Nativism and The Ku Klux Klan - Coursework Example

The paper "Nativism and The Ku Klux Klan" is an amazing example of coursework on social science. Racial and religious prejudice and anti-Semantic propaganda characterized America in the 1920s. Newspapers and pamphlets distributed across schools and the public fueled the itinerary of supporters of the anti-immigration movement. The Sacco-Vanzetti Case, involving two Italian immigrants, aroused considerable deliberation among the American populace, and the world at large. The prosecution settled on the extremism of the two anarchists, Nicola Sacco and Bartolemeo Vanzetti. Conservatives were against liberals, socialists, and radical groups from Europe who protested against the electrocution of the anarchists. Although it was later substantiated through ballistics reports that Sacco was guilty, the prejudgment surrounding the case was palpable. The symbolic importance of the case exposed the nature of the rotten American society. 

The Ku Klux Klan (KKK), with a membership base of around five million, had a nativist, white-supremacist philosophy that furthered the tension experienced in 1920’s America. A profit-making scheme by two Atlanta entrepreneurs supported the activities of the KKK group through the provision of the required regalia. The group proposed Americanism, meaning that there was a widespread disregard for Blacks, Catholics, aliens, and even women. Their agenda to restore the nation’s lost limpidness appealed to the wider populace in several ways, although they were led by unethical and distrustful leaders whose sole aim was to make money. Their use of guerilla tactics such as threats and lynchings spread far to the masses and the political scene. In March 1925, KKK collapsed unexpectedly, especially after details of their political incorrectness emerged. Its activities were suppressed until the 1950s during the civil-rights activism period when it reemerged. Read More