During the 1920s, there were many different races, religions, ethnicities, and backgrounds in America. The Progressive Era, which lasted from the 1890s until the 1920s, was a time when industrialization, urbanization, and immigration led to a flood of people coming into America.1 It brought a multitude of new challenges and presented new targets for the Klan. There was much happening at this time regarding basic civil rights. African Americans were free of slavery, but they were not free in many other aspects. Jim Crow Laws were in full effect, segregating their entire lives. There were also many Catholics in the United States, and along with them came Catholic schools and churches. Many Protestants viewed this as a threat to their religion. Also, many Jews and various other immigrants had begun to populate America. America was truly the world 's melting pot. The KKK 's response to all that happened in this time had a significant impact on society. The 1920s effectively ended tolerance of racial, ethnic, and religious difference.2 Aside from all of the turmoil that was occurring, there was a great victory that was happening within America at the time. After a long, brutal fight for suffrage, women obtained the right to vote on …show more content…
The 1920s, and all of the events that accompanied it, provoked the KKK to rise up once again. This revitalized Klan is often referred to as the second wave of the Klan.5 It was established in 1915 by William J. Simmons. Simmons, a minister, claimed that he had been given a vision by God. In this vision, God told him to gather white, native-born Protestant men in battle against forces of evil and immorality that were consuming the nation.6 So, Simmons gathered 33 men, climbed to the top of Stone Mountain in Georgia, and set a cross on fire, signifying the beginning of a movement.7 While the first Klan had just been a phenomenon, the 1920s Klan was a legitimate organization, with over 6 million members joining in between 1920 and