Often times when people are considering places where racism is extreme in

America, the places you hear about are down south, such as Texas, Oklahoma or other
places that were a part of the confederacy during the Civil War, but many people do not
think of Indiana as an epicenter of racism. Due to this many people are uninformed of the
large impact the Ku Klux Klan had and still has on Indiana today. According to an
IndyStar article, due to Indiana’s status as a member of the Union and the lack of
immigrants, African American, and Jewish residents meaning that the popularization of
the Klan was not a natural progression of the population.
This article argues that the growth of the Klan was due to rapid economic change
in Indiana. Klan chapters allowed for large amounts of profit, which is believed to be part
of the reason for this mass growth at one time (IndyStar). The first Klan was organized in
Tennessee, and it was a measure to try and assert control over African American Men
who gained power within the government (Ball State). They would use violence such as
lynching to intimidate people while calling themselves protectors of white people and
property.
By the 1920s, Indiana had 250,000 Klansmen and was considered the “banner
state” of the Klan. After the 1920s, the Klan still had a hold on Indiana, but it was no
longer as strong as it was before. After 2007, the Klan began to see another resurgence of
popularity. Mainly small towns in Indiana were known for the large amounts of racist
graffiti art and other violent messages throughout their towns. There are still a handful of
towns that allow intimidation and have unwritten policies that make it very easy for hate
crimes to be committed and go unpunished.
Overall, Indiana is a very big part of the KKK and their impact all across America,
even though it is rarely reported on. This is why it is so important to keep yourself
informed about what is going on in the current day and the past of the areas you live in.