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Essay / Racist movement of the 1920s: Ku Klux Klan
The most popular Ku Klux Klan movement was that put forward in the southern states of the United States and focused on white men expressing racism towards black men and acting violently as a result. ways. It may not be as well known as the Southern KKK, but the Pacific Northwest went through a phase around the 1920s that was based on the main tenets of typical KKK intentions, but included a broader combination minorities to hate. . “Added to this is the wartime climate of distrust and apprehension and the economic chaos caused by the positions in which the Ku Klux Klan thrived. Discontent in the South after the Civil War gave rise to the original Klan, which faded after a decade or two. A second Klan arose in 1915 and borrowed the rituals and doctrine of its predecessor. But its targets now included not only blacks persecuted by the original Klan, but also Catholics, Jews, and immigrant groups” (Schwantes, 375). Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get Original Essay “The Klan entered Oregon from California in 1921 capitalizing on fears generated by World War I. Spreading quickly, it established branches in Portland and a number of outlying communities. By the mid-1920s its members were estimated at between fourteen and twenty thousand, with many sympathizers adding to its influence” (Schwantes, 375). At the beginning of Schwantes' book, he talked about all the different immigrant groups that had come to settle the country. discover the new land for work, curiosity or escape. These people groups included Hawaiians, Japanese, Chinese, Spanish, African Americans, etc. Multiple groups of people occupied the Pacific Northwest, making it easier to experience racism and acts of hatred toward one another. And as you can see, not only was skin color the focus here, but also things like religion and beliefs. Catholics and Jews were also persecuted, due to the political dominance of the Republicans at that time. “The Republican Party dominated politics in the three Pacific Northwest states throughout the decade. Republicans have held every elected state and congressional office in Idaho. They also controlled Washington, where Roland H. Hartley, a mean-spirited, anti-labor lumber baron from Everett, served as governor from 1924 to 1932 and set a rancorous political tone for that period” (Scwantes, 374). At this time, several political leaders in the Pacific Northwest states supported the KKK and its movements. They included Kaspar K. Kubli, Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives, Walter M. Pierce, Governor of Oregon, and Washington State Legislator Homer T. Bone. This certainly helped the movement gain momentum and gain more supporters during this period (Schwantes, 374-377). Another reason the KKK gained support was due to the ideas it proposed and gained support from people in powerful positions regarding the states. "In 1922, along with the Freemasons, Klansmen launched a campaign to ban private and parochial schools, which they saw as the main obstacle to their campaign for "Americanism" and national conformity. . These schools were run by a number of groups, notably the Roman Catholics. The Klan Gun was an initiative that, if passed by Oregon voters, would force..