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====1924 Klanbake====

====1924 Klanbake====

At the 1924 Democratic National Convention, the big fight was over a resolution denouncing by name the [[Ku Klux Klan]]; it was pushed by New York governor [[Al Smith]] and Alabama Senator Oscar W. Underwood in order to embarrass the front-runner, William McAdoo of California.  Party elder statesman, and three-time presidential nominee William Jennings Bryan, spoke for two in opposition to the plank condemning the Klan by name.<ref>https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/library/politics/camp/240629convention-dem-ra.html</ref>

At the 1924 Democratic National Convention, the big fight was over a resolution denouncing by name the [[Ku Klux Klan]]; it was pushed by New York governor [[Al Smith]] and Alabama Senator Oscar W. Underwood in order to embarrass the front-runner, William McAdoo of California.  Party elder statesman and three-time presidential nominee William Jennings Bryan, spoke for two hours in opposition to the plank condemning the Klan by name.<ref>https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/library/politics/camp/240629convention-dem-ra.html</ref>

After furious debate, the resolution failed by a vote of 542.85 in favor to 546.15 opposed.<ref>[http://armored-column.com/the-democratic-klanbake-1924/ Democratic "Klanbake" Convention]</ref> The soaring temperatures gave the convention the name, the Klanbake. At its peak in the mid-1920s, the KKK claimed to include about 15% of the nation's eligible voters, approximately 4–5 million people.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-2730 |title=Ku Klux Klan in the Twentieth Century |author=Lay, Shawn |website=New Georgia Encyclopedia |publisher=Coker College }}</ref> The Klan split in the party over cultural issues, especially [[Prohibition]], facilitated Republican landslides in 1920, 1924 and 1928.  However [[Al Smith]] did build a strong Catholic base in the big cities in 1928, and [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]]'s election as Governor of New York that year brought a new leader to center stage.

After furious debate, the resolution failed by a vote of 542.85 in favor to 546.15 opposed.<ref>[http://armored-column.com/the-democratic-klanbake-1924/ Democratic "Klanbake" Convention]</ref> The soaring temperatures gave the convention the name, the Klanbake. At its peak in the mid-1920s, the KKK claimed to include about 15% of the nation's eligible voters, approximately 4–5 million people.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-2730 |title=Ku Klux Klan in the Twentieth Century |author=Lay, Shawn |website=New Georgia Encyclopedia |publisher=Coker College }}</ref> The Klan split in the party over cultural issues, especially [[Prohibition]], facilitated Republican landslides in 1920, 1924 and 1928.  However [[Al Smith]] did build a strong Catholic base in the big cities in 1928, and [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]]'s election as Governor of New York that year brought a new leader to center stage.