Dr. James H. Madison’s most recent book, The Ku Klux Klan in the Heartland begins with this sentence: “The Ku Klux Klan was a dark as the night and as American as apple pie.” In his Thursday, April 21, 6 pm presentation, Madison will attempt to explain that seemingly contradictory statement. He will focus on Indiana’s Klan of the 1920s, its goals and methods, its members and opponents, and its place in larger contexts down to our own time. 

Jim Madison is the Thomas and Kathryn Miller Professor Emeritus of History at Indiana University. An award-winning teacher, he is the author of several books, including Eli Lilly: A Life; Slinging Doughnuts for the Boys: An American Woman in World War II; Hoosiers: A New History of Indiana; and A Lynching in the Heartland: Race and Memory in America. The Midwestern History Association recently honored him with the Frederick Jackson Turner Lifetime Achievement Award.

This program and Madison’s residency exploring this regrettable and all too often glossed-over history, is presented in partnership with the Evansville African American Museum and the Vanderburgh County Historical Society. 

These programs are made possible through a grant from Indiana Humanities, in cooperation with the National Endowment for the Humanities.

For complimentary reservations, visit emuseum.org/rsvp and choose “Dr. James Madison’s Presentation” under “Event Selection”.