Immigration in the 1920s Flashcards
1921 Immigration Quota Act
New immigrants were only allowed into the US based on the existing proportion that already existed in the US - set at 3%
1924 National Origins Act
Quota changed to 2%
- Set from 1890 census
In 1929 what was the immigration amount set to?
Only 150,000 immigrants per year were allowed in
- No Asian
By 1930 where had immigration from stopped?
Southern & Eastern Europe, China and Japan
The Red Scare
Communism
- Waves of strikes from the working calss in the USA in 1919
- 3600 strikes involving 400,000 workers
- Striker were convinced that communist were trying to destroy the American way of life.
What happened to Attorney General Palmer - head of law enforcement?
- Own home is bombed by commies
- Reaction is to persecute commies even more and tried to defeat the ideology
What were the Palmer Raids and what they encourage?
It is was the raiding of communist meetings, workplaces and homes
Encourages:
- Vigilantism across America
- Groups to use as an excuse to persecute Catholics, immigrants and black
Outline the Sacco & Vanzetti situation
Charged with murder & armed robbery
Found guilt and sentenced to death
Trial and appeal lasted 6 years
Huge international coverage
Outline your perspective of the Sacco & Vanzetti trial, was it fair?
I believe that it wasn’t fair due to the following reasons:
- 107 people confirmed Sacco and Vanzetti’s alibi.
- Prosecution witnesses did not agree on details of the crime e.g. what the men were wearing.
- The judge of the trial has been noticed as a narrow-minded person as well as unintelligent by people that have known him for a long period of time.
- Things that the judge of the trial has said behind the scenes play into him having a biased opinion.
Why were the men (Sacco & Vanzetti) treated potentially unfairly?
Many Americans were unhappy with the fact that there were immigrants in America, therefore creating a negative stigma around being an immigrant.
When and where did the KKK start?
Southern States in 1864-65
What does KKK stand for?
Ku Klux Klan
When was the KKK revived and why?
1915 in response to particularly immigration and America being overrun.
How many members did the KKK have by 1920?
100,000
How many members did the KKK have by 1925?
Claimed it had 5 million members
