Introduction
Followers of the neo-Nazi National Socialist Movement demonstrate at the opening of the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center in Skokie, Ill., on April 19, 2009. (Getty Images/Scott Olson)
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National crises create opportunities for extremists. Today the global economic crisis now wreaking havoc on millions of American households is hitting while the first black president is in the White House and the national debate over illegal immigration remains unresolved. Already, some far-right extremists are proclaiming that their moment is arriving. Indeed, an annual tally by the Southern Poverty Law Center shows 926 hate groups operating in 2008, a 50 percent increase over the number in 2000. And the Department of Homeland Security concludes that conditions may favor far-right recruitment. But a mix of conservatives and liberal free-speech activists warn that despite concerns about extremism, the administration of Barack Obama should not be intruding on constitutionally protected political debate. Some extremism-monitoring groups say Obama's election showed far-right power is waning, not strengthening. But that equation may change if the economic crisis deepens, the experts caution.
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Aug. 13, 2021 |
Hate Crimes |
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Feb. 12, 2021 |
Slavery's Legacy |
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May 12, 2017 |
Anti-Semitism |
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Mar. 17, 2017 |
‘Alt-Right’ Movement |
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Sep. 18, 2015 |
Far-Right Extremism |
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Nov. 22, 2013 |
Racial Profiling |
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May 08, 2009 |
Hate Groups |
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Jun. 01, 2007 |
Shock Jocks  |
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Jan. 07, 1994 |
Racial Tensions in Schools |
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Jan. 08, 1993 |
Hate Crimes |
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May 12, 1989 |
The Growing Danger of Hate Groups |
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Nov. 05, 1969 |
American History: Reappraisal and Revision |
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Mar. 31, 1965 |
Extremist Movements in Race and Politics |
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May 13, 1964 |
Racism in America |
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Dec. 03, 1958 |
Spread of Terrorism and Hatemongering |
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Jul. 10, 1946 |
Ku Klux Klan |
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Jan. 09, 1945 |
Race Equality |
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Dec. 19, 1933 |
Lynching and Kidnapping |
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