The Ku Klux Klan, the most prominent group of white supremacists in the United States with over four million members, began losing a vast majority of their followers throughout the late 1920’s and early 1930’s. The Ku Klux Klan’s losses of influence contributed to the tolerance of African Americans and other minorities in U.S. society.
The Ku Klux Klan, most prevalent in the south, with “Klan membership exceed[ing] 4 million people nationwide [in the 1920’s].” (Ku Klux Klan 86-87) was responsible for the lynching of at least 4,733 people according to Tuskegee University. Other methods the KKK used to terrorize their targets include sexual assault, burning of buildings, and murder. The Ku Klux Klan not only were racially intolerant but had anti-Semitic and anti-Catholic ideals. The Ku Klux Klan frequently attacked schools attended by
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As more members left, the Ku Klux Klan lost their influence and the United States saw more people assimilating African Americans and other ethnic groups. Before the fall of the Ku Klux Klan many members who were tried for their wrong doings were acquitted of their crimes; after the conviction of David C. Stephenson, however, many of his peers followed his path to prison after being fairly tried in court. Due to the scandal they had lost most of their supporters, especially in high branches of government. As a result of this “Louisiana, Michigan, and Oklahoma passed anti-mask laws intended to frustrate Klan activity. Most of these laws made it a misdemeanor to wear a mask that concealed the identity of the wearer, excluding masks worn for holiday costumes or other legitimate uses. South Carolina, Virginia, and Georgia later passed similar laws.” (Ku Klux Klan 87-90). The Great Depression also proved hard to The Ku Klux Klan; after being found guilty for tax delinquency, the organization bankrupt and with very little power remaining was disbanded in