Organized Hatred in 1925 & 2025

 

I was reading a review of a book that made reference to another that intrigued me, Timothy Egan's A Fever in the Heartland: The Ku Klux Klan's Plot to Take Over America, and the Woman Who Stopped Them. Lo and behold, our library has a copy so I figured that I'd read the introduction and perhaps the first chapter. I ended up reading it all because it tells a chilling story of the rapid growth of the racist Klan in the United States 100 years ago. I had long assumed that the KKK was a relatively small group of white supremacists in the South emerging after Lincoln's emancipation of enslaved people. In fact, the heyday of the clan was in the late teens and early twenties of the 20th century with approximately 6 million members. The population of the US was 115 million at the time and has since nearly tripled, so the equivalent today would be roughly 18 million. 

There were millions of men who donned the chillingly silly white bedsheet robes and employed almost comical names to describe their leaders -- Grand Dragon and Imperial Wizard among them. The Klan was a racist, anti-Catholic, anti-Jewish, anti-immigration, anti just about anyone who wasn't a white Protestant organization that grew like wildfire in many parts of America, including the North.  The leaders were cunning individuals who amassed considerable personal wealth selling memberships to hate others and profited from all the swag that went with it. There were Klan organizations for women and children. Politicians and judges and law enforcement officers were successfully recruited at every level. 

Every effort was made to ensure anonymity for rank and file members as they went about their campaigns of terror and control but they became bolder and bolder. There were huge Klan parades in which thousands -- sometimes tens of thousands -- participated. When journalists and legislators attempted to expose or resist this insidious spread of hatred they were threatened and even jailed (see photo.) 

One of the most powerful leaders was David Curtis "Steve" Stephenson, a charismatic speaker who drew large crowds and created a cult-like following. While he presented himself as a moral beacon he was a womanizer and misogynistic abuser who held orgy-like parties at his mansion. He had aspirations for the White House and was convinced that he was above the law, owning just about every politician in his sphere.Eventually he was convicted of the rape and murder of a young woman he and some of his minions had abducted. Stephenson was stunned that he could be convicted of these or any other crimes. 

Organized religion was also a successful target of recruitment for the KKK and pastors were often given bags of cash to promote the cause. Members of the Klan would rally at churches and burning crosses became a bizarre symbol of their reach. 

After Stephenson's conviction for murder the Klan lost power and within a few years membership and influence faded. Still, this era is a reminder of the ability of hatred in the guise of sanctity and purity to poison a society. And, sadly, religion often willingly walks alongside. 

Does all this sound familiar?