Super Short Summary

In Behind the Mask of Chivalry, Nancy MacLean delves into the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan in 1915, inspired by D.W. Griffith's film, Birth of a Nation. She examines how the Klan expanded its targeting from solely Black Americans to include Jews, Catholics, and immigrants in the 1920s, drawing rural American support through moralistic stances and exploiting post-war anxieties. Exploring the Klan's extended political influence, MacLean argues against the notion of the Klan being a fringe movement, highlighting their widespread middle-class membership. By the late 1920s, internal corruption and external societal improvements led to the group's decline.