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Essay on The Ku Klux Klan in the 1920's
Resurrecting the Ku Klux Klan was the brainchild of Colonel William Joseph Simmons. The son of an officer in the original Klan, he had always dreamed of reviving the order, which he envisioned as the ultimate fraternal lodge. The possibility of bringing his dream to fruition was given a boost by the 1915 release of D.W. Griffith's film The Birth of a Nation. The movie glorified the Reconstruction-era Klan, portraying the Knights as valiant defenders of the South's unique culture and political institutions as well as the protectors of the purity of white womanhood. The film climaxed with a dramatic Klan rescue of a white southern woman from the hands of a "lust-crazed" freed black man. In movie theaters throughout the South, the sight of sheeted and hooded Klansmen riding on horseback through the night to rescue Flora Cameron from her assailant prompted whoops and wild cheers from audiences and, on one occasion, gunfire, as an overly enthusiastic moviegoer shot up the screen.
Spurred by a massive advertising blitz for the film, "Klan-mania" briefly swept the nation. Even in New York City, an enormous billboard was perched above Times Square depicting Klansmen on rearing horses carrying fiery crosses. Entrepreneurs were quick to capitalize on the renewed interest in the Klan, marketing Ku-Klux hats and Ku-Klux Kitchen aprons. Costume parties with the Ku Klux Klan theme were hosted by college students as well as by New York society matrons. The stage appeared to be set for a revival of the Invisible Empire.
Colonel Simmons strategically placed advertisements for his new organization in Atlanta newspapers, alongside promos for showings of The Birth of a Nation. He solicited new members by billing the Klan as a "high class order for men of intelligence and character" (Chalmers 30). Among Simmons's 34 charter members were several members of a vigilante group known as the Knights of Mary Phagan.......
