In this book David Cunningham tells the story of the astounding trajectory of the Klan during the 1960s by focusing on the pivotal and under-explored case of the United Klans of America (UKA) in North Carolina. Why the KKK flourished in the Tar Heel state presents a fascinating puzzle and a window into the complex appeal of the Klan as a whole.

Introduction ; Beginnings: The KKK in North Carolina and the U.S. ; The Rise of the Carolina Klan ; "Rebirth of Klan Counters Moderate Action in State": The UKA and Southern Politics ; UKA Recruitment in North Carolina Counties ; Joining the Klan ; Locating "Klansville, U.S.A." ; The Fall of United Klans ; Epilogue ; Notes ; References ; Index

"A fascinating case study... Cunningham's study is a solid addition to the field and a worthy contribution to current debates about domestic terrorism." --Publishers Weekly "All too often scholars tend to treat social movements as akin to organizations, as coherent, singular entities rather than as the unruly collections of groups and factions they tend to be. In this important book on the Ku Klux Klan in North Carolina in the 1960s, Cunningham honors this messiness, while proposing a model of 'mediated competition' to explain local variation in the extent and form of Klan mobilization in the state. Anyone interested in the Klan, the civil rights movement, or social movements in general will want to have this on their shelf." --Doug McAdam, Professor of Sociology, Stanford University "Cunningham's nuanced study shows us why understanding the past is still relevant for today. In mapping the legacies of organized racial extremism in the midst of perceived scarcity of resources, Cunningham offers a road map for countering the rise of hate groups today." --Susan M. Glisson, Executive Director, William Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation "David Cunningham's deeply researched and well-crafted Klansville, U.S.A. lifts the sheet on the civil rights-era Ku Klux Klan in its stronghold of North Carolina, supposedly the progressive South, where KKK membership far outstripped that of any other Southern state. The Carolina Klan blocked black voting, burned newly-integrated schools and committed hundreds of shootings, beatings, bombings, and other acts of terror. Setting this appalling story in the larger context of America's flirtation with the hooded order, Cunningham offers a look into the past-and into the mirror, where our shadows, memories and hopes abide." --Tim Tyson, Duke University, and author of Blood Done Sign My Name "In this important contribution, Cunningham has recovered a largely unknown, and counterintuitive state history, broadened our understanding of the regional variability of the 1960s Klan, and offered a well-theorized, wonderfully documented explanation of its emergence in one location." --Contemporary Sociology "This book is truly a valuable analysis of the connection between southern culture and politics, and the quality of both Cunningham's scholarship and his writing make this work a thought-provoking and valuable contribution to the study of the South." --The Journal of Southern History

Selling point: The first book to rigorously and objectively study the Ku Klux Klan in the 1960s. Selling point: Draws on the records of the N.C. Highway Patrol, the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation, and the newly-opened records of the U.S. House of Representatives's Un-American Activities Committee, all new and previously unexamined sources that provide unmatched documentation of KKK activities.

David Cunningham is Professor and Chair of Sociology and the Social Justice and Social Policy Program at Brandeis University. Over the past decade, he has worked with the Greensboro (N.C.) Truth and Reconciliation Commission as well as the Mississippi Truth Project, and served as a consulting expert in several court cases. The author of There's Something Happening Here: The New Left, the Klan, and FBI Counterintelligence, his current research focuses on the causes, consequences, and legacy of racial violence.

Selling point: The first book to rigorously and objectively study the Ku Klux Klan in the 1960s. Selling point: Draws on the records of the N.C. Highway Patrol, the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation, and the newly-opened records of the U.S. House of Representatives's Un-American Activities Committee, all new and previously unexamined sources that provide unmatched documentation of KKK activities.