Catholicism and the Ku Klux Klan The early 1900s was a time of change in technology, education, and way of life for the American people. However, with change comes resistance, which was especially seen in Texas with the uprisings of the Ku Klux Klan. The Ku Klux Klan’s hatred went beyond simply that of Negros and settled on people of the Catholic Religion as well. They used propaganda such as books, flyers, and pamphlets in order to get rid of Catholicism, as the KKK considered people of the Catholic faith to be loyal only to the Pope of Rome and not the United States. The KKK struggled and ultimately succeeded in gaining political advantages in order to gain more influence in the United States, as well as to help avoid punishment for their prosecution of the Catholic people and their property. It was with great perseverance that the Catholic religion in the early 1900s struggled to stay relevant in the changing times and fought against the KKK in order to avoid persecution and unjust …show more content…
Al Smith was a devout Roman Catholic and did not hide this when he went on to run for president. However, being a Catholic and also taking the stance of being against prohibition, he did not curry much favor with the KKK. In fact, the Ku Klux Klan encouraged people not to vote for him, going as far as to try to bully people into voting for their candidate instead. The effect the being a Catholic candidate was not promising during theses times, but was especially unfavorable during the era of prohibition. The KKK strongly agreed with prohibition and encouraged the law to remain in place, even going to court to prosecute those breaking prohibit laws. It purely because Al Smith was catholic that he lost the election, and proves moreover the states of Texas, and the country during this time