This history of the Ku Klux Klan traces the evolution of the organization from its 1865 founding to the present, drawing extensively on contemporaneous media reports.
Martin Gitlin is a freelance educational book writer based in Cleveland, OH.
Ohio-based journalist Gitlin chronicles the history and philosophy
of the Ku Klux Klan, which was founded in 1865 and today maintains
a presence in pockets around the US. A timeline opens the text,
followed by six loosely chronological chapters covering the
following themes: origin of the Klan, its growth after the release
of the 1915 film Birth of a Nation, Klan terrorism during the Civil
Rights era, attempts to depict a "cleaner" clan after 1970, the
Klan philosophy, and the demographics and motivations of members.
Following are a glossary of terms used within the KKK and
biographical sketches of major leaders. Finally, 20 excerpts of
primary press documents with reflections from the author are
provided, including notes from Stetson Kennedy's undercover
infiltration of the Klan that resulted in the group's secret codes
being broadcast on the Superman radio show.
*Reference & Research Book News*
Although there are hundreds of good historical studies of the Ku
Klux Klan available, this one is especially helpful for students in
high school and colleges due to its emphasis on providing a good,
yet brief, history of the Klan, profiles of some of its major
leaders, and especially primary source documents. An inexpensive
purchase, most academic libraries and most medium and larger public
libraries should add this volume to their circulating
collections.
*ARBAonline*
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