Across the Nation-American Views are ChangedThe Ku Klux Klan was originally known for being a white supremacy group mainly focused on the South and Midwest but by the mid 1920's it had chapters in all of 48 states. The Klan was most popular in Indiana where D.C. Stephenson was not only leader of the Klan, but also governor.
Political Interference Changes ElectionsAs the Klan spread across the nation, the KKK soon gained control over governments in Tennessee, Indiana, Oklahoma and Oregon. As the Klan became more popular it increased the tension of elections between the Klan members and anti-Klan members. In 1922 Walter Pierce was elected governor of Oregon due to his outreach to the Klan. Since their was a significant amount of Republicans registered over Democrats he easily won the election. A similar instance happened in Kansas, Indiana, and Colorado. With the Klan dominating political control over the country it was hard for their antics to be stopped.
Klan Riots Cause Uncivilized Death'sOn May 31, 1921 a mob a white men demanded for the lynching of Dick Rowland who was a local shoe shiner in Tulsa Oklahoma, after he was reported for assaulting Sarah Page. The story had been exaggerated in the local paper and while the Klan was outside the courthouse a member confronted an armed Black man who had joined other veterans to protect Rowland. When the two men got into a disagreement the bullet was fired which led to the beginning of the riot. The Klan set fire to the buildings and fired shots towards the black men on the scene. More than 1,400 homes and businesses were burned to the ground and around 300 lives of black men were taken.
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