THERE HAVE BEEN OCCASIONAL OUTBREAKS OF POLITICAL TERRORISM IN THE UNITED STATES DURING THE PAST 200 YEARS, BUT MOST OF THESE HAVE BEEN LOCAL AND LIMITED IN SCOPE. NONE OF THE TERRORIST MOVEMENTS SUCCEEDED IN ACHIEVING ITS AIMS; MOST RESULTED IN REPRESSION AND AN INCREASE IN THE POWER OF THE VERY INSTITUTIONS THAT THE TERRORISTS WERE ATTACKING. IN THOSE FEW CASES IN WHICH TERRORIST ACTIVITY HAD BEEN CREDITED WITH EFFECTUATING RADICAL CHANGE--PARTICULARLY IN THE CASE OF THE KU KLUX KLAN OF THE POST-CIVIL WAR PERIOD--CLOSER EXAMINATION HAS REVEALED THAT THE CHANGE OCCURRED IN SPITE OF, RATHER THAN DUE TO, THE TERRORISTS' ACTIVITIES. FEW OF THE TERRORIST GROUPS HAVE BEEN REVOLUTIONARY. DURING THE PAST 150 YEARS, ONLY ONE SMALL, SHORT-LIVED, IMPORTED GROUP OF REVOLUTIONARIES PREACHED THE USE OF TERROR. MOST REVOLUTIONARY GROUPS DURING THE FIRST TWO-THIRDS OF THIS CENTURY OPPOSED THE USE OF TERROR, ALTHOUGH SOME PREACHED ORGANIZED, VIOLENT REVOLUTION. IT HAS ONLY BEEN DURING THE PAST DECADE THAT SMALL GROUPS OF ALIENATED, ELITIST, WOULD-BE REVOLUTIONARIES HAVE TURNED TO TERRORISM AS A MEANS FOR RADICAL CHANGE. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT)