The Ku Klux Klan kicked off a nationwide revival in 1921 and took Kansas City, Kansas, by storm. The majority white population–alarmed by the influx of immigrants, Catholics and Jews–joined the Klan in thousands. The Klan held picnics, drawing crowds of 25,000 people and parades up Minnesota Avenue with thousands of Klansmen, electric lights and robed horses. They also intimidated African Americans, vandalized Catholic cemeteries and censored “offensive” books from public library shelves. Its members fed a political machine, electing more than one hundred Klansmen to local offices, from the district attorney to the mayor. Rives shares this troubled and little-known story, where the men of the Klan’s inner circle ruled the city for nearly thirty years.
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On Tuesday, September 10 at 6:00 p.m., the National Archives will host author Tim Rives who will discuss his book The Ku Klux Klan of Kansas City, Kansas. This program will take place at the National Archives, 400 West Pershing Road, Kansas City, MO. Reservations are requested for this free program.
