Hooded Americanism: The History of the Ku Klux Klan

by David M. Chalmers

"The only work that treats Ku Kluxism for the entire period of it's existence . . . the authoritative work on the period. Hooded Americanism is exhaustive in its rich detail and its use of primary materials to paint the picture of a century of terror. It is comprehensive, since it treats the entire period, and enjoys the perspective that the long view provides. It is timely, since it emphasizes the undeniable persistence of terrorism in American life."—John Hope Franklin

Genres: History, Nonfiction, American History, Race, The United States Of America, Ku Klux Klan, Civil War

489 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1965

Reviews

[Manny]

Nandakishore, a self-confessed lying, leftist liberal, told me earlier this morning that the Ku Klux Klan had endorsed Donald Trump. What a disgraceful slur! I looked up the story, and here's what David Duke, former Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, really had to say:

Voting for these people, voting against Donald Trump at this point, is really treason to your heritage. I’m not saying I endorse everything about Trump. In fact, I haven’t formally endorsed him. But I do support his candidacy, and I support voting for him as a strategic action. I hope he does everything we hope he will do.

And I am telling you that it is your job now to get active. Get off your duff. Get off your rear end that’s getting fatter and fatter for many of you everyday on your chairs. When this show’s over, go out, call the Republican Party, but call Donald Trump’s headquarters, volunteer. They’re screaming for volunteers. Go in there, you’re gonna meet people who are going to have the same kind of mind-set that you have.

Hang your head in shame Nandakishore! All we have here is someone who used to lead the Klan informally telling other Klansmen that he thinks they'll approve of what Trump's doing and that they should help him. That's not "Klan endorses Trump". Shoddy reporting!

I can see it must be difficult right now for the average white supremacist. You've got people like Duke, whom you probably respect, coming out and saying that it's your duty to help Trump, but at the same time making it clear that they're not formally endorsing him, it's no more than a tactical move. Mixed messages or what?

Trying to decode this, my best guess is that the KKK have talked it over among themselves and they're just as confused as everyone else. I mean, Trump has said all this stuff about how most Mexicans are rapists, and denying Muslims the right to enter the US, and forcing the ones already on American soil to carry ID cards. That all sounds pretty encouraging. But at the end of the day, of course you want to know whether he's in favor of lynching niggers, which is what the Klan is all about, and he just won't make a clear commitment there.

So is he on your side or not? It looks like he's hedging his bets, and he'll only reveal his true policies if and when he manages to win. It's a tricky one to call - and under the circumstances, having someone like Duke come out and make this kind of speech is shrewd. If it turns out that Trump didn't mean any of it and was just flirting with the racists to sucker them out of their votes, you've got plausible deniability.

I'm interested to see what happens next. Will Trump clarify his position, or will he find some way to sit on the fence and continue to please the Klan while simultaneously trying to improve his standing with Hispanics and Blacks?
_______________________________

Nandakishore, I'm afraid to say, is not the only irresponsible, lying liberal in the world. I was shocked to see the cover of the New York Daily News:



It's appalling to discover the depths the gutter press can sink to. What next?
_______________________________

A quote I just saw in this article:

“You don’t need a good earpiece to hear the words Ku Klux Klan,” Rubio said at an evening rally in Oklahoma City. In what was his biggest applause line of the night, he added: “There is no place for bigotry, for prejudice, for hatred, or for David Duke in the Republican party or conservative movement.”

Poor Rubio. You can see why people are tired of him and flock to Trump, who has grasped some important truths and isn't afraid to tell people about them. There is a very large place for bigotry, prejudice and hatred in the conservative movement; in fact, as far as many conservatives are concerned, they more or less define it.

[Brett · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm sad that I have to give this book such a low rating, because it is a topic that is fascinating and I was very keen to read it. The KKK is a seriously under-studied phenomenon in American history. It was a mass movement with long-term staying power, it was enormously influential for a time, and it is the closest thing to a home grown fascist movement the United States has ever produced. This book doesn't do it justice.

There are a couple of big problems, but the main one is probably organizational. The big bulk of Hooded Americanism is devoted to a state by state examination of local KKK units. These tend to only be a few pages long. This might be ok if this were a reference volume, but that does not seem to be the case. Essenially, we don't have enough information to get an informed view of the KKK in most states, but by segmenting the book in this way, we also don't really see the broader contours of the organization. It's philosophy, culture, and politics are neglected, and it just feels like there are a lot of empty calories.

Secondly, Chalmers seems to take it weirdly easy on the KKK. Though he does note in a couple of places that it employs what are basically terrorist tactics, he goes out of his way to downplay racist sentiment in the KKK, and emphasize nativist sentiment. While learning about the nativist aspect of the KKK is interesting, it seems implausible that anti-immigrant activity deserves such space in the book while racism hardly shows up. Also, his consistent use of the term "Invisible Empire" to describe the KKK felt oddly admiring, but maybe I'm reading too much into it.

The study of the KKK--the social club, the political organization, and the terroristic racist vigilante mob--is deeply important, in my view. But this book is short of the mark in key aspects, and not the place to start.

[Mya · Rating 4 out of 5]

The only work that treats Ku Kluxism for the entire period of its existence. Hooded Americanism is exhaustive in its very detailed and its way of painting the picture of a century of fear. It is comprehensive, making it more of an easier read for how long the book is. It is timely since it emphasizes the undeniable persistence of terrorism in American life during that tie period.
This book would be a good read for people who love history, especially the civil rights time period. I think that this book was very good but at times I wouldn't want to read it because there is no necessary plot like a memoir would be, which is more of my type of book. I would give this book a ⅘ because I liked it but it was mostly facts at times.

[Estelle Ford-Williamson · Rating 4 out of 5]

An important book for anyone wanting to understand the resurgence of KKK and white supremacist views in the USA. Written in the 1960s, its a compilation of evidence of KKK activity across the country, primarily after its revival following the release of “Birth of a Nation” in 1915. The Klan grew to operate in every statein the union, “from Portland, Oregon, to Portland, Maine.” Seeing the reach of the organization helps frame today’s movements and gives insight into the depth to which the organization’s membership penetrated America’s fabric, even to the US Supreme Court. Those concerned with the attitudes of the current national leadership would do well to explore their historic roots.

[Robert(It's actually Sebastiano) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book goes really well into detail, not only by the actions they took in the name of racial bigotry, but it also goes into detail about the political actions they took with governors and politicians. It also decently goes into detail on how the Klan was founded and the history behind the founders.

[Avaris · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I knew the general history of the atrocious front known as the Ku Klux Klan, I still had a lot to learn from this book. Sure, it may stop in 1965, but it's still informative none the less.

[Edward · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Klan boils down to this:  Fear of a changing society, Anger and Violence due to a sense of helplessness, Conspiracies offered to explain the faults of society, but no solutions offered, and predictions of the end of America.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you MUST have information on the Klan...it's all here.

[Leo1998 · Rating 5 out of 5]

good