JGalt
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The 1924 Democrat National Convention was held in Madison Square Garden, New York City, from June 24 to July 9, 1924. The convention is often called the “Klanbake” because one of the front-runners, Democrat William G. McAdoo, was supported by the Ku Klux Klan. The Klan was a major source of power within the Democrat party, and McAdoo did not repudiate its endorsement. The other front-runner, New York Governor Al Smith, a Catholic who represented the party’s anti-Klan, anti-Prohibition wing (McAdoo also backed Prohibition.
During the convention, the Ku Klux Klan had a large presence. On Independence Day, the 10th day of the convention, 20,000 Klansmen amassed across the Hudson River in New Jersey to burn crosses and punish effigies of Smith.
During the convention, the Ku Klux Klan had a large presence. On Independence Day, the 10th day of the convention, 20,000 Klansmen amassed across the Hudson River in New Jersey to burn crosses and punish effigies of Smith.