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Immigration and the Rebirth of the KKK

Immigration and the Rebirth of the KKK. Nativists Oppose Immigration. On the eve of WWI, Congress passed a law requiring immigrants to take a literacy test If immigrants couldn’t read or write their own language, they were rejected This law was passed against Wilson’s veto.

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Immigration and the Rebirth of the KKK

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  1. Immigration and the Rebirth of the KKK

  2. Nativists Oppose Immigration • On the eve of WWI, Congress passed a law requiring immigrants to take a literacy test • If immigrants couldn’t read or write their own language, they were rejected • This law was passed against Wilson’s veto

  3. Quota Laws Limit Newcomers • The Emergency Quota Act of 1921 and the National Origins Act of 1924 established a quota system to govern immigration • The formula was simple: The number of immigrants of a given nationality each year could not exceed 2% of the number of people of that nationality living in the US in 1890 • The quota acts had closed the “golden door” to many people trying to enter the US

  4. More Mexicans Come North • The quota system didn’t apply to Mexico, so they continued to settle in the Southwest • Many Mexicans faced discrimination and hostility in their new homes, competing with Americans for jobs

  5. The Klan Rises Again • Fundamentalist thought lashed out at the idea of change and immigration • In 1915, on Stone Mountain in Georgia, a group of angry men revived the Ku Klux Klan • The original Klan formed in the South during Reconstruction • Although continuing hate for African Americans, the Klan also began to target Jews, Catholics and immigrants

  6. The Klan Rises Again • The Klan’s “Invisible Empire” had perhaps 4 to 5 million members (most in the South, but also branches in the Midwest, Northeast, and West) • Indiana was a Klan stronghold and the KKK controlled most of the politicians there • Titles in the KKK range from Grand Dragon to Imperial Wizard • Behind the Klan’s confident façade were Americans fearful of change

  7. Americans Oppose the Klan • Opposition to the Klan embraced the idea of racial, ethnic, religious, and cultural diversity • “To make a case against a birthplace, a religion, or a race is wickedly un-American and cowardly. The whole trouble with the Ku Klux Klan is that it is based upon such deep foolishness that it is bound to be a menace to good government in any community.” – William Allen White • Many leaders of the KKK bribed politicians, stole member dues, and lied to the Klan • Klan leader David Stephenson ended up in prison for assault and 2nd degree murder

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