The USA: A Nation of Contrasts, 1910-29

Question 1

Number of people emigrated to USA during late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Answer 1

About 40 million people

Question 2

New immigrants

Answer 2

Southern and Easter Europe immigrants

Question 3

Old immigrants

Answer 3

Western and Northern immigrants

Question 4

Xenophobia

Answer 4

Fear of foreigners

Question 5

Anarchists

Answer 5

People who do not respect authority

Question 6

What resulted in the growth of the Red Scare?

Answer 6

The thought of many immigrants from Eastern Europe to be communists or anarchists.

Question 7

Give a push factor for immigrants.

Answer 7

Good cheap agricultural land was becoming scarce.

Question 8

Give pull factors for immigrants (2).

Answer 8

1. The USA was booming industrially.

2. There were many employment opportunities.

Question 9

Give more pull factors for immigrants (2).

Answer 9

1. Any business acumen could start new ventures quite easily.
2. It was seen as the land of the free and a country which guaranteed basic human rights.

Question 10

Why did the Jews in Easter Europe wanted to leave their homeland?

Answer 10

They were seeking religious freedom and an escape from the pogroms of Russia, where many thousands have been massacred.

Question 11

Give the purpose of the ‘Open Door’ policy.

Answer 11

It was designed to make entry into the country as easy as possible.

Question 12

Describe the development of ghettos.

Answer 12

The immigrants moved to cities where they tended to live with people from their own country of origin and hence ghettos developed.

Question 13

What would new immigrants do in 1910 in America?

Answer 13

They would take jobs and work for very low wages.

Question 14

What were immigrants thought to be responsible for in 1910?

Answer 14

Increases in crime, drunkenness and prostitution.

Question 15

What was the ideal citizen for Americans in the 1920s?

Answer 15

WASP- white, Anglo- Saxon and Protestant.

Question 16

Why did the Americans fear the immigrants?

Answer 16

They feared immigrants would bring with them dangerous political beliefs, especially communism.

Question 17

What act was introduced in 1917?

Answer 17

Literacy Test

Question 18

What did the Literacy test involve?

Answer 18

1. They had to prove that they could read a short passage in English.
2. The act banned all immigration from Asia
3. Charged an immigration fee of $8

Question 19

Why did many poorer countries, especially in Eastern Europe fail the literacy test?

Answer 19

Many of them could not afford to take English lessons and failed the test.

Question 20

What act was introduced in 1921?

Answer 20

Emergency Quota Act

Question 21

What did the Emergency Quota Act reduce?

Answer 21

It reduced the number of immigrants from Eastern Europe.

Question 22

What did the Emergency Quota involve?

Answer 22

1. New immigrants were allowed in as a proportion of the number of people of the same nationality who had been living in the USA in 1910.
2. The figure was set at 3%.

Question 23

What act was introduced in 1924?

Answer 23

National Origins Act

Question 24

Describe what happened during the National Origins Act.

Answer 24

The quota was reduced to 2% of the 1890 census. Since there had been a lot more people arriving from Northern Europe by 1890, more of these groups were allowed to enter.

Question 25

What act was introduced in 1929?

Answer 25

Immigration Act

Question 26

What did the Immigration Act involve?

Answer 26

1. No Asians at all | 2. Northern and Western Europeans were allocated 85% of places.

Question 27

What were the results of the Immigration Act?

Answer 27

The restricted immigration to 150,000 per year.

Question 28

What did the Federal Bureau of Naturalization organised?

Answer 28

Neutralisation proceedings and patriotic 'Americanization Day' rallies.

Question 29

What was the 'Americanization Day' designed for?

Answer 29

For citizens to re-affirm their loyalty to the USA and the heritage of freedom.

Question 30

What did the Federal Bureau of Education organise and why?

Answer 30

Courses on politics and democracy to prepare immigrants for the citizenship examination.

Question 31

Describe the Red Scare?

Answer 31

It was an almost hysterical reaction from many US citizens to developments in Europe in the years 1917-19, especially the fear of communism.

Question 32

Give a reason for the Red Scare. (1)

Answer 32

In Russia in 1917, the Bolshevik Revolution led to the establishment of a communist government.

Question 33

Give another reason for the Red Scare. (2)

Answer 33

In Germany, a group of communists attempted to seize power in January 1919.

Question 34

What did the Americans fear about concerning the immigrants?

Answer 34

That revolutionary ideas were being brought to the USA by immigrants, especially from Eastern Europe.

Question 35

What did Americans think were the branches of communism?

Answer 35

Any new political ideas, especially radicalism and anarchism, as branches of communsim.

Question 36

What are 'Reds' (communists)?

Answer 36

All people who believed in these ideas (communists).

Question 37

Why did Americans fear that there would be a revolution in their own country?

Answer 37

Due to a communist party being formed in the USA in 1919.

Question 38

How many strikes were there in 1919?

Answer 38

3,600 strikes

Question 39

What were the protests about in 1919?

Answer 39

There were protests against poor working conditions and low pay.

Question 40

Which group of people went on a strike in Boston?

Answer 40

The police

Question 41

What did the strikes cause?

Answer 41

The strikes seemed to herald the beginnings of a communist revolution.

Question 42

Give the abbreviation of IWW.

Answer 42

Industrial Workers of the World

Question 43

What did the IWW organisation lead?

Answer 43

The general strike in Seattle

Question 44

Give the consequence of the failure of the general strike in Seattle?

Answer 44

The loss of orders for the dockyards, which resulted in an increase in unemployment.

Question 45

What did many find the name of IWW to be like?

Answer 45

Many found strongly suggestive of communist ideals.

Question 46

What did the press portray strikes as?

Answer 46

Anti- American actions which threatened the US government.

Question 47

What did steel company owners publish during the steelworkers' dispute?

Answer 47

Circulars which attacked foreign- born strikers.

Question 48

Describe anarchists.

Answer 48

They were anti-government in their views and did not respect the rules of law and order.

Question 49

What was the aim of anarchists?

Answer 49

To disrupt and ultimately destroy the functions of government.

Question 50

Give an example of the bombings of anarchists (1).

Answer 50

The home of Mitchell Palmer, the Attorney- General was bombed.

Question 51

What is an Attorney- General?

Answer 51

Head of the US Department of Justice.

Question 52

Give an example of the bombings of anarchists (2).

Answer 52

In April 1919, a bomb planted in a church in Milwaukee killed 10 people.

Question 53

Give an example of the bombings of anarchists (3).

Answer 53

In May, letter bombs were posted to 36 well-known Americans.

Question 54

What did the police do on May Day 1920?

Answer 54

They attack socialist parades and raided the offices of socialist organisations. Many innocent people were arrested because of their supposed dangerous political beliefs.

Question 55

Describe the Palmer Raids.

Answer 55

Trade unionists, black people, Jews and Catholics. These arrests were known as the 'Palmer Raids' as they were organised by Mitchell Palmer.

Question 56

How many people were arrested across the USA during the Palmer Raids?

Answer 56

More than 6,000 suspected communists were arrested in 36 cities across the USA.

Question 57

What was the ship called the 'Soviet Ark' used for?

Answer 57

Several hundred Russian immigrants were sent back in a ship nicknamed the 'Soviet Ark'.