immigration

• the Red Scare

  americans feared the 'reds' [communists or anarchists, anything 'un-american'] because the US was a capitalist nation, and opposed communism. the feared the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution
• Strikes

  1919: 400,000 workers were on strike, a total of 3600 striked happening = seen as the start of a communist revolution.

  • the police went on strike on Boston.
  • general strike in Seattle led by the IWW [industrial Workers of the world]
• Restrictions for immigrants

  1917: Literacy test

  • immigrants had to pass a 40-word passage reading test and a writing test. many didn't receiver education, therefore failed and were denied entry
• Restrictions for immigrants

  1921: Emergency Quota Act

  • restricted the number of immigrants to 375,000 annually. only 3% of the total population of any overseas group already in the USA could enter
• Restrictions for immigrants

  1924: National Origins Act

  • restricted to 2% of the population of a group in the USA by 1890.
  • restricted the Asians, Southern and Eastern Europeans.
• Restrictions for immigrants

  1929: Immigration Act

  • made the quotas of the 1924 National Origins Act permanent, and reduced the number of immigrants to 150,000 annually.
• xenophobia

  americans feared that the immigrants would take their jobs, or there would be so many people employed that their wages would decrease.
• xenophobia

  americans also feared that some would spy and report back to their own country. they feared for their safety, social stability (capitalism) and financial stability.
• xenophobia

  they also feared the different religions, types of people and their beliefs.
• Bombings + Palmer Raids

  Attorney-General, Mitchell Palmer's house was partially bombed in 1919. Palmer devoted himself to rounding up any 'reds' and arresting them on the suspicion of communist ideas.
• Bombings + Palmer Raids

  anarchists sent 36 letter bombs to well-known americans.

  
  

  September 1920: a bomb exploded on Wall Street killing 38 people.
• Palmer Raids

  a series of raids conducted in November 1919 and January 1920, by the US Department of Justice (which Palmer was the head of), in which around 6000 suspects were arrested.
• Palmer Raids

  the arrests were targeted towards trade unionists, African-Americans, Jews and Catholics, who were also considered un-American.
• Bombings + Palmer Raids

  on May Day, police attacked several social parades and raided offices of socialist organisations. Several hundred Russians were sent back on a ship nicknamed the 'Soviet Ark'.
• between 1850 and 1914, over 40 million immigrants arrived in the US
• by 1910, 1/3 of the population in the 12 largest cities were immigrants, while another 1/3 were children of immigrants
• by 1914, New York had more Italians than Naples. there were twice as many Irish in the NY than Dublin.
• 1.4 million Jews out of the total 4.7 million, where in New York.
• anarchists and communists

  they opposed the idea of government, law and order. they launched violent attacks on the Americans. in 1919, a communist party was set up. greatly worrying the American capitalist society.
• Open Door Policy

  the open-door policy allowed immigrants from most countries into America with simple health checks. The figurative term ' closing the door' meant that America was restricting their immigrant influx and 'closing the door' on them.
• Sacco and Vanzetti Case

  5th May 1921: Niccola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, two Italians, were arrested and charged with the murder of a paymast in a shoe company and the murder of a security guard on an armed robbery (on 15th April 1920).
• Sacco and Vanzetti Case

  The trial began in May 1921 and lasted for 45 days, it took several days for them to find an appropriate jury for the defendants and the prosecution.

  107 people confirmed their alibi. but they were executed by the electric chair on 24th August 1927.
• Palmer Raids

  Palmer organised attacks against left wing organisations. he spread rumours about the Red Scare, saying that there were around 150000 communists living in the country (0.1% of the population)