discrimination on us society Flashcards
(24 cards)
Why was the USA called a ‘melting pot’ in the 1920s?
Because people from many different ethnic backgrounds lived in the USA.
What attracted immigrants to the USA?
The idea of the ‘American Dream’, job opportunities, and freedom.
How many immigrants lived in the USA by 1920?
Over 40 million.
Where did most immigrants come from before 1900?
The UK and Germany.
Where did many immigrants come from between 1900–1914?
Eastern Europe and Mediterranean countries.
What problems did immigration cause in the 1920s?
Job competition, lower wages, overcrowding, discrimination, and tension.
Who were WASPs and what were their views on immigration?
White Anglo-Saxon Protestants; they opposed immigration and held racist views.
What was the 1917 Immigration Law?
It banned Asian immigrants, required literacy in English, and imposed an $8 immigration fee.
What did the 1921 Emergency Quota Act do?
It limited eastern hemisphere immigration to 3% of those already in the US in 1910.
What did the 1924 Reed-Johnson Act do?
Reduced the quota to 2% based on the 1890 census and capped immigration at 154,000 per year.
What was the Red Scare?
Widespread fear that immigrants were spreading communism in the USA.
What were the Palmer Raids?
Mass arrests and deportations of suspected communists and anarchists in 1919–1920.
Who were Sacco and Vanzetti?
Italian immigrant anarchists convicted of robbery and murder in a biased trial.
What did the Sacco & Vanzetti trial reveal about 1920s USA?
Immigrants and radicals were treated unfairly and faced strong public prejudice.
What were the Jim Crow Laws?
Laws enforcing racial segregation in the Southern USA.
What does ‘Separate but Equal’ mean?
Segregated facilities were legal if they were of equal quality—but they rarely were.
What areas of life were segregated under Jim Crow Laws?
Schools, hospitals, transport, toilets, cinemas, parks, and public facilities.
Who were the Ku Klux Klan (KKK)?
A racist, white supremacist group that terrorized African-Americans and minorities.
How many members did the KKK have by 1925?
Around 5 million.
What methods did the KKK use to intimidate others?
Violence, lynching, threats, and public marches with burning crosses.
What job discrimination did African-Americans face?
They were offered only low-paid jobs like janitors, cooks, and waiters.
What happened during the 1919 Chicago Race Riot?
White Americans attacked Black neighbourhoods, killing 23 people.
What was the Great Migration?
Around 2 million African-Americans moved north seeking better lives and jobs.
Did racism exist in the northern states?
Yes, even without Jim Crow laws, African-Americans faced housing, job, and education discrimination.
