The Ku Klux Klan was founded in 1866 by six ex-confederate college students in the town of Pu

Like most of America, members of the Ku Klux Klan were afraid of Communists. They opposed trade unions and associated communism with immigrants coming into America from Europe. This is because of the Bolshevik revolution in 1917 in Russia; Americans feared that if there were too many communist related ideas active such as trade unions, America would experience a communist uprising. These were irrational thoughts as communism was hardly a threat in America in the 1920s at all, with a very minute percentage of Americans being communists.

The Ku Klux Klan, a male organization, was opposed to women’s independence. They did not like the fact that women could now divorce their husbands. They did not like the ‘flapper’ women and saw them as ‘immoral’. The nightlife that sprung up in the 1920s, revealing a whole new culture of entertainment and sensuous dancing. Women were wearing shorter skirts and were smoking cigarettes and having sex before they became married. Such actions were looked down upon by the majority of society and the members of the Ku Klux Klan were no exception. ‘A white girl, divorcee, (was) beaten into unconsciousness in her own home.’ (2)

(1) The Klan: A Very Brief History [on-line]. Available: http://www.pointsouth.com/csanet/kkk.htm In 1920, American society was made up of more colours and more religions and spoke more languages than any other country in the world. Many white, English-speaking Americans disliked this. Over the years, the white Americans had gained power, owning more land and earning more money than anyone else. They saw foreigners and different cultures as a threat to their white supremacy. Many Americans disliked the income of the many immigrants into America shortly after the first world war ended. Congress passed a series of Immigration Laws which limited the number of Immigrants entering America, and where they came from. Many Americans saw that changes in the crime rate and alcohol consumed were directly linked to immigrants. The Ku Klux Klan hated foreigners, anyone who was not ‘pure American’. Many American brewers were German immigrants and the Ku Klux Klan saw them as polluting American values. They supported the prohibition act in 1918 and made it clear that they hated Bootleggers (People who smuggled alcohol into America from abroad). Such a fact seems strange when it is noted that many Ku Klux Klan members engaged in drinking.

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