KKK's Fight for Americanism: Primary Source Analysis
This paper presents a primary source analysis of Hiram Wesley Evans's 1926 essay "The Klan's Fight for Americanism," published in The North American Review. The analysis examines Evans's ideological arguments for white supremacy and nativist Americanism, his background as Imperial Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, and the historical context of the KKK's rise during the 1920s. The paper also considers how this document contributed to shaping racial perceptions in America and draws connections to contemporary racial justice issues, including the Black Lives Matter movement and continued KKK activity in the modern era.
- Overview of the Document: Evans's key arguments for white supremacy and Americanism
- About the Author: Evans's biography, KKK leadership, and personal bias
- Historical Context: KKK's social and political power in 1920s America
- Contribution to Our Understanding of History: Document's legacy from civil rights era to today
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What makes this paper effective
- Grounds its analysis in a specific primary source, quoting Evans directly to support claims about KKK ideology.
- Connects the author's biography to the bias embedded in the document, demonstrating how personal history shapes historical texts.
- Extends the analysis beyond the 1920s by tracing the document's legacy through the civil rights era to contemporary racial justice movements.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper models primary source contextualization — a core historical method — by situating Evans's essay within its political and social moment (post–World War I nativism and KKK expansion) while also evaluating the author's credibility and perspective. This approach helps readers understand not just what the document says, but why it was written and what it reveals about its era.
Structure breakdown
The paper is organized into four sections: (1) an overview of the document's key arguments; (2) a biographical profile of the author establishing context and bias; (3) a historical context section examining the KKK's social and political influence in the 1920s; and (4) a concluding section on the document's broader historical significance and contemporary relevance. Each section builds logically on the previous one.
Overview of the Document
One of the key ideas of this document was to reveal to Americans the Ku Klux Klan's perception of white supremacy and why its members considered themselves to belong to the greatest race in the world. In particular, Evans employs patriotism to proclaim to Americans that one important element of being American is understanding their supposed superiority over other peoples. Evans also attempts to justify the actions and ideas of the group by linking them to "the mass of the old-stock Americans" who, he argues, cannot be associated with the "intellectually mongrelized Liberals."
Furthermore, Evans delineates his concept of Americanism and ties it to an anti-alien stance. He asserts that immigrants should be considered a threat to Americanism because, in his view, they blatantly lacked the qualities that made Americans great and exceptional. The document clearly signals the group's intentions for the future, concluding with the declaration: "We have merely awakened to the fact that we must fight for our own. We are going to fight — and win!…"1 This rhetoric helped fuel the underground campaign waged by the KKK and contributed to the numerous deaths of Black Americans at the hands of the organization.
About the Author
Hiram Wesley Evans was born in 1881 in Ashland, Alabama. His family later relocated to Texas, where Evans attended Vanderbilt University to study dentistry. He left without earning a degree, but by 1900 he had established himself as a practicing dentist. Two decades later, in 1920, Evans joined the Ku Klux Klan. A year after joining, he led a group of Klansmen who abducted Alex Johnson, a Black bellhop employed at the Adolphus Hotel, and burned the initials "KKK" into his forehead with acid. Two years after his entry into the KKK, Evans rose to become the group's Imperial Wizard.
These biographical facts illuminate the author's deep personal investment in the ideology expressed in the document. Under his leadership, the Ku Klux Klan grew rapidly, with members being elected to positions of political power in states such as Indiana, Oklahoma, and Texas. Within three years, the KKK had amassed approximately four million members. Evans eventually resigned from the position of Imperial Wizard in 1939.2
References
Evans, Hiram Wesley. "The Klan's Fight for Americanism." The North American Review 223, no. 830 (1926): 33–63.
Simkin, J. "Hiram Wesley Evans." Spartacus Educational, 2016. Retrieved from: http://spartacus-educational.com/USAevansH.htm
Schram, Jamie. "KKK Plans to Disrupt Black Lives Matter Rally in the Hamptons." New York Post, 2016. Retrieved from: http://nypost.com/2016/08/17/kkk-plans-to-disrupt-black-lives-matter-rally-in-the-hamptons/
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