Primary Source Analysis
One of the key ideas of this document was to reveal to Americans the Klu Klux Klan's perception on white supremacy and also why they considered themselves to be the greatest race in the world. In particular, Evans employs patriotism in some manner to proclaim to Americans that one important element of being American, is to understand that they are superior to other people. In addition, Evans attempts to justify the actions and ideas of the group by linking them to "the mass of the old-stock Americans" who cannot be linked to the "intellectually mongrelized Liberals." In addition, Evans delineates the aspect of Americanism, which he ties to his notion of anti-aliens. He asserts that the immigrants are the ones that should be considered a threat against Americanism. He considered aliens to be a threat because he thought that they blatantly lacked the qualities that made Americans great and exceptional. In addition, the document clearly points out the intentions and plans for the days coming as he concludes by saying "We have merely awakened to the fact that we must fight for our own. We are going to fight -- and win!..."[footnoteRef:1] This went on to generate the underground battle forged by the KKK and the numerous deaths of black people that fell on to their hands. [1: Evans,...
"The Klan's fight for Americanism." The North American Review 223, no. 830 (1926): 33-63.]
Author
The author, Hiram Wesley Evans, born in 1881 in the town of Ashland located in the state of Alabama. His family relocated to Texas where Evans went to Vanderbilt University to study dentistry. However, he left the establishment devoid of attaining a
college degree, however, in the year 1900, he went on to set himself up as a
dentist. Two decades later, in 1920, Evans linked himself with the Ku Klux Klan and a year later, he went on to be the leader of Klansmen that abducted Alex Johnson, who was a black bellhop working at the Adolphus Hotel and the group marked KKK on his head using acid. Two years later, subsequent to his entry in the KKK, Evans grew to become the group's Imperial Wizard. This indicates some of the author's facts regarding his life that indicate his bias on the context of the text being discussed. Owing to his
leadership skills, the Ku Klux Klan significantly and quickly grew with members of the group being elected to political power positions in different states such as Indiana, Oklahoma and Texas. Three years later, the KKK had about four million members. Evans eventually resigned from the position of Imperial Wizard in the year 1939.[footnoteRef:2] [2: Simkin, J. "Hiram Wesley Evans." Spartacus Educational, 2016.]
Historical Context
In terms of historical context, the Ku Klux Klan developed by Evans in the 1920s period was a force to be reckoned with socially, politically, and culturally. This group…
