The Rebirth of the Ku Klux Klan By 1925, the Ku Klux Klan had as many as 4 million members and a significant amount of political power. Though known for their violently intolerant ways, this group saw a rapid growth in Woodrow Wilson’s presidency. The revival of the ancient Ku Klux Klan in rural areas in the 1920’s stemmed from the social and economic conditions brought on by World War I. With the Red Scare looming over the heads of Americans all across the country, there came an equally voracious sense of patriotism, which led to concepts such as isolationism being embraced. For many Americans, particularly those with family members who had undergone compulsory active service, the war had shown the dire consequences brought on when a country meddled in foreign matters. It became a wide-spread belief – fed by a strong pacifist movement – that the United States should isolate itself from affairs of foreign countries and concentrate solely on the needs of its people. As it were, “America first” was the slogan used even by President Woodrow Wilson (elections, 1920)1. In consequence, the vast influx of immigrants, from various origins, brought on by the war was considered to be a threat to society’s state of mind, and a seed of intolerance became deeply ingrained in certain rural areas. The Ku Klux Klan took a clear stance on the matter, claiming that America belonged to the native born, white Protestants, whose job it was to restore the glory of the Founding Fathers’ great country. Thus, the war had left an air of paranoia amongst many, which led to hostile levels of distrust towards those who did not conform to the classic, all-american ideal. With America struggling to absorb the millions of veterans into the economy, a sharp deflationary recession gave way to a dramatic rise in unemployment in lower-middle class workers and, consequently, deepened class inequality. The Ku Klux Klan offered many views on national issues, most noticeably touching upon the negative effects the eccentric, city lifestyle – and the vast monopolization on credit – was having on the backcountry. Once more, they also drew attention to the flow of immigration and how it had caused the cost of living to rise substantially, leaving hard working people unable to make ends meet. The Ku Klux Klan’s economic propositions for common economic justice hit home with many of the vast numbers of people who found themselves out of a job after returning from the Western front. The rapid growth of the Ku Klux Klan seen in 1920 is certainly note-worthy, though not unfounded. The USA’s intervention in World War I, however brief, left the rural areas in varying levels of disarray. In the midst of social and economic turmoil, many turned towards a group which they believed seemed to reflect the traditional values that had once made America great. 1 Rauchway, E. (2016, May 6). "How 'America First' Got Its Nationalistic Edge". The Atlantic. Retrieved from URL [https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/05/william-randolph-hearst-gave-america-first-its-nationalist-edge/481497/] Bibliography: Rauchway, E. (2016, May 6). "How 'America First' Got Its Nationalistic Edge". The Atlantic. Retrieved from URL [https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/05/william-randolphhearst-gave-america-first-its-nationalist-edge/481497/] McVeigh, R. (2009). The Rise of the Ku Klux Klan: Right-wing Movements and National Politics. Minneapolis, MN: the University of Minnesota Press Chalmers, D. M. (1981). Hooded Americanism: The History of the Ku Klux Klan. New York: Duke University Press Filename: The KKK.odt Directory: C:\Users\Pablo\Documents Template: C:\Users\Pablo\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Templates\Normal.dotm Title: Subject: Author: Pablo Keywords: Comments: Creation Date: 10/22/2018 4:52:00 PM Change Number: 4 Last Saved On: 10/22/2018 9:57:00 PM Last Saved By: Total Editing Time: 34 Minutes Last Printed On: 10/23/2018 3:11:00 AM As of Last Complete Printing Number of Pages: 2 Number of Words: 538 (approx.) Number of Characters: 3,071 (approx.)
