Under the Star of the Guard: The Story of the Black Legion

Abstract

The Ku Klux Klan and the Black Legion, two super-patriotic fraternal organizations, had cyclical success during the years 1865-1938. The K.K.K. dates back to sometime between Christmas 1865 and June, 1866 when it began as a small group of defeated Confederate soldiers in south central Tennessee. It eventually grew into a national organization that is active today. The Black Legion was a spin-off of the K.K.K. and was active from 1924 or 1925 to 1938, primarily in Ohio and Michigan. The organizations had similarities and differences. One overriding theme was that both were secret societies that believed in the preservation of nativism, as both groups were against anyone who was not native-born, Protestant, and with white Anglo-Saxon ancestry. Some differences between the two groups were in their recruitment tactics, monetary goals of their leaders, and the severity of violence used to carry out their agendas. The first two chapters of this thesis provide an overview of the Ku Klux Klan. The remaining chapters focus on the rise and fall of the Black Legion. It is my sincere hope that this thesis may shed some light upon the American myth of equality for every citizen, regardless of race, color, gender, or creed.