The Ku Klux Klan in Western Pennsylvania, 1921–1928 by John Craig, Paperback, 9781611461817 | Buy online at The Nile
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The Ku Klux Klan in Western Pennsylvania, 1921–1928

Author: John Craig   Series: G - Reference, Information and Interdisciplinary Subjects

The Ku Klux Klan in Western Pennsylvania, 1921–1928
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This book details extensive Klan activism in western Pennsylvania, 1921-1928, a region where two hundred thousand residents joined the KKK. The racist, nativist organization would be responsible for numerous acts of violence, including two large-scale deadly riots.

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Summary

This book details extensive Klan activism in western Pennsylvania, 1921-1928, a region where two hundred thousand residents joined the KKK. The racist, nativist organization would be responsible for numerous acts of violence, including two large-scale deadly riots.

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Description

Relying primarily on a narrative, chronological approach, this study examines Ku Klux Klan activities in Pennsylvania’s twenty-five western-most counties, where the state organization enjoyed greatest numerical strength. The work covers the period between the Klan’s initial appearance in the state in 1921 and its virtual disappearance by 1928, particularly the heyday of the Invisible Empire, 1923–1925. This book examines a wide variety of KKK activities, but devotes special attention to the two large and deadly Klan riots in Carnegie and Lilly, as well as vigilantism associated with the intolerant order. Klansmen were drawn from a pool of ordinary Pennsylvanians who were driven, in part, by the search for fraternity, excitement, and civic betterment. However, their actions were also motivated by sinister, darker emotions and purposes. Disdainful of the rule of law, the Klan sought disorder and mayhem in pursuit of a racist, nativist, anti-Catholic, anti-Jewish agenda.

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Critic Reviews

“Craig provides an in-depth analysis of the rise and fall of the 1920s Ku Klux Klan in western Pennsylvania. Supported by an exhaustive list of sources, the author persuasively shows that the Klan was extremely active in the area. Relying heavily on newspaper accounts and trial records, he explains that the Klan's early emphasis on almost theatrical gestures (going masked to churches or civic meetings to present checks, burning crosses on hills, holding large parades) allowed it to rapidly attract members, especially a surprisingly high percentage of young men. Similarly, Craig shows how violent confrontations with Klan opponents (sometimes resulting in the deaths of innocent bystanders) and the resulting criminal trials of Klan members (combined with the scandals plaguing the organization's national leaders) explain the Klan's rapid decline in the region. He also provides a glimpse of the women of the Ku Klux Klan and their agreements and conflicts with their male counterparts. . . .Anyone studying the 1920s Klan or Pennsylvania history will find the work indispensable. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above.”

Craig provides an in-depth analysis of the rise and fall of the 1920s Ku Klux Klan in western Pennsylvania. Supported by an exhaustive list of sources, the author persuasively shows that the Klan was extremely active in the area. Relying heavily on newspaper accounts and trial records, he explains that the Klan’s early emphasis on almost theatrical gestures (going masked to churches or civic meetings to present checks, burning crosses on hills, holding large parades) allowed it to rapidly attract members, especially a surprisingly high percentage of young men. Similarly, Craig shows how violent confrontations with Klan opponents (sometimes resulting in the deaths of innocent bystanders) and the resulting criminal trials of Klan members (combined with the scandals plaguing the organization’s national leaders) explain the Klan’s rapid decline in the region. He also provides a glimpse of the women of the Ku Klux Klan and their agreements and conflicts with their male counterparts. . . .Anyone studying the 1920s Klan or Pennsylvania history will find the work indispensable. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. CHOICE

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About the Author

John M. Craig is professor of history at Slippery Rock University.

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More on this Book

Relying primarily on a narrative, chronological approach, this study examines Ku Klux Klan activities in Pennsylvania's twenty-five western-most counties, where the state organization enjoyed greatest numerical strength. The work covers the period between the Klan's initial appearance in the state in 1921 and its virtual disappearance by 1928, particularly the heyday of the Invisible Empire, 1923-1925. This book examines a wide variety of KKK activities, but devotes special attention to the two large and deadly Klan riots in Carnegie and Lilly, as well as vigilantism associated with the intolerant order. Klansmen were drawn from a pool of ordinary Pennsylvanians who were driven, in part, by the search for fraternity, excitement, and civic betterment. However, their actions were also motivated by sinister, darker emotions and purposes. Disdainful of the rule of law, the Klan sought disorder and mayhem in pursuit of a racist, nativist, anti-Catholic, anti-Jewish agenda.

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Product Details

Publisher
Lehigh University Press
Published
29th August 2016
Pages
274
ISBN
9781611461817

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