Clansman, An Historical Romance of the Ku Klux Klan by Thomas Dixon, Jr. is a controversial novel that explores the history of the Ku Klux Klan in the United States. The story follows two families, the Camerons and the Stonemans, during the Reconstruction era after the Civil War.

The novel depicts the Ku Klux Klan as a heroic force fighting against the perceived injustices of the time, particularly against African Americans and Northern carpetbaggers. The author presents a romanticized view of the Klan, portraying its members as noble defenders of the Southern way of life.

The language and themes in the book are deeply offensive and racist, with derogatory portrayals of African Americans and glorification of white supremacy. The novel perpetuates harmful stereotypes and promotes a dangerous narrative that is historically inaccurate and deeply troubling.

While Clansman may be of interest to those studying the history of the Ku Klux Klan or the Reconstruction era, readers should approach it with caution and be aware of its racist content. It is important to view this novel through a critical lens and consider the harmful impact of its messages.

Book Description:
The second book in a trilogy of the Reconstruction era - The Leopard's Spots (1902), The Clansman (1905), and The Traitor (1907), this novel was the basis for the 1915 silent movie classic, "The Birth Of A Nation". Within a fictional story, it records Dixon's understanding of the origins of the first Ku Klux Klan (his uncle was a Grand Titan during Dixon's childhood), recounting why white southerners' began staging vigilante responses to the savage personal insults, political injustices and social cruelties heaped upon them during Reconstruction. Still considered dangerous "propaganda" encouraging segregation, white unity, and white supremacy, this incendiary novel nevertheless sheds light on the social conditions and the mindset of many Americans (North and South) during that period, and its influence on subsequent southern authors from Margaret Mitchell (Gone With The Wind) to Faulkner, Allen Tate, Robert Penn, and others, was significant. (Michele Fry)