What did the Ku Klux Klan advocate in the 1920'S?

Answer 1

The Ku Klux Klan (KKK for short) has experienced many rises and falls, many victories and defeats throughout their history. The KKK (referred to as the Klan) was founded in the year 1865 in Tennessee by 6 former confederate officers in their collegiate years. The group began as a harmless prank with the men riding around at night on horses disturbing the peace. Little did they know that they were scaring former slaves and foreigners in the town. They quickly used this to their advantage to spread fear throughout the town. Their goal was to create a fraternal organization that resembled the romantic image of the original Ku Klux Klan. It was an ironic beginning for a group that soon became responsible for many violent hate crimes against many ethnic groups.

The Klan didn't actually form in the strictest sense until about April of 1867 when they began recruiting and accepting new members. Nathan Bedford Forrest was the first leader of the Klan. The group kept building and regenerating until about 1915 when the new 'generation' of the Klan formed. This new generation was lead by the failed minister William Joseph Simmons. During the 1920s the Klan grew from 5,000 to 40,000 members in just a year. In 1924 the Klan peaked at a staggering 100,000 members and their climax was when about 40,000 Klan members paraded through Washington, DC. Analysts have tried to determine the cause of this increase of the KKK during this time period. Most agree that the increase in immigrants was the root of the cause. Another would be the post-war era that was settling in America and that Americans were beginning to 'pick up' after World War I. The average KKK member was a working class Anglo saxon American. During the 1920s the members of the KKK believed they had to compete for jobs in the United States with immigrants.

Immigrants weren't always the sole focus of the Klan. Other people specifically targeted were: African Americans, Jews, Catholics, anti - prohibitionists, drug dealers, and other less known groups. As you can see the Klan did not limit themselves to just one group to discriminate against. This is partly due to the fact that there were different sections of the Klan, or subdivisions if you will. These so-called subdivisions included: the Imperial Klans of KKK in Powderly, Kentucky, the American Knights of the KKK in Butler, Indiana, the Knights of the KKK in Jasper Texas. Each subdivision tried to make themselves the more prominent division. They did this through violent hate crimes that killed thousands of Americans and ruined the lives of many more.

The KKK was a very strong supporter of National Prohibition, which it sometimes defended violently.

Answer 2

In the 1920's the KKK has added Jews, Catholics and Immigrants to their list of enemies. It promoted and attempted to enforce, with force if necessary, National Prohibition.