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The Klan's Fight For Americanism Summary

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In 1926, Hiram Wesley Evans, then Imperial Wizard and Emperor of the Ku Klux Klan, published “The Klan’s Fight for Americanism”, a leaflet that set forth the principles and fundamentals of what many called the revival of the KKK in 1920’s America, a new version of the organization that was originally formed by Nathan Bedford Forrest after the Civil War in an effort to maintain the supremacy of the white man over the recently freed African­ American slaves. The researcher will analyze and discuss Evans’ writing in this paper from the standpoint of his views and specific tenets to be found within “The Klan’s Fight for Americanism”. In addition, the researcher will present views as to whether or not Evans’ views agree with those of the researcher, and ultimately, …show more content…

As a result of the KKK’s revival, by 1926, the organization had over 3 million members. The KKK increased its list of those whom it hated to include Jews, Catholics, Communists, and those who were members of the labor unions that were gaining popularity in America during that time. Hiram W.Evans, upon assuming control of the KKK in 1926, wrote “The Klan’s Fight for Americanism” as a means to lay the groundwork for what would be a new expansion of the Ku Klux Klan in the 20th century. Americanism as Defined by Evans One of the key terms that Evans uses in his writing is the term Americanism, something that he claims is a hallmark of the KKK. The term Americanism in this context has its roots in patriotism, something that the KKK claims to have in abundance; however, the interpretation of patriotism that the KKK has varied greatly from what one would usually find in the belief systems of someone like Abraham Lincoln, for example. Patriotism, as the cornerstone of Americanism, in this case has some far reaching

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In 1926 American society was changing rapidly through immigration and many races of people were bringing their cultures with them. A man named Hiram W. Evans was the imperial wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. Evans made the argument that these new immigrants were destroying the racial definition of what an American should be. He felt that true Americans were part of the Nordic race because the early pioneers fit into this category. The Klan’s point of view was that America should stay American and maintain this Nordic race of Caucasian people.

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Founded in 1866, the (KKK) extended into virtually each southern state by 1870 and have become a vehicle for white southern resistance to the Republican Party’s Reconstruction-era policies aimed toward establishing political and economic equality for blacks. Its members waged associate underground campaign of intimidation and violence directed at white and black Republican leaders. Congress passed legislation designed to curb KKK, the organization saw its primary goal “the reestablishment of white supremacy” fulfilled through Democratic victories in state legislatures across the South within the decennary. Once an amount of decline, white Protestant nativist teams revived the KKK within the early twentieth century, burning crosses and staging

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Evans lists several reasons why the KKK thinks they’re beneficial to America, saying that America was founded by whites and we should keep it that way, we shouldn;t mix “breeds” [races] of humans in order to keep them pure, and that foreigners to America shouldn’t be able to change any ideal of Americans. This document written from the KKK embodies conservative values of Americans and their superiority (nativism) that warped history in the

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Jackson argues that the KKK believed that the spirit of Americanism and the spirit of Protestantism were one and the same and in order to protect America it required a defense of Protestantism against forces that would weaken or denounce the faith like millions of immigrants that were non-Protestants and would not assimilate to the KKK’s version of American culture. Samuel Campbell, who was a lecturer for the KKK argued that “there needs to be a greater education of American nationalism and Protestantism to save the American ideals of this great country against the swarm of foreign born immigrants that seek to change our style of government and force new ideals that will break down Americanism.” Campbell demonstrates the KKK’s paranoia about foreign immigrants having different ideals than American ideals, which would destroy White purity and superiority in America. Therefore, this shows that by making nationalism a white supremacist religious experience, American men and women justified any violence or terrorism against immigrants as protecting pure Protestant tenants linked Protestantism and

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