Comment on The Second Ku Klux Klan: How It Gained Social and Political Power Among White Protestants
Drusas@kbin.social 1 year ago
I've never understood why the Klan and other racists burnt crosses in order to intimidate black people. Aren't they supposed to be Christians? Why would they be burning their own symbol?
chaogomu@kbin.social 1 year ago
It goes back to the idea of the signal fire.
The symbolism of the burning cross was specifically used a call to arms/declaration of war for the Scottish clans. Sort of a command for all clan members to make their way to the area and defend it.
It was used extensively in the 1715 Jacobite rising and in Canada among Scottish settlers during the war of 1812.
It was made a symbol of the Klan by a racist fan fiction author in 1905. (note that this is after the first Klan was disbanded, and before the second formed)
The racist fan fiction author knew about the Scottish tradition, and assumed that the burning cross would call all the white people together to come kill the black people.
And now you know.
Drusas@kbin.social 1 year ago
Thank you! Very interesting.