologized within extremist circles as proof of government tyranny and used to justify armed resistance. On April 19, 1995, Timothy McVeigh—heavily influenced by The Turner Diaries—carried out the Oklahoma City bombing, killing 168 and marking the deadliest domestic terror attack in U.S. history. McVeigh explicitly cited Waco as motivation for his act.
Associated Press, Vanity Fair, Wikipedia: White Genocide Theory

Bundy, the Tea Party, MAGA, and the Mainstreaming of Extremist Rhetoric
The 2014 Bundy standoff in Nevada served as a defining moment for the modern far-right. Cliven Bundy’s armed confrontation with federal agents over grazing fees was not a spontaneous fringe protest, but a highly coordinated action backed by militias aligned with Posse Comitatus–style and sovereign‑citizen ideology, overlapping heavily with white supremacist networks. Media and political figures including Nevada Senator Dean Heller and Kentucky Senator Rand Paul initially praised Bundy as a “patriot,” while conservative outlets amplified his narrative. When Bundy later made overtly racist remarks—comparing Black Americans unfavorably to enslaved laborers—mainstream support evaporated, though his defiance became a rallying symbol across extreme right circles. Militia groups such as the Oath Keepers and 3 Percenters, many of whom later participated in the January 6 insurrection, trace their radicalization back to the Bundy events; one Oath Keeper testified that his involvement began at Bundy Ranch.

The Tea Party movement, which emerged around 2009 focusing on fiscal conservatism, quickly absorbed conspiracy-driven and racially tinged language. A Southern Poverty Law Center–backed analysis linked numerous Tea Party factions and leaders to white supremacist, anti‑immigrant, and militia networks. While many Tea Party supporters disavowed racism, the movement’s rhetoric often cast President Obama as foreign or illegitimate, echoing birtherism and xenophobic tropes. This extreme rhetorical environment paved the way for Trump’s MAGA platform.

Under Donald Trump, previously fringe narratives entered mainstream Republican discourse. MAGA rhetoric frequently used coded nationalist language—”America First,” law-and-order, and immigration restrictions—that scholars identify as overlapping with fascist‑style persuasion techniques. Analysts argue that this style connected emotionally with racial resentments, provided a foundation for xenophobic policy, and blurred lines between legitimate populism and extremist dog‑whistle politics. The January 6 Capitol insurrection brought these strands together: extremist symbols and MAGA paraphernalia appeared side-by-side, revealing how extremist and mainstream rhetoric had merged in practice.
WSWS: Bundy Standoff, Institute for a Progressive Nevada, The Guardian

What Fuels Its Persistence Today
Extremist ideology endures because historical white supremacy has merged with dystopian literature, militia organizing, and modern conspiracy theories. Propaganda like The Turner Diaries provided ideological templates, while social media and echo chambers now rapidly amplify white‑grievance narratives. Radicalization often resembles a “complex contagion,” requiring repeated exposure in group-like environments, driven by socio-economic anxieties. Conspiracy theories such as “white genocide” unite diverse factions—from old Klan traditions to alt‑right and QAnon ideologies. Researchers like Leonard Zeskind have traced the continuum from Klansmen to modern Proud Boys, demonstrating how these beliefs adapted over decades into contemporary politics and nationalism.
arXiv: Complex Contagion Study, Washington Post

The National Security Threat: Why White Supremacist Extremism Tops the List
U.S. national security agencies—including Homeland Security and the FBI—designate white supremacist violent extremism as the most lethal and persistent domestic terrorism threat. Data shows that since 2009, white supremacists have carried out the majority of ideologically motivated killings in the U.S. Lone-offender attacks remain a significant risk, especially as extremist propaganda spreads online and offline. Agencies frequently cite white supremacist plots as deadlier than those from other ideological motivations, underscoring the critical importance of disrupting these narratives.
Politico, The Atlantic

Conclusion: Addressing a Legacy and a Modern Danger
From the Civil War and the rise of the KKK to Pierce’s dystopian literature, militia‑style standoffs, Tea Party activism, and MAGA-aligned mainstream politics, U.S. far-right extremism has proven remarkably resilient. Ideologies rooted in racial terror, anti-government conspiracy, and grievance politics have evolved and adapted—but retain their core function: to legitimize white supremacist authority. Today, white supremacist extremism poses the gravest domestic threat to American national security. Addressing it requires confronting both historical narratives and modern platforms: disrupting radicalization pathways, countering propaganda, enforcing the rule of law—even when ideology intersects with political power—and recommitting to a multiracial democratic society.