8a: Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing

ORIGINAL PASSAGE: During the 1920s, Colorado had the largest and most influential Knights of the Ku Klux Klan following of any other state west of the Mississippi River. In the 1924 elections, the Klan gained control not only of state government with the election of Governor Morley, but also of many local governments. Fremont County was one of those local governments with a dominating Klan presence, having a particularly large following of Klansmen and Klanswomen in Cañon City and Florence. These two local Klaverns claimed that they organized to improve the schools, end the liquor problem, stop crime, and promote the state and national Klan agenda.

LINK: KKK essay

1. Write a paragraph incorporating a short quotation from the passage. Modify the quotation using an ellipsis and brackets.

In Colorado, the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) was able to build a massive following and exert profound influence on state politics; indeed, “during the 1920s, [it] had the largest and most influential. . . Ku Klux Klan following west of the Mississippi” (Gunn). The source of the Klan’s authority came straight from Colorado citizens, who looked to the Klan to cure society’s many ailments. The reform that the Klan promised gave it the platform it needed to establish a foundation in Colorado, and once it became entrenched, it had only to infiltrate the political realm.

2. Paraphrase the passage. Check your paraphrase carefully to make sure that it is accurate and appropriate.
In the 1920s, the Ku Klux Klan amassed an extremely powerful population in Colorado. By the middle of the decade, the Klan had members filling many local government offices, and even had a knight, Clarence Morley, elected governor. Two of the largest Klan followings resided in Canyon City and Florence, where the Hooded Empire vowed to alleviate the many social problems plaguing these communities, and also to push the Klan initiative.

3. Summarize the passage. Check your summary carefully to make sure that it is accurate and appropriate.
Colorado had a massive Ku Klux Klan population in the 1920s. Its members held enormous influence in state and local politics, particularly in Florence and Canyon City; here, its members struggled to purify and improve society, as well as to advance the Klan agenda.