History of Ohio KKK topic to be livestreamed

The Auglaize County Historical Society will host “Terrorizing Immigrants and Catholics: The Ohio Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s” with Dr. William Trollinger at 7 p.m. Monday on the Historical Society Facebook page.

The program is free and open to the public. The program is part of the Ohio Humanities Council’s Speakers Bureau.

Having virtually disappeared in the late 19th century, the Ku Klux Klan exploded onto the national stage in the early 1920s, with perhaps five million members at its peak.

While the original Klan concentrated its animus against the newly freed slaves, this “second” KKK had an expanded list of social scapegoats that included immigrants, Jews and Catholics. While the original Klan was based primarily in the South, the second Klan had its greatest numerical strength in the West and Midwest.

In fact, Ohio may have had more KKK members than any other state in the Union, with an estimated 400,000 Klansmen and Klanswomen. In this presentation we will explore why the Klan was so strong in Ohio, what activities the Ohio Klan engaged in and how

the folks targeted by the Klan fought back.

“Dr. Trollinger spoke at an annual meeting for us a number of years ago. His presentation was so well received that we thought it would translate well to a virtual format,” said Historical Society administrator Rachel Barber.

To access the event, simply go to the Auglaize County Historical Society’s Facebook page a little before 7 p.m. on Monday. The program will appear as the most current post on the page.

About The Speaker

Trollinger is professor of history in the History and Religious Studies Departments at the University of Dayton.

He is also director of UD’s Core Integrated Studies Program, which features an innovative, five-semester interdisciplinary curriculum. He earned his B.A. in English and History from Bethel College (MN) and his M.A. and Ph.D. in history from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His research has focused on 20th/21st-century American Protestantism, particularly fundamentalism, creationism and Protestant print culture.

Trollinger is the author of “Hearing the Silence: The University of Dayton, the Ku Klux Klan and Catholic Universities and Colleges” (American Catholic Studies, Spring 2013), for which he won the 2014 Catholic Press Award for Best Essay in a Scholarly Magazine.

About the Ohio Humanities Council

Ohio Humanities serves as an advocate for the public humanities in Ohio. The OHC promote the humanities through public programs, grants and community projects with the goal of helping individuals and communities explore, share and be inspired by the human experience. Established in 1972, Ohio Humanities is a private nonprofit organization and the state-based partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

About the Auglaize County Historical Society

Founded in 1963, the Auglaize County Historical Society collects, preserves, interprets and shares the history of Auglaize County, enriching lives by connecting people and communities to the past and to each other.

For more information about this program or the historical society, please contact auglaizecountyhistory@ bright.net.