The rise of the Ku Klux Klan at the Jersey Shore in 1923 caught many by surprise. Most residents linked the Klan with the racial oppression and atrocities committed in the predominantly Democratic-controlled Southern states.

Rutgers professor Mark Mappen in his book Jerseyana explained.

“What were tens of thousands of New Jerseyans so afraid of that they took the Klan’s oath and donned robes and hoods?