Klansville, U.S.A. Blog Post

In class, we watched the documentary Klansville, U.S.A., which told the story of the rise and fall of the third Ku Klux Klan in North Carolina. It was an interesting watch; learning about the faces behind one of, if not the most recognizable symbol of racism in America was fascinating.

While not relevant to the third Ku Klux Klan, I was intrigued when the film said that the first Klan did things like pulling pranks on African Americans when it was first founded. Apparently, they were more of just a nuisance; they would dress up pretending to be the ghosts of fallen Confederate soldiers. It quickly turned into a violent and dangerous group, but I was surprised that it wasn't founded to be that way.

By the time the third Klan reappeared in the form of multiple various separate groups, violence was proverbial to the overwhelming majority. Except for Bob Jones, who wanted to run a "civilized" (if you can call it that) Klan in the state of North Carolina. Bob Jones was a poor, rural white man who was deeply troubled by the progress that was being made by African Americans. So, he started a Klan in North Carolina, which was the focus of the documentary.

I knew the Klan made frequent public appearances for the sake of intimidation, protests, and marches, but I didn't know they ran what could be best described as fairs. At Klan "community gatherings", they had music, games and raffles that were major sites of attraction in sleepy rural towns. Jones wanted an appearance of a fraternal organization that could operate without fear of government interference, and it worked for a while.

Grand Dragon Bob Jones

Obviously, a group based on hate could not last like this forever. As Klans in other states grew increasingly violent, and calls for more direct action arose in groups of Jones' Klan, things quickly collapsed. Highly publicized murders and lynchings fully awoke the federal government, which began to finally crack down on Klan activity. Jones and other Klan leaders were embarrassed when they refused to show what they had used money raised by Klan members for.

Bob Jones receded back to who was before the Klan, a man without respect or reputation. The Klan was now a symbol of embarrassment. Again. As it functions today, it's practically a joke used to make fun of uneducated Southerners. It's a physical example of Bob Jones' legacy.