Topic 5, Lesson 13: Why was there a Ku Klux Klan revival during the 1920s?

Topic 5, Lesson 13: Why was there a Ku Klux Klan revival during the 1920s?

The Second Klan and Reasons for KKK 1920s Revival

Revived in 1915 by William Simmons

Simmons was inspired by the Hollywood film The Birth of a Nation which:

• glorified the original clan

• showed the clan saving white families from gangs of African Americans

• attracted a huge audience

• reinforced the idea of white supremacy

• was the first Hollywood blockbuster movie

After WW1, labour tensions rose as veterans attempted to re-enter the workforce

Increasing industrialisation fuelled social tensions and:

• brought more workers to towns and cities

• the KKK grew rapidly in cities such as Memphis and Atlanta, which had high industrial growth rates after 1910

Topic 5, Lesson 13: Why was there a Ku Klux Klan revival during the 1920s?

Beliefs and Goals of the KKK

Kloran was an official handbook of the KKK

• written by William Simmons

• outlined rituals, ceremonies and organisational structures of the KKK

• gave the KKK an air of mystique and mystery

• helped to unify the clan

The KKK promoted WASPs (White Anglo Saxon Protestants)

• Revived KKK was anti-semitic, anti-Black, anti-Catholic, anti-immigrant and anti-communist

Leader of the KKK was known as the Imperial Wizard

• William Simmons between 1915 and 1922

Officers of the clan were known as Exalted Cyclops

Topic 5, Lesson 13: Why was there a Ku Klux Klan revival during the 1920s?

Activities of the Klan

• engaged in political activism

• used methods such as: intimidation, violence, terror, lynching, beatings, cross burning, stripping their victims and putting tar and feathers on their bodies

By 1925, the Klan estimated it had over 5 million members

This was an increase from 100,000 in 1920.

Topic 5, Lesson 13: Why was there a Ku Klux Klan revival during the 1920s?

The 1925 Klan March on Washington

8th August 1925

One of the most visible displays of the Klan’s power

Intended to demonstrate the Klan’s strength and legitimacy as a national political and social force.

Topic 5, Lesson 13: Why was there a Ku Klux Klan revival during the 1920s?

Decline and Legacy of the Klan

The Klan declined after 1925 when one of its’ leaders, Grand Wizard, David Stephenson, was convicted of a sexually motivated murder.