In Peddlers of Hate, journalist Steve Law draws on published and unpublished sources, new research, and interviews with leading scholars to provide a comprehensive account of how Oregon became one of the Ku Klux Klan's strongest outposts in the 1920s. Klan salesmen, working on commission, enlisted Oregonians with a message of religious prejudice and racism, vilifying Catholics, immigrants, Blacks, and Jews. 

With more than 60 chapters established in both large and small communities like Portland, Medford, Astoria, and La Grande, the Klan's power escalated in the region.  At the Klan's peak, Portland was home to the sixth largest chapter in the country and there were more members per capita in Oregon than in any other state except one.  

The hate group gained wide support, toppling an incumbent governor and congressman, persuading voters to ban Catholic schools, and winning control of the legislature and several local governments. From stories of "escaped nuns" to fiery crosses at mass Klan rallies at Salem's state fairgrounds and Portland's Mount Tabor Park, Law examines this divisive and forgotten time in Oregon's history. He shows how it was finally greed, hypocrisy, and corruption that spurred the KKK's demise-providing historical lessons that will resonate today.

Enjoy 15% off your hotel stay on History Pub nights! Show your ticket at check-in.

These events are open to everyone interested in Pacific Northwest history, and beyond! Often co-sponsored by local or state historical and civic organizations, we bring you experts, scholars, first-person experiencers, historians and documentaries expounding on topics from indigenous history to the birth of Portland, early explorers to hop growing, and on and on! It's like being back in the classroom - except this time you get to settle into comfortable seats and enjoy a drink or two with dinner while you listen and learn.

This event is eligible for a History Pub Stamp