Rise of the KKK: Political Rhetoric of the 1920s Ku Klux Klan in the West

This research will review the historic fluctuations of white nationalism, especially the racially motivated terrorist group the Ku Klux Klan, in relation to macroeconomic troughs and peaks of income inequality. This research specifically looks at trends in income inequality in the Northwest and compares the findings to data on white supremacist activity in Utah, Idaho, and Oregon. Using KKK records from the Utah, Idaho, and Oregon state archives this project uncovers three main messages evident in each resurgence period of the KKK: race, disparity between rural and urban spaces, and American nationalism. These three subtopics are explored within each revival of the KKK and demonstrated using historical documents from each period