Ku Klux Klan Essay

The Second Klan reborn in 1915 in Atlanta was the resurrected version of the original Ku Klux Klan of hoods and robes, post-Civil War. In addition to the original KKK ideology of white supremacy and superiority over Black people, the Second Klan also targeted and attacked Catholic and Jewish immigrants, feminists, and many other groups of people. The Ku Klux Klan members, Klaverns, were native-born white Anglo-Saxon Protestants who, in the name of patriotism and religion, used violence, suspicion, and prejudice to intimidate and threaten the “others” in their community.

Something very striking and surprising to me were the whipping parties, character assassinations, and violence caused by the Ku Klux Klan. In order to spread publicity and

During the presidential campaign of Herbert Hoover, a pro-prohibition Republican, and Al Smith, a Catholic anti-prohibition Democrat, the Ku Klux Klan used their tactics and authority to influence public opinion on their ideologies. They fought for prohibition on alcoholic beverages and were against the Roman Catholics who brought in wine and more liberal ideas which went against the beliefs of the KKK. They feared that alienism, representing immigration, would change their traditional American values and culture. They believed that only native-born whites were loyal citizens of America. The Second Klan was highly conservative causing clashes between the ideals of fundamentalism and modernism. They also believed that African Americans should be given all the protections and privileges of citizenship, but should never be considered equal to whites. Thus klaverns were against interracial marriages as they thought Jesus commanded that “Thou shalt not mix thy blood”. Stereotypical Jewish immigrants were wealthy, held good positions in the companies, and supported Wall Street while the KKK thought that the rich Jewish community would cause economic and social

The members in high positions took advantage of their power to enforce their ideals in elections and government bodies. For example, in Akron, Ohio in 1925, W. E. B. Du Bois, claimed in his writing, The Shape of Fear, that the leader of the KKK in his community was the president of the Board of Education and had used his power to remove a Jewish student from a public school in the