Historical pixs - 50,000 KKK march on the streets of D.C.
By 1924, the Ku Klux Klan had reached its peak historical membership, with estimated numbers in the millions. “Its numbers dropped to about 350,000 three years later,” writes Eric Herschthal in a review of two recent histories. While sex scandals and embezzlement among the “invisible empire”’s leaders are often cited for the precipitous drop, historians argue that what really set them back was too much success.
....
Marchers saw little reason to hide their faces. In part, this was because the parade was only sanctioned if they marched unmasked. “But a mask was not really necessary,” notes Joshua Rothman at The Atlantic. The organization had members and defenders at every level of government. Their advocacy of “true Americanism” through forms of ethnic cleansing like eugenics and immigration bans had made them palatable to the public.
More:
https://flashbak.com/50000-klan-members-march-on-washington-d-c-in-1925-150000-people-show-up-to-watch-427903/
= new reply since forum marked as read
