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Difficulty: MediumSocial and Political Controversies of the 1920s

> "We are a movement of the plain people, very weak in the high-places of the culture and intelligence of the moment, but through our upstanding, clean-minded, and loyal citizenry... we are demanding a return of power into the hands of the everyday, not highly cultured, but instinctive and unspoiled, brain of America. But the deep cause of the struggle is that the American nation, which is the heritage of pioneer, white, Protestant stock, is today threatened. The Nordic American today has been made a stranger in his own land. He is being elbowed aside, his ideals are being ridiculed, and he finds himself a second-class citizen in the land his fathers built. The real issue is whether America shall remain American in spirit, in culture, and in racial heritage."
>
> — Hiram Wesley Evans, "The Klan's Fight for Americanism," 1926

Which of the following developments in the 1910s and 1920s most directly contributed to the sentiments expressed in the excerpt?

  1. A
    The growth of a political coalition between rural Populists and urban Progressives to expand federal regulatory power over corporate monopolies.
  2. B
    The adoption of absolute isolationism that completely cut off United States trade and diplomatic relations with foreign countries.
  3. The cultural and demographic shifts caused by immigration from Southern and Eastern Europe and the Great Migration of African Americans.Answer
  4. D
    The execution of federal policies aimed at protecting the communal tribal lands of Native Americans from white settlement.

Answer

The cultural and demographic shifts caused by immigration from Southern and Eastern Europe and the Great Migration of African Americans.
The correct answer is correct because the Second Ku Klux Klan, which grew to national prominence in the early 1920s, was primarily a reactionary movement driven by nativism. This backlash was triggered by the massive influx of immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe, who were often Catholic or Jewish, and the Great Migration of African Americans to Northern and Midwestern cities. These demographic shifts led to cultural clashes and urban growth, which rural and Protestant traditionalists viewed as a threat to their political and cultural hegemony.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the stimulus document to identify the perspective of the author and the core issues raised.
The author (Imperial Wizard of the KKK) expresses anxiety over the declining cultural and social dominance of 'Nordic,' white, Protestant Americans and views these changes as a threat to American heritage.
This establishes that the text represents a nativist and white supremacist reaction to cultural and demographic changes.
2
Evaluate the historical context of the 1920s to find the developments that triggered this nativist backlash.
The arrival of millions of Southern and Eastern European immigrants (who were largely Catholic or Jewish) and the migration of over a million African Americans to Northern and Midwestern cities during the Great Migration significantly altered the demographic makeup of urban centers.
This links the anxieties expressed in the passage directly to actual historical demographic developments of the era.
3
Compare the potential options to identify the correct match and eliminate distractors.
The option citing immigration and the Great Migration directly explains the nativist defense of 'Nordic' and 'white Protestant' dominance. Other options either mischaracterize foreign policy, conflate different political movements, or misinterpret federal Indian policy.
This confirms that the selected answer is historically accurate and directly addresses the prompt's question.

Key Concept

The rise of nativism and cultural conflicts in the 1920s, as exemplified by the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan in response to immigration and migration.
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Topics

Social and Political Controversies of the 1920s

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