Date
12-2024
Department
History
Abstract
This essay focuses on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in the 1920s and the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan. Using interviews from the Italian Oral History Collection, this essay explores the relationship between Italians, Finns, and the KKK. Rather than focusing on labor relations, this essay explores how these groups saw exogamy, the value placed on maintaining one’s religious connection and perceived racial identity. This research touches on the intersectionality of racialized ethnicity, religion, and class, concluding that the predominantly Methodist KKK would be more open to relationships, both personal and professional, with Finnish immigrants, even though they do not inhabit the same social class. Exploring the complex relationships between everyday people and how their identities inform their actions. This project uses the voices of historical figures living in Marquette County and adjacent areas to understand how these groups interacted with one another and their feelings toward
Recommended Citation
Kraft, Piper R., "Italians, Finns, Methodists, and the Klan: a Look into the Complex Identities and Relationships that were Prominent in the Upper Peninsula during the 1920s" (2024). HS 390 Primary Research Papers. 7.
https://commons.nmu.edu/hs_390_primary_research_papers/7
Included in
History of Gender Commons, History of Religion Commons, Legal Commons, Oral History Commons, Social History Commons, United States History Commons