Overview

"Unmasking old-time racism in southern Illinois Pulling off the Sheets tells the previously obscured history of the Second Ku Klux Klan which formed in deep southern Illinois in the early 1920s. Through meticulous research into both public and private records, Darrel Dexter and John A. Beadles recount the Klan's mythical origins, reemergence, and swift disappearance. This important historical account sets out to expose the lasting impact of the Klan on race relations today. The ideation of the Klan as a savior of the white race and protector of white womanhood was perpetuated by books, plays, and local news sources of the time. The very real but misplaced fear of Black violence on whites created an environment in which the Second Klan thrived, and recruitment ran rampant in communities such as the Protestant church. Events like the murder of Daisy Wilson intensified the climate of racial segregation and white supremacy in the region, and despite attempts at bringing justice to the perpetrators, most failed. The Second Klan's presence may have been short-lived, but the violence and fear it inflicted continues to linger. This disturbing historical account challenges readers to ""pull back the sheet"" and confront the darkest corners of their past. Dexter and Beadles emphasize the importance of acknowledging the damage that white supremacy and racism cause and how we can move toward healing."

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9780809339426

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Reviews

"""This well-documented history should be read by anyone who wants to understand and work to eliminate racial divides in southern Illinois.""--Sheila Simon, former lieutenant governor of Illinois ""What we experience today in this country from those who preach the power of white supremacy, nationalism, and caste preferences has deep roots. Dexter and Beadles teach us that the very atmosphere of our region, our country, has been shaped and privileged by a form of Christianity that still engenders hatred, division, and cruelty. Attention must be paid to what these authors bring to light.""--Joseph A. Brown, SJ; Ph.D., professor of Africana Studies, Southern Illinois University Carbondale ""How fortunate southern Illinoisans are to have historians like Darrel Dexter and John A. Beadles, who have meticulously researched our region's role in a dark chapter of U. S. history. Every county needs and deserves this kind of truthful accounting of its public institutions and church officials, because these small, detailed, honest histories are essential to tell the complete national story. Dexter and Beadles have shown us how American democracy was subverted for decades in our region. This is history we must read, acknowledge, and learn to not repeat.""--Kay Rippelmeyer, author of Giant City State Park and the Civilian Conservation Corps and The Civilian Conservation Corps in Southern Illinois, 1933-1942 ""Clearly written and meticulously documented, this book focuses on a regional hotspot of racial discord. Fueled by post-WWI nationalism and by pop culture such as The Birth of a Nation, the Ku Klux Klan made itself felt in deep southern Illinois in the early 1920s. The chief targets were African Americans in Alexander and Pulaski counties (think Cairo and environs). But this iteration of the Klan had a wide variety of other enemies--new immigrants, Catholics, Jews, moonshiners, and others who were not '100 percent American.'""--Herbert K. Russell, author of The State of Southern Illinois: An Illustrated History"

Author Information

Darrel Dexter is the author of several books, including Bondage in Egypt: Slavery in Southern Illinois and A Trot Down to Egypt: The Lincoln-Douglas Debate in Jonesboro, Illinois. John A. Beadles is the author of A History of Southernmost Illinois and Stained with Blood and Tears: Lynchings, Murder, and Mob Violence in Cairo, Illinois 1909-1910 (SIU Press).

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