Hooded Americanism: The First Century of the Ku Klux Klan: 1865 to the Present by David Chalmers records the history of the Ku Klux Klan quite bluntly, all the way from its creation following the civil war, to the early 1960’s. The author starts the book quite strongly by discussing in detail many acts of violence and displays of hatred throughout the United States. He makes a point to show that the Klan rode robustly throughout all of the country, not just in the southern states. The first several chapters of the book focus on the Klan’s creation in 1865. He goes on to discuss the attitude of many Americans following the United State’s Civil War and how the war shaped a new nation. The bulk of the book is used to go through many of
Through his presented research, the author was able to refute many of the accusations that the KKK faced throughout its strongest years, and still faces today. An example of a stereotype is that the Klan only impacted the South. The author quickly contests this by going through the states and displaying the roles of many Klan members in the community and government. More specifically, Mr. Chalmers shows that many governments in the mid-western states were ruled by the KKK. The author intended for Hooded Americanism to be used as a reference book, while also revealing the thoughts of Americans towards the Klan and their successes and failures in spreading its’ beliefs around the country. Despite being a formal essay, the author expresses the information with an unintentional undertone. After reading only the first page, the author already shows signs of being pro-Klan. The second paragraph of the book is spent comparing the beliefs of the Ku Klux Klan to those of political or religious figures, suggesting that what they do is not unheard of and somewhat rational. Chalmers also states, “Not a single solitary reason has yet been advanced for putting the Ku Klux Klan out of business.”(Chalmers 1) This is looked upon as though the author has no rationale for disapproving of the Klan or any of its actions. The author describes the Klan as “persistent” (385) and “determined” (263), showing some positive qualities of the Klan. Also, when reading a