The Clansman | Educating with Evidence | SIU

The Clansman Introduction

The resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan in Southern Illinois during the 1920s mirrored its broader spread across the state and the country. In the years leading up to this revival, the public had been exposed to a steady stream of half-truths and distorted narratives about the original Klan, laying the groundwork for its return. Through the use of pseudohistorical novels and popular entertainment, a romanticized image of the Klan from the previous century was cultivated. These portrayals encouraged the public to view the Klan in a more favorable light. By the time the organization re-established itself, this foundation had been thoroughly set. Moreover, the Klan manipulated the public’s fears, particularly fears of racial dominance, threats to society, and the menace of terrorism, to bolster support for its revival.

On April 21, 1906, The Ku Klux Klan play was first performed at the Cairo Opera House. A two-column advertisement in The Cairo Evening Citizen featured a modified illustration from the first edition of Reverend Thomas F. Dixon Jr.’s book, The Clansman, which loosely inspired the play. The Clansman, a play based on Dixon’s book of the same name, had already toured across the United States in 1905, sharing thematic similarities with The Ku Klux Klan play as both were adapted from Dixon’s work.

Your task: In this unit, you will examine claims made in Dexter and Beadle's book about the reception and impact of Dixon's plays locally in Southern Illinois and compare them to the national reception across different regions of the United States.

• The play signals that it was prime time for the rebirth of the Ku Klux Klan
• The Clansman uses the false idea that it is based on real historical events to make its claims seem credible.
• There was a lot of resistance to the Clansman play across the United States labeling the plays as dehumanizing and divisive.