Hooded Americanism Essay - 1675 Words

Hooded Americanism: The First Century of the Ku Klux Klan: 1865 to the Present by David Chalmers records the history of the Ku Klux Klan quite bluntly, all the way from its creation following the civil war, to the early 1960’s. The author starts the book quite strongly by discussing in detail many acts of violence and displays of hatred throughout the United States. He makes a point to show that the Klan rode robustly throughout all of the country, not just in the southern states. The first several chapters of the book focus on the Klan’s creation in 1865. He goes on to discuss the attitude of many Americans following the United State’s Civil War and how the war shaped a new nation. The bulk of the book is used to go through many of†¦show more content†¦The lack of personal emotion from the author leads to this book being very dry. Although the sentences in the book were clear cut without any unnecessary adjectives or emphasis, they were very long a nd included technical words. Since this book is mainly a summary of dates and facts, the passive voice is utilized to avoid repetition of words and titles. Hooded Americanism was very well-researched, and could be looked upon as more of a text-book than and novel that one would read for entertainment. David Chalmers has written many books in the political science genre, but Hooded Americanism was the first book that he wrote that was meant to be a reference. Anyone that wants to travel into one of the darkest areas of our nation’s history would enjoy reading this book. Readers that want the facts and truth behind the Klan, and are not satisfied with only seeing the negative image that the media has portrayed of the Klan, should read this book. The book was clearly written for an adult audience. Towards the end of the book, David Chalmers goes into detail when describing various acts of violence that the KKK performed. For example, in chapter forty-five, the author desc ribes floggings of African Americans, and burning of Jewish synagogues. Without these detailed accounts though, the author would have been unsuccessful in his purpose for writing. When reading, it became apparent that ChalmersShow MoreRelatedThe Resurgence Of The Kkk944 Words   |  4 PagesCivil War. Ku Klux Klan quickly mobilized as a vigilante group to intimidate Southern African American, anybody else who would help African Americans, and to prevent them from taking advantage of the basic civil rights. Along with fighting for pure Americanism, the organization was composed entirely of white, Anglo-Saxon, Christian American citizens that were both males and females, who believed that their race and religion were overly superior to those of people of other colors and religions. By theRead MoreEssay on The Klu Klux Klan2473 Words   |  10 Pagesthe great increase in growth of the group and decided to have a national convention to help maintain order within the group. The Ku K lux Klan National Convention was held in April of 1867 at the Maxwell House Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee. (Hooded Americanism, p.9) Here the Grand Cyclops from all the dens met to discuss and set the general guidelines for the Ku Klux Klans different dens across the United States, and the group also set specific rules for members. Also at the convention the groupRead MoreTheu.s. Ku Klux Klan Essay2443 Words   |  10 PagesConfederate soldiers. Initially, the group was started as a fraternity or social club, but it rapidly progressed into a vigilante group whose goal was to intimidate Southern blacks and anyone that was accused of assisting them. The men would wear white hooded disguises to represent the ghosts of fallen Confederate soldiers, and then ride their horses throughout the town after dark, freed slaves were particularly troubled by these antics and the group saw this as an opportunity to consider expansion. AfterRead MoreRacism and the Ku Klux Klan Essay1663 Words   |   7 Pagesestablishment of a new Ku Klux Klan, which spread throughout the nation and preached anti-Catholic, anti-Jewish, anti-black, antisocialist, and anti-labor-union Americanism (87). Harrel stated that the Klans two million adherents exercised great political power, often taking the law into their own hands, mobs of white-robed, white-hooded men punished immorality and terrorized un-American elements (88). The Klan erupted as a secret organization employing its secrecy to misleadRead MoreThe Kkk Klan Klux Klan1860 Words   |  8 Pagesgov/exhibits/naacp/founding-and-early-years.html. NAACP: A Century in the Fight for FreedomThe New Negro Movement. The New Negro Movement. Library of Congress, n.d. Web. 9 Jan. 2015. http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/naacp/the-new-negro-movement.html. Chalmers, David M. Hooded Americanism. Durham: Duke University Press, 1967. The Klu Klux Klan in the 1920s. PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 11 Jan. 2015. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/general-article/flood-klan/. Palmer, Brian. Klu Klux Kontraction. Slate. N.p