| Previews | The Journal of American History, 92.3

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| Previews | The Journal of American History, 92.3 | The History Cooperative

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In his presidential address to the Organization of American Historians, James Oliver Horton argues that if the promise of America is to be fulfilled, its people must understand its history. A widespread comprehension of our national history is critical to contemporary conversation about public issues. Horton believes that professional historians have to play a crucial role in providing context for public debates over politics and policy. Despite the contentious nature of public history, Horton challenges American historians to deepen public historical knowledge and to support history education in pre-college classrooms, national parks, museums, and other sites where many people learn about the history of the United States.

Popular entertainment shaped Reconstruction-era Ku Klux Klan terror and its meaning for Klansmen, their victims, and witnesses. Rather than presenting themselves as silent ghostly figures in white robes, many Klansmen committed atrocities while wearing bizarre costumes such as masquerade disguises, women's dresses, or squirrel-skin masks. The nighttime productions of Klansmen sometimes included animal noises, faked foreign accents, and brief dramatic performances for their victims. Asserting the importance of the Klan's theatrics, . . .

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