The Red Scare

• The Red Scare


  In the 1920s, there was an increase in xenophobia and racial persecution in the USA. The Red Scare
• What was The Red Scare?

  Many Americans were frightened by the Communist Revolution in Russia in October 1917. Some believed that a communist coup was going to happen in the USA, especially as the American Socialist Party and the American Communist Party were established during this period. Immigrants were under suspicion of being involved in plotting a revolution. This is known as the Red Scare.
• The Red Scare was heightened by:

  Industrial unrest in 1919, which included a general strike in Seattle and all of the Boston police force refusing to work - communists were blamed for these strikes; race riots in 23 cities in 1919, which people also linked to communism; the discovery

  of 36 mail bombs in April 1919; a bomb destroying the front of the house of the Attorney General, Mitchell Palmer; a bomb exploding on Wall Street, September 1920, killing 38 people.
• The Red Scare led to:

  Mobs and police attacking left-wing parades and the seizure of left-wing books and pamphlets; all strikes being seen as “red” and workers not joining trade unions in case they were branded communists; increased hostility towards all immigrants, leading to the immigration laws of 1917, 1921 and 1924; the Palmer Raids and injustices, such as internment and unfair trials.
• Who claimed there were around 150,000 communists living in the country during the Palmer Raids?

  Mitchell Palmer
• What percentage of the population did Mitchell Palmer claim were communists?

  0.1 percent
• What did Mitchell Palmer suggest about the communists in relation to Congress?

  He suggested that they had infiltrated Congress.
• What did Palmer accuse the communists of doing on behalf of the US government?

  Spreading communism
• What was the Red Scare used for by Mitchell Palmer?


  As an excuse to organize attacks against left-wing organizations.
• What were the serious consequences of the Palmer Raids?

  • 6,000 people arrested, mostly not communist supporters, held without trial.
  • 556 deported on flimsy evidence under the 1918 Alien Act.
  • Raids used as an excuse to attack disliked or distrusted groups.
  • Trade unions weakened due to being branded un-American.
• How many people were arrested during the Palmer Raids?

  6,000 people
• What was the legal status of the 6,000 people arrested during the Palmer Raids?


  They were held in prison without a trial.
• How many of the arrested individuals were deported under the 1918 Alien Act?

  556 individuals
• What was the basis for the deportation of individuals during the Palmer Raids?

  Flimsy evidence
• How did people use the Palmer Raids in relation to groups they disliked?

  As an excuse to attack any group they disliked or distrusted.
• Who were the two main individuals involved in the Sacco and Vanzetti case?

  Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti
• What impact did Palmer's rumours and raids have on trade unions?

  They were weakened because they were branded un-American.
• What were the political affiliations of Sacco and Vanzetti?

  They were anarchists
• What significant event did Sacco and Vanzetti avoid participating in?

  World War One
• What language skills did Sacco and Vanzetti possess?

  They spoke little English
• What crime occurred in April 1920 in South Braintree?

  The paymaster of a shoe factory and his armed guard were attacked and shot
• How much money was stolen during the crime in South Braintree?

  $15,000
• What description did the paymaster give of the attackers?

  They were slim foreigners with oily skin
• When were Sacco and Vanzetti arrested?

  In May 1920
• What items were found in Sacco and Vanzetti's car at the time of their arrest?

  Anti-government pamphlets and guns
• Why was public opinion against Sacco and Vanzetti during their trial?

  Because of their political ideas and immigrant status
• Who was the judge during the Sacco and Vanzetti trial?

  Judge Webster Thayer
• How many witnesses did the defense team present during the trial?

  107 witnesses
• How many witnesses did the prosecution present during the trial?

  61 witnesses
• What was the outcome of the trial for Sacco and Vanzetti?

  They were convicted of the crime
• Who admitted to committing the crime after Sacco and Vanzetti were convicted?

  Celestino Madeiros
• What happened to Sacco and Vanzetti in August 1927?


  They were executed by electrocution
• What did the trials and appeals of Sacco and Vanzetti reveal about the American justice system?


  It was far from just