rise in the klan. it was beaten down, only to rise up again in the '20s. in fact, in august of 1925, 30,000 fully clad klans men and their robes and pointed hats, marched down pennsylvania avenue. the streets of washington. imagine, imagine that today. and then the klan was once again beaten back after the civil war. how? the courts, the press and, yes, presidents stood against them. that is the point. our institutions often imperfectly stood against hate at moments when we were most tested. american presidents have stepped up in the past.