Ku Klux Klan

Chapter 7 Defying the Ku Klux Klan:

- William Joseph led a dozen men up a rocky trail on the granite crest of Stone Mountain.

                - With the Bible in hand, the preacher led the men to the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan

                - KKK captured the governorship and enough of the legislature to ban parochial schools.

                - The anti-Klan campaign began in 1921 in the New York World

Sweeping the Nation:

                -The original KKK was formed in 1866 to prevent slaves from exercising their rights.

                -KKK promised to provide better schools, improve laws, and hold the traditional values that were being threatened by the roaring twenties

                - Their secret society was growing larger everyday

The New York World Hurls a Hand Grenade:

                -In 1921, NY ads were posted that read “Ku Klux Klan exposed!”

                - The KKK scammed 40 million dollars in initiation fees

                - Articles were being printed talking about how the KKK was illegal and immoral

                - When the word got out, KKK purchased 3000 copies of the world

                -When that didn’t work, they threatened to sue for making false accusations

                - The reporter, Rowland Thomas made copies of these articles so he can expose them to the police.

The Commercial Appeal in Hand-to Hand Combat

                -In 1923, the Klan-newspaper unfolded in Memphis

                -“Commercial Appeal” criticized the Klan as a “money making scam” (115)

                - There were cartoon drawings of the Klan showing them as cowards hiding behind a mask

                - The “Commercial Appeal” and the Klan were finally at a war

                -Elected W. Joe Wood for mayor and other Klan’s-men for the Memphis City commission

                - To piss off the “Commercial Appeal”, they hosted the protest right across the street from the building.

                - “Commercial Appeal” posted more stories about the Klan negatively

                -Klan was defeated, 60 percent of the vote went to Major Paine

                - Congratulated the newspaper “Commercial Appeal” for revealing the Klan

The Montgomery Advertiser Wages War

                -The “Montgomery Advertiser” should also get some praise for the KKK defeat

                -Grover Cleveland Hall editor of “Montgomery Advertiser”

                - His editorials illustrated specific events that happened

                -New York Times stated “The floggings are attributed to the salutary moral forces of the Ku Klux Klan, the ruler of Alabama” (122).

                - Hall listed each negative thing about Alabama and added his own opinions about the Klan

                - The Advertiser could be sued for all the negative things that it said about the KKK. We’re talking about 25,000 dollars.

                - Hall was infuriated and immediately did something about it

                - Won a Pulitzer Prize in 1928

Turning Back the Ku Klux Klan:

                -The “New York World”, “Memphis Commercial Appeal”, and “Montgomery Advertiser” were all a positive effect in Journalism.

                -Huge impact on New York City

                -KKK couldn’t attract our fellow New Yorkers

                -John Hohenberg wrote the “Pulitzer Prize Story” that covered the anti-Klan