The KKK in the 1920s

Revival of the KKK Most Americans today think of the Ku Klux Klan as the southern, white terrorist group that lynched and threatened African Americans in the aftermath of the Civil War. Others may associate the Klan with their opposition to the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s. In fact, the Klan was the most prominent and popular in the 1920s, with membership reaching over 2.5 million. In 1915, the film The Birth of a Nation, as well as the Leo Frank case, helped incite the reemergence of the Klan. Anti-semitism and ongoing racism prompted William J. Simmons to establish a new KKK, seizing on the wave of racist sentiment that arose from the film. In general, members were white, Protestant, and middle-class. Membership grew slowly from 1917-18 but skyrocketed in the early 1920s under the leadership of Hiram Evans. To many, the new Klan was attractive because of its militant advocacy of white supremacy, anti-Catholicism, and anti-Semitism, and support for improved law enforcement, honest government, better public schools, and traditional family life. The Klan attempted to protect “True Americanism” from the immigrants arriving during the Great Migration, denouncing both blacks and jews. Thousands of Americans, fueled by resentment towards immigrant workers and towards black soldiers returning from the war, joined the Klan. The Klan was huge in Alabama and the South, but also found popularity in the Midwest and Pacific Northwest. By 1925, the Klan had millions of official members and the support of millions more Americans. On August 8th that year, over 50,000 members of the Klan paraded down the streets of the capital, speaking to their nationwide influence and popularity. Their message spoke to those uncomfortable with the widespread economic, social, and political changes in society. The Klan presented itself as both a Christian reform organization and a way to entrench in society the power of Anglo-Saxon Protestants, promising to hold back the wave of modernity and preserve traditional Americanism. Additionally, many officials in government were Klan members, and were influenced by Klan ideals. The Klan scored major victories in municipal elections, becoming so powerful that new major political party was willing to denounce it publicly. Additionally, the Klan gained public support for their civic acts, such as organizing special events and providing funds for public facilities. However, underneath this facade lay thousands of individual acts of violence and intimidation. Though violence was not limited to any particular group, African Americans remained a major target for the Klan. In two incidents, Klan members publicly beat a black physician that had treated white patients, and murdered three black farm laborers that had left white employment in search of better opportunities. Many African Americans carried pistols for protection, but were afraid to speak up against other acts of violence that they witnessed, not wanting to spark another outbreak of lynching. The Klan’s power peaked in 1925-26, but afterwards, entered a period of decline due to internal feuding, scandals, and increased activism by their opponents. In 1926, their violent acts became a liability for affiliated politicians and businessmen, who began withdrawing their support. The threat of the Klan towards Alabama’s leading conservative order prompted them to launch a campaign against the KKK, denouncing their vigilante tactics. By 1930, Klan membership was reduced to around 30,000. Though the 1920s may seem like a time of a great social change and modernity, the nationwide popularity and existence of the KKK shows even then, bigotry was disturbingly widespread and normalized within society. Sources: https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/history-archaeology/ku-klux-klan-twentieth-century http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-3221 https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/12/second-klan/509468/