Us3 Rising Fear Of Immigrants

Question 1

Why were some people afraid of immigrants?

Answer 1

Some saw immigrants as an enemy who brought un American ideas in the country

Question 2

What was Americans biggest fear around immigration?

Answer 2

Communism was especially feared - Americans were concerned that a communist revolution like the one in Russia in 1917 could happen in America

Question 3

How many Russian immigrants did America let in around 1920s?

Answer 3

nearly 1,500,000 Russians

Question 4

When was the American communist party set up?

Answer 4

1919

Question 5

What is an anarchist?

Answer 5

Believe that countries should not be ruled by organised governments but by system where everyone rules themselves through voluntary corporation

Question 6

Why did many Americans feel they had good reason to fear anarchists?

Answer 6

In 1901 an anarchist called Leon Franz Czolgosz has shot dead US president William McKinley

Question 7

Who was Alexander Mitchell Palmer?

Answer 7

• In charge of America’s law and police
• Palmer vowed to get rid of America’s communist or reds

Question 8

What were the Palmer raids?

Answer 8

• around 6000 suspected communists were arrested across 33 cities
• Little evidence of any communist plans were found

Question 9

What happened to Alexander Mitchell Palmer?

Answer 9

• in July 1919 bomb destroyed his house
• a communist newspaper was found next to the body of the suicide bomber

Question 10

What is the period when the Palmer raids occurred called?

Answer 10

The red scare

Question 11

What happened in Russia in 1917?

Answer 11

A political group called the communists had overthrown and later killed their rulers

Question 12

What was another name for the communists?

Answer 12

The ‘Reds’

Question 13

What did the communist believe?

Answer 13

• That all workers should join together rebel against the countries ruling classes and share all the wealth equally amongst the citizens
• They were committed to the improvement of workers rights and working conditions

Question 14

Who were Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti?

Answer 14

• Italian born immigrant anarchist who are charged with robbing a shoe factory and murdering two staff in April 1920
• 45 day trial began in May 1920

Question 15

What happened in the trial of Sacco and Vanetti?

Answer 15

• there were doubts about the evidence against them
• even the judge said Vanzetti may not have actually committed to crime but he is morally to blame because he is our enemy
• The parents said they were innocent, but it was argued they didn’t understand what was going on because they spoke such poor English.
• There was no conclusive evidence, but the jury found them guilty and sentenced them to death

Question 16

Why was the sacco and Vanzetti case significant?

Answer 16

• The trial was reported all over the world and there were huge demonstrations against the verdict
• Protests said the trial was unfair and the two men found guilty as much for their race and their anarchist ideas as for their actions

Question 17

When were Sacco and Vanzetti finally executed?

Answer 17

despite years of protests and appeals the two men were executed by electric chair on the 23rd of August 1927