Resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan

On June 7, 1920, the Ku Klux Klan hired publicists to help grow its membership. Founded in 1865, the Klan had dissolved by the 1870s. In 1915, William Simmons revived the Klan in Georgia. That same year, the film The Birth of a Nation debuted, presenting the Klan as a heroic force. The Klan launched a "100 Percent American" campaign, and within 16 months, nearly 100,000 new members had joined.