Ku Klux Klan Members Hold Demonstration in Washington ca. 1925

Description

Founded in 1866 by Nathan Bedford Forrest, the Ku Klux Klan initially sought to maintain white supremacy over blacks after slavery was abolished. The Klan virtually disappeared after Reconstruction and lay dormant for half a century. Thanks in part to the D.W. Griffith film Birth of a Nation, the Ku Klux Klan's popularity and visibility began to increase once again in 1915, and its goals expanded from merely maintaining racial hegemony to suppressing and threatening minorities of all stripes, including Catholics, Jews, and recent immigrants. At its peak in the mid-1920s, the Klan had over 4 million members, and controlled key branches of local government in a number of American cities. Copyright The WPA Film Library.

Runtime

54 sec

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Films on Demand

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