Resurgent Racism and Nativism

Birth of a Nation, 1919

• Praised KKK as definition of white womanhood

• Loved by Woodrow Wilson and first film screened in the white house

KKK membership in 1925

• Estimated 5 million members

• 15% of Chicago and Detroit eligible population were members

How many KKK members did Indiana have

250,000 (made it largest private organization in the state)

Which state’s republican party was controlled by the KKK

Indiana

How many senators were KKK members

2

Naturalization Act of 1790

Made naturalization open to any free white person

Naturalization Act of 1870

Expanded naturalization to African immigrants

Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882

Barred Chinese immigrants from being citizens

Court cases against anti-immigrant Acts

• Ozawa V. United States: claimed he assimilated enough to be whiter than the average Italian, Supreme Court sided ruled against Ozawa

• United States V. Wong Kim Ark: born in the U.S. to Chinese-born parents, Supreme Court ruled in his favor

• United States V. Bhagat Singh Thind: argued that he was white since the Aryan race originated in ancient India, Supreme Court ruled against him and said white meant the “common man’s” understanding, not scientific definitions