Resurgence In The 1920s Essay
1920s KKK Resurgence in the Northeast
How did the resurgence of the Klan on the east coast affect the unity of the country?
The Ku Klux Klan was revived in 1915 by William J. Simmons, a preacher influenced by past records and memoirs of KKK members and historians. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) became the Klan’s biggest opponent in this time period, and following the first world war, they developed a strong hatred for anyone they chose to identify as an outsider to the country. This included but was not limited to socialists, communists, Jews, and Roman Catholics as well. In November of 1922, Hiram W. Evans became the Klan's Imperial Wizard, the CEO or president, more or less.. Under his leadership, the …show more content…
By the time 1925 rolled around, membership had rocketed to a staggering four million members. This meant that the Klan had grown to have immense power and granted near immunity for its members. They were only arrested for very, very serious crimes, which was incredibly rare, and even so, they were never convicted. For this piece, I will be focusing on the Klan and its growth and development in Maine during the 1920s resurgence. Something rather interesting about the Maine chapter of the Klan is that contrary to most other sections of the clan, it actually wasn’t anti-Jew or anti-Roman Catholic. It was simply Protestant Christian, “first, last, and all the time.” This had a slightly different effect on the population of Maine in comparison to the rest of the country, with the anti-nearly-everything divisions of the Klan. The Klan in Maine rose from nearly nothing, yet a still considerably large number of Klansmen, 23,000 in 1923, to its peak of 150,141 in 1925. It grew so gargantuan that it represented nearly a quarter of the entire population of Maine. Unfortunately for the Klan, it then declined quickly and was just barely alive, at a measly 221 members by 1930. Although the relationship
How did the resurgence of the Klan on the east coast affect the unity of the country?
The Ku Klux Klan was revived in 1915 by William J. Simmons, a preacher influenced by past records and memoirs of KKK members and historians. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) became the Klan’s biggest opponent in this time period, and following the first world war, they developed a strong hatred for anyone they chose to identify as an outsider to the country. This included but was not limited to socialists, communists, Jews, and Roman Catholics as well. In November of 1922, Hiram W. Evans became the Klan's Imperial Wizard, the CEO or president, more or less.. Under his leadership, the …show more content…
By the time 1925 rolled around, membership had rocketed to a staggering four million members. This meant that the Klan had grown to have immense power and granted near immunity for its members. They were only arrested for very, very serious crimes, which was incredibly rare, and even so, they were never convicted. For this piece, I will be focusing on the Klan and its growth and development in Maine during the 1920s resurgence. Something rather interesting about the Maine chapter of the Klan is that contrary to most other sections of the clan, it actually wasn’t anti-Jew or anti-Roman Catholic. It was simply Protestant Christian, “first, last, and all the time.” This had a slightly different effect on the population of Maine in comparison to the rest of the country, with the anti-nearly-everything divisions of the Klan. The Klan in Maine rose from nearly nothing, yet a still considerably large number of Klansmen, 23,000 in 1923, to its peak of 150,141 in 1925. It grew so gargantuan that it represented nearly a quarter of the entire population of Maine. Unfortunately for the Klan, it then declined quickly and was just barely alive, at a measly 221 members by 1930. Although the relationship