The Klan'S View Against Progressivism

Jon R. Vulgamore

Prof. Jeffrey Reed

HST 123 - American History 1900-present

10 April 2007

The Klan's view against Progressivism

Hiram W. Evans' "The Klan's Fight for Americanism" tries to enlighten audiences to his view point. That view point being the Klan's feeling that America is being lost to liberal ideologies and cold intellectualistic direction. He emphasizes the 'de-Americanizing' issues facing the country such as the reason World War I occurred and why the Jews hold such control over financial institutions. He states the problem with the Klan's credibility lies in their lack of ability in public speaking, and current poverty conditions afflicting his infamous group. I plan to summarize this article in my opinion in what follows.

The first topic of discussion that caught my eye was Evans' use of the title liberalism. I thought it ironic how the meaning of this word has changed since the mid 1920's. In those times the Progressives who fought for economic change and government regulation for the improvement of the U.S. were considered the liberals, according to Hiram Evans. Such revolutionary ideas must have had the Klan fearing all the changes in America and the people instating those changes. The conservatives, which I'm assuming Evans felt he was apart of, were slow to accept the government control especially if those leaders were immigrants themselves. Evans mentioned they were viewed as hicks and drivers of second hand Fords, suggestion poverty level living and little education. He went on to justify his protestant cause by stating that using history as a template, emotion ignites action and cold intellectualism stagnates and dies off. Evans felt the Klan had emotion on their side and that was justification