For 150 years, members of the Ku Klux Klan have spread hate and violence across the country, and while membership numbers may have dwindled since before the Civil Rights movement, the KKK is still around, looking to reinvent itself for the latest generation.

Klan members still come together to burn crosses at night and spread leaflets during the day, The Associated Press reported.

And smaller factions are joining with larger groups to build their numbers.

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But why the resurgence of hate?

Klan leaders told the AP that they feel that politics in the nation are leaning to their viewpoints, nodding to the nationalist, us-against-them beliefs that have overtaken mainstream politics.

They also have a history of limiting, or even stopping, immigration that reaches back to the 1920s.

Leaders said their membership rolls have increased recently, but wouldn't give exact numbers.

But leaders claim they have changed with the times.

While their history is one of terrorism of minorities and deadly violence against them, current leaders' public personas are more words than action. They told the AP that there are rules against violence, unless it is in self-defense.

The AP investigated what could be considered the Klan of today, comparing it to the historical viewpoints of the hate group. Read the complete report here.