CMNS 110 Chapter Notes - Chapter 6: Stetson Kennedy, Term Life Insurance
10 Jun 2017
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In beginning, activities were said to be harmless midnight pranks. E. g riding horses in countryside while draped in white sheets & pillowcase hoods. Soon, klan evolved into multi-state terrorist organization designed to frighten & kill emancipated slaves. Among regional leaders - 5 former confederate generals. Staunchest supporters - plantation owners for whom reconstruction posed economic & political nightmare. Targeted former slaves & any whites who supported blacks" rights to. When d. w. griffith"s film the birth of a nation helped spark rebirth. Griffith presented klan as crusaders for white civilization itself & as one of noblest forces in american history. By 1920s, revived klan claimed 8 mil members. Klan was not confined to south but ranged throughout country. Concerned itself not only w/ blacks but also. Onset of wwii & number of internal scandals once again laid klan low. As wartime anxiety gave way to postwar uncertainty, klan membership flourished. Kennedy saw klan as terrorist arm of white establishment itself.
