Guardians of Liberty is a three volume set of books published in 1943 by

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

Alma Bridwell White, author of over 35 books and founder of the

Pillar of Fire Church The Pillar of Fire International, also known as the Pillar of Fire Church, is a Methodist Christian denomination with headquarters in Zarephath, New Jersey. The Pillar of Fire Church affirms the Methodist Articles of Religion and as of 1988, had ...

. Guardians of Liberty is primarily devoted to summarizing White's vehement anti-Catholicism under the guise of patriotism. White also defends her historical support of and association with the Ku Klux Klan while significantly but not completely distancing herself from the Klan. Each of the three volumes corresponds to one of the three books White published in the 1920s promoting the Ku Klux Klan and her political views which in addition to anti-Catholicism also included nativism,

anti-Semitism Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism. Antis ...

and

white supremacy White supremacy or white supremacism is the belief that white people are superior to those of other races and thus should dominate them. The belief favors the maintenance and defense of any power and privilege held by white people. White s ...

. In ''Guardians of Liberty'', White removed most, but not all of the direct references to the Klan that had existed in her three 1920s books, both in the text and in the illustrations. In Volumes I and II, she removed most of the nativist, anti-Semitic and white supremacist ideology that had appeared in her predecessor books. However, in ''Guardians'' Volume III, she did retain edited versions of chapters promoting nativism, anti-Semitism and white supremacy. Like their predecessor books, each of the volumes is primarily a compendium of essays and sermons written by White and of illustrations by Reverend Branford Clarke. Most of the text and illustrations had originally been published in the pro- Ku Klux Klan political periodical ''

The Good Citizen ''The Good Citizen'' was a sixteen-page monthly political periodical edited by Bishop Alma White and illustrated by Reverend Branford Clarke. ''The Good Citizen'' was published from 1913 until 1933 by the Pillar of Fire Church at their hea ...

'', one of the numerous periodicals published by the

at their communal headquarters in

Zarephath, New Jersey Zarephath (, ) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) and located in Franklin Township, in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States, about north of Princeton.The Good Citizen ''The Good Citizen'' was a sixteen-page monthly political periodical edited by Bishop Alma White and illustrated by Reverend Branford Clarke. ''The Good Citizen'' was published from 1913 until 1933 by the Pillar of Fire Church at their hea ...

'' in 1933. ''Guardians'' was published when White was 81 years old, three years before her death, and one year before the second Ku Klux Klan declared bankruptcy.

Volume I

Volume one of ''Guardians of Liberty'' was an edited reprint of White's 1925 book '' The Ku Klux Klan in Prophecy.'' Of the 13 chapters in ''Guardians'' Vol. I, 7 are edited chapters from ''KKK in Prophecy'', and one chapter is from '' Heroes of the Fiery Cross'' (1928). An additional chapter, ''Rome’s Political Defeat'' defends the

and its members' role in two violent incidents that occurred near

Zarephath, New Jersey Zarephath (, ) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) and located in Franklin Township, in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States, about north of Princeton.Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

and of Roman Catholic individuals. Most of the material promoting anti-Semitism, racism, and white supremacy that had originally been published in ''KKK in Prophecy'' was omitted in ''Guardians'' Vol. I, although some more-subtle reference were still included. Furthermore, most but not all of the references to the Ku Klux Klan were either removed or substituted with the following euphemisms: Patriots, Patriots in White Robes, Our Patriots, Our American Patriots, 100-Per Cent Americans, A Great Patriotic Organization, Invisible Empire, Freedom, Liberty, The Star of Hope, and Our Guardians of Liberty. Two illustrations with Klan images were retained and included in ''Guardians'' Vol. 1.

Volume II

Volume two of Guardians of Liberty contains fifteen chapters, thirteen are from '' Klansmen: Guardians of Liberty'' and one from '' The Ku Klux Klan in Prophecy''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Guardians Of Liberty Books about the Ku Klux Klan Anti-Catholicism in the United States Pillar of Fire International 1943 books Political books Far-right publications in the United States

Volume I

Volume II

Further reading

See also

References