"During the 1920s the Invisible Empire, Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, Inc. , rose to power in every part of the United States. Several million members nationwide subscribed to its creed: an animosity toward African Americans, Roman Catholics, foreign immigrants, and ideological radicals combined with a militant, frequently violent, determination to preserve traditional moral values and enforce the new national ban on alcoholic beverages. " "Charles Alexander argues that in Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Arkansas the primary stimulus for this prodigious growth was the emphasis on the moral status quo. In this focused, regional study, which includes a new preface by the author, Alexander chronicles how the Klan's night-riding vigilantism, political activism, fraternal fellowship, substantial charitable work, and vocal support for what it defined as Protestant Americanism appealed to a disillusioned, post-World War middle-class society. "--BOOK JACKET.