The Roaring Twenties&mdash\;the Jazz Age&m dash\;has been characterized as a time of Gatsby frivolity. But it was als o the height of the uniquely American hate group\, the Ku Klux Klan. Their domain was not the old Confederacy\, but the Heartland and the West. They hated Blacks\, Jews\, Catholics and immigrants in equal measure\, and too k radical steps to keep these people from the American promise. And the ma n who set in motion their takeover of great swaths of America was a charis matic charlatan named D.C. Stephenson.
\nStephenson was a magnetic p resence whose life story changed with every telling. Within two years of h is arrival in Indiana\, he&rsquo\;d become the Grand Dragon of the state a nd the architect of the strategy that brought the group out of the shadows &ndash\;their message endorsed from the pulpits of local churches\, spread at family picnics and town celebrations. Judges\, prosecutors\, ministers \, governors and senators across the country all proudly proclaimed their membership. But at the peak of his influence\, it was a seemingly powerles s woman&ndash\;Madge Oberholtzer&ndash\;who would reveal his secret cruelt ies\, and whose deathbed testimony finally brought the Klan to their knees .
\n\nThis program will be held in the Brenner Room.< /strong>
\nPlease register for reminders and notifications o f any changes.
\nQuestions? contact the Information &\; Reader Services Department at \;hppla@hplibrary.org \;
\n\nSponsored by the Friends of the Library
\nhttps://hplibrary.libnet.info/event/9565286 URL;VALUE=URI:https://hplibrary.libnet.info/event/9565286 ATTACH:https://static.libnet.info/images/events/hplibrary/61423989.jpg END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR