I cling to the hope it is only a matter of time…

November 7, 2024

This is an excerpt from a paper for my “History of Christianity in America and Canada” course.

Hiram Wesley Evans (1881–1966), an Imperial Wizard of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, penned an organizational statement that affirmed American born, white, Protestants as the dominant and preferred social class. The Klan’s motto was “Native, White, Protestant supremacy.” He defined patriotism as “America for Americans.” He claimed that “the spirit of Protestantism… has been an essential part of Americanism ever since the days of Roanoke and Plymouth Rock.” He believed “racial integrity” was achieved by “interbreeding” only with peoples of European descent, notably the English, Dutch, German, Huguenot, Irish, and Scotch.

Rabbi Joseph Silverman (1860–1930) stood in opposition to the Klan’s nativist position. He conceded that regulations pertaining to immigration were appropriate when governed by “the political and economical policies of a country,” but not when non-governmental bodies promoted such policies as a “scheme for placing this country under the control of white Protestants.” He asserted that the fear that America would become “Judaized” or “Romanized” was unwarranted, and that the true danger was of America becoming “Evangelized.”