The Invisible Empire in West: Toward a New Historical Appraisal of the Ku Klux Klan of the 1920s [Paperback]

Shawn Lay (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 5, 2003

This timely anthology describes how and why the Ku Klux Klan became one of the most influential social movements in modern American history. For decades historians have argued that the spectacular growth of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s was fueled by a postwar surge in racism, religious bigotry, and status anxiety among working-class white Americans. In recent years, however, a growing body of scholarship has complicated that appraisal, emphasizing the KKK's strong links to mainstream society and its role as a medium of corrective civic action. Addressing a set of common questions, Lay and six other contributors to this volume examine local Klan chapters in Denver, Salt Lake City, El Paso, Anaheim and, in Oregon, Eugene and La Grande. Far from being composed of marginal men prone to violence and irrationality, the Klan drew membership from a generally balanced cross-section of the white male, Protestant population. Overt racism and religious bigotry were major drawing cards for the Hooded Order, but intolerance frequently intertwined with community issues such as improved law enforcement, better public education, and municipal reform. The authors consolidate, focus, and expand upon new scholarship to provide insight into the complex reasons for the Klan's popularity.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The Invisible Empire in the West is an outstanding contribution to the literature on the Ku Klux Klan. Its arguments must be strongly considered by those moving further toward any 'new historical appraisal' of the KKK." Journal of Interdisciplinary History "This is an important historical work. Although this study of the Klan does not justify a rush to reinterpret regional or national experiences, it does establish that the Klan experience varied with the conditions and, therefore, tends to defy one single description. Students, scholars, and others interested in twentieth-century American history will definitely want to read this work." Kenneth R. Johnson, History: Reviews of New Books

Product Details

• Paperback: 248 pages
• Publisher: University of Illinois Press; 1 edition (December 5, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0252071719
• ISBN-13: 978-0252071713
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #282,856 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The "New Historical Appraisal" Quickly Becomes The Same Old One, February 21, 2010

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Robert O. DeVries (San Diego, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Invisible Empire in West: Toward a New Historical Appraisal of the Ku Klux Klan of the 1920s (Paperback)

The discipline of History is like any other. A new theory questioning long established interpretations is always more exciting than repeating what everybody always thought they knew to be true. In this book the editor and six essayists seek to prove that the Ku Klux Klan of the 1920's was a mainsteam organization composed of community activists primarily interested in local issues. Expressions of bigotry included in Klan activities were only a reflection of the prejudices of American society in general.

Klan successes in six western cities are presented in detail. This is a very readable and exciting book, and the six essays are well researched. Most importantly, the authors make no effort to cover up the evidence which makes their theory completely untenable.

The traditional interpretation of the Klan is that it is an organization committed to vigilante action, white supremacy, and hatred of every available minority group. And this is exactly the Klan we read about in this book. Indeed the first activity noted in the chapter on the Denver Klan was the three day warning to get out of town which the Klan gave a black janitor accused of being friendly with white women. The Klan in El Paso demanded and received the dismissal of three Roman Catholic public school principals. The Klan in Anaheim developed an extensive spy network to make sure that its own membership shopped only at Klan owned businesses.

The chapter on Salt Lake City even credits the Klan with "a legacy of prejudice that would haunt the city for decades". The Klan in Eugene Oregon started after a fiery lecture comparing African-Americans to the animals of the jungle. The Klan in La Grande Oregon appointed a ten man committee "to take up the matter of Negroes on the North Side".

The Ku Klux Klan is a shameful part of America's past, and to some extent its present. Despite the announced intention of this book, the authors make that point very clearly.