Uncover the history of the KKK in FDL County and Wisconsin during History at Home at the Fond du Lac Public Library

The activities of the Ku Klux Klan may have occurred closer to home than some might expect. 

Dr. Michael Jacobs will uncover how the KKK was active in Wisconsin, and even Fond du Lac County, 100 years ago during his presentation for History at Home. He will speak Thursday, June 13 at 6 p.m. in the McLane Room at the Fond du Lac Public Library.

In the mid-1920s, the Ku Klux Klan recruited throughout Wisconsin, including a stronghold in Fond du Lac County. The Klan focused their attention not only on African Americans, but also Catholics, immigrants, Jews, and Prohibition violators.

Though their influence proved small in most of Wisconsin, their presence was still felt in local communities.

Jacobs will discuss the Ku Klux Klan in Wisconsin and pay special attention to Fond du Lac County, looking at how the organization recruited members and its place in our past and present. He is a professor of history at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. He earned his doctorate in U.S. history at Marquette University in 2001 by completing his dissertation on the Catholic response to the Ku Klux Klan in the Midwest from 1920-1928.

He researches and writes primarily on intolerance movements in the American Midwest. He continues to consult for the Wisconsin Historical Society and other historical entities on Klan-related artifacts,papers, and photographs.

Hear about what he learned either in person on June 13 or watch from home via the library’s Facebook page at facebook.com/FDLPL. No registration required to view the program.