History - USA - Immigration

• What was the Open Door Policy?


  A policy designed to make the entry into America as easy as possible; anybody could enter and any time.
• Where were immigrants processed before entering America?

  70% of immigrants were processed at Ellis Island, New York.

  A health test was completed on all immigrants here.
• What factors pulled Immigrants to America?


  Agricultural opportunity; large amounts of lands.

  Freedom of speech.

  Natural Resources.

  Booming Economy.

  Employment opportunities.

  Higher wages.
• What were the 'push' factors affecting immigration?

  Overcrowding; poverty or destitute circumstances.

  Unemployment.

  Persecution.

  Lack of opportunity (class-based).
• Why did governments question the Open Door Policy?

  Trauma of the First World War lead to a sharp rise in the number of immigrants entering America (13 million 1900-1914).

  Therefore, America felt swamped.
• What does xenophobia mean?


  The hatred or prejudice held towards those from another country; the fear of foreigners.
• Why did governments think immigrants offered little?

  There were seen as illiterate, often extremely destitute and commonly failed to be able to speak English.

  This lead to the growth of xenophobia - American society regularly looked down of immigrants.

  The idea of the ideal citizen was established (WASP); thus, society frowned upon those from Eastern Europe and Italy.
• What event initially began the fear of communism in America during the 1920s?

  Bolshevik Revolution in Russia; communist uprise of 1917 - American governments fear that immigrants would bring in communist ideas and anarchist concepts into America.
• What was the first restrictive immigration act introduced?

  1917 - Literacy Test

  All immigrants had to pass a literacy test in English.

  Established to strengthen nationality and decrease values of immigration.
• What measure was introduced in 1921 to restrict Immigration?

  1921 - The Emergency Quota Act.

  Introduced a 3% quota.

  • Only allowed 375,000 immigrants to enter each year.
• When was the National Origins Act implemented? What was it?

  1924 - National Origins Act.

  Cut the quota to 2%.

  - allowed more people from northern Europe to enter.
• What was the final act introduced to restrict immigration?

  1929 - Immigration Act.

  Restricted immigration to 150,000 per year.

  No Asians were allowed.
• What events happened in America that caused the 'Red Scare'?

  There were 3,600 strikes during 1919 which added to the fear that a communist revolution was pending.

  1919 - a bomb was planted by an anarchist group in Mitchel Palmer's house (Attorney General).

  April 1919 - bomb planted in a church in Milwaukee: killed ten.

  September 1920 - anarchist bomb exploded on Wall Street; killed 38.
• What were the Palmer Raids?

  Press insisted the attack on Mitchell Palmer's house was a communist uprise.

  Thus, on May Day 1920, police attacked socialist parades and raided offices of socialist organisations.

  Innocent people were arrested: trade unionists, black people, Jews and Catholics. All due to 'dangerous' political beliefs.

  All of these arrest were organised by Mitchell Palmer.

  **More than 6,000 arrests were conducted across 36 cities.
• What was the Sacco and Vanzetti case?

  Two Italian men, of whom were apart of an anarchist organisation, were accused to theft and the murder of Fred Parmenter.

  Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti.
• What were Sacco and Vanzetti accused of?

  The murder of Fred Parmenter.

  Parmenter was a paymaster of a factory in Massachusetts.

  Parmenter and a security guard has been shot by two armed robbers on 15 April 1920.
• How did the Sacco and Vanzetti case unfold?

  Trial began in May 1921 - lasted 45 days.

  Took several days to find a jury of 12 men who were acceptable.

  14 July 1921 - the jury delivered a guilty verdict.

  Both men took their case to court to appeal their case, however all attempts failed.

  The last appeal was 1927.

  Both men were executed by the electric chair on 24 August 1927.
• What was the importance of the Sacco and Vanzetti case?

  The trial was reported all over the world - presented the intolerance of American society during the 1920as.

  The two men were victims of racial discrimination.

  Exposed the unfairness of the legal system - both men were convicted on unstable evidence.

  1970 - Governor of Massachusetts deemed the trial as a formal pardon; a mistrial had taken place.
• What does the word 'anarchist' meaning?

  A wish or belief that there should be an abolishment of government.
• What was the 'Soviet Ark'?

  A ship named after several Russian immigrants were sent back to Russia on a ship due to the Palmer Raids.
• How many people had emigrated to America by 1919?

  40 million.