Increased Social Tesions 1920s Flashcards

1
Q

Why were immigrants accepted before the early 20th century

A

Cheap source of labour

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2
Q

Where did most immigrants come from traditionally

A

western europe

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3
Q

What was the largest ethnic group in the USA and what did their name stand for

A

WASPS - white Anglo-saxon protestants

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4
Q

Why did Americans have a problem with the immigrants coming from eastern and southern Europe in the 10 years before WW1

A
  1. Many were Catholic or Jewish so brought new beliefs
  2. They were often poor, illiterate and couldn’t speak English
  3. There were fears that they disliked democracy and promoted radicalism
  4. American workers thought that they would take their jobs because they would accept lower wages
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5
Q

What 2 laws were passed in the 1920s to restrict immigration

A
  1. The Emergency Quota Act of 1921 - only 357k allowed from eastern world per year and each country could send 3% of their population in USA
  2. National Origins Act of 1924 - 357k became 164k and 3% became 2%.
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6
Q

What % did immigration fall from 1914 to 1929

A

75%

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7
Q

What year was USA boarder patrol created

A

1925

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8
Q

What ideology did middle and upper class Americans fear

A

Communism

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9
Q

When was the first communist government formed in Russia

A

1917

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10
Q

What ideologies were brought by immigrants from russia and east Europe

A

Communist and anarchist

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11
Q

How many strikes were there in 1919 in USA

A

3,600

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12
Q

Why were mail bombs and strikes held in 1919

A

Because workers feared ideologies brought by immigrants

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13
Q

How many mail bombs were sent to politicians and industrialists in April 1919

A

40

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14
Q

Who was the head of the FBI

A

John Edgar Hoover

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15
Q

What were the palmer raids

A

Offices of Russian workers were searched and arrests were made

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16
Q

What effects did the palmer raids have

A
  1. Increased support for immigration restrictions because a sense that many immigrants supported radical ideas was created
  2. The trade union movement was weakened because many members were communist
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17
Q

Why did the first Red Scare die down and when

A

Mid 1920 - Palmer tried to stir up more fear to become president, claiming that there would be more communist protests on May Day 1920 but it didn’t happen, so his reputation was destroyed, so no one listened to his rumours.

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18
Q

Why did the first Red Scare die down and when

A

Mid 1920 - Palmer tried to stir up more fear to become president, claiming that there would be more communist protests on May 1st 1920 but it didn’t happen, so his reputation was destroyed, so no one listened to his rumours.

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19
Q

What were Sacco and Vanzetti accused of

A

Armed robbery in Braintree, Massachusetts

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20
Q

How much were Sacco and Vanzetti accused of stealing

A

$15,776.51

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21
Q

What ideologies did Sacco and Vanzetti believe

A

Anarchism

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22
Q

Why might the trial of Sacco and Vanzetti not have been fair

A

They were linked to the anarchist movement; many Americans were anti immigrant and anti anarchist, so the jury would likely be prejudiced against them

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23
Q

What evidence pointed to the innocence of Sacco and Vanzetti

A
  1. The evidence was tampered with
  2. They had a good reputation
  3. They both had eyewitness alibis from many people
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24
Q

What evidence pointed to Sacco and Vanzetti being guilty

A
  1. The bullet matched Sacco’s gun
  2. Vanzetti had a record of armed robbery
  3. They both lied when arrested (to cover their anarchist roots)
  4. Many eyewitnesses claimed it was them
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25
Q

Were Sacco and Vanzetti found guilty or not guilty

A

Guilty

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26
Q

What was the sentence of Sacco and Vanzetti

A

Death

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27
Q

What happened due to the trial of Sacco and Vanzetti

A
  1. Protests all over the world, especially in Italy
  2. Immigrants united in USA to raise $300k to help defend Sacco and Vanzetti
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28
Q

Were Sacco and Vanzetti actually guilty

A

Unknown and still debated

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29
Q

What were the Jim Crow Laws

A

A set of laws to segregate society

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30
Q

What percent of black peoples attended high school in the 1920s

A

1%

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31
Q

What sometimes happened to black southerners who were accused of a crime

A

They were lynched (hanged) by a white mob without a trial

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32
Q

How many black people were lynched in 1919

A

76

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33
Q

How many black people served in WW1 for USA

A

400k

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34
Q

What was the great migration

A

1.5 million black people moving from the south to the north in search of employment in factories and to escape racism

35
Q

By how much did the black population of Harlem (NYC) increase from 1919 to 1930

A

115k

36
Q

Why did black people who migrated north face problems from industrial white workers

A

The black workers were competing for the jobs of the white workers

37
Q

How many places experienced race riots in 1919

A

24

38
Q

How did racism affect black people

A
  1. Worse education - less job opportunities
  2. Less job security
  3. Worse living conditions and worse facilities
  4. White people tried to stop black people from voting
39
Q

What did the KKK believe in

A

White supremacy

40
Q

Which 1915 film catalysed the revival of the KKK

A

Birth of a Nation

41
Q

Which 1915 film catalysed the revival of the KKK

A

Birth of a Nation

42
Q

Who revived the KKK in 1915

A

William Simmons

43
Q

What did Simmons lay down as his core KKK values

A
  1. WASPS were the superior race and they needed to fight to survive
  2. Immigration should stop because it threatened the power of WASPS
  3. WASPS should have strong Christian Values
44
Q

How many members of the KKK were there in 1923

A

5 million

45
Q

What was the main demographic of the KKK in 1923

A

WASPS from the middle class

46
Q

What were the methods of the KKK (4)

A
  1. Violence (e.g. lynching)
  2. Controlling education (e.g. not teaching evolution)
  3. Protesting
  4. Boycotting businesses who’s owners did not agree with them
47
Q

When did the KKK decline start

A

1925

48
Q

How many KKK members were there in 1929

A

200k

49
Q

Why were the KKK so powerful

A

They had members who were politicians, policemen and judges

50
Q

What was the main religion in America

A

Protestant

51
Q

What was the Bible Belt

A

Southern and mid-western US states that have many people who believed fundamental Christian beliefs

52
Q

What were fundamentalists

A

People who believed everything in the bible was true e.g. Eve was created from Adam’s rib

53
Q

What were modernists

A

People who believed that bible stories needed to be reinterpreted because of modern discoveries e.g. evolution

54
Q

What was the Butler Act

A

It prohibited the teaching of evolution in schools

55
Q

Who broke the Butler Act

A

John Scopes

56
Q

Why was the monkey trial given its name

A

The trial became a debate between fundamentalist ideas like creation and modernist ideas like the theory of evolution

57
Q

Was Scopes found guilty and if so what was his punishment

A

Yes - $100 fine

58
Q

What were the effects of the monkey trial

A
  1. The butler act was not lifted until 1967 (limited impact)
  2. The trial helped the religious debate to get national attention
  3. The cause of fundamentalism was damaged and mocked by many
59
Q

Which amendment prohibited the manufacture, sale and transport of alcohol

A

Eighteenth

60
Q

What was the Volstead Act

A

A system set up to enforce the ban on alcohol

61
Q

What were some of the arguments used by those who were pro-prohibition

A
  1. Alcohol damaged society - led to unemployment and wasted wages as well as domestic violence
  2. It led to sinful behaviour
  3. It weakened the economy - drunk workers aren’t as productive as sober ones
  4. Problems were created for a country at war - grain was needed for food but was being used to make alcohol instead
62
Q

How did liver disease fall from 1911 to 1929

A

1911 - 29.5 per 100k
1929 - 10.7 per 100k

63
Q

What percent of the American population was pro-prohibition

A

40%

64
Q

How many bottles of alcohol were seized by 2 women in the 1920s and what were their names

A

5 million - Izzy Einstein and Moe Smith

65
Q

What were some of the problems with prohibition

A
  1. Breweries, farmers and saloon owners and workers suffered
  2. The government lost money from alcohol tax
  3. Alcohol was smuggled in from abroad
  4. People tried to make their own moonshine - homemade alcohol
  5. People tried to make medicinal or industrial alcohol drinkable
  6. Speakeasies were hidden places where you could get alcohol, hidden in the backs of shops, barbers etc
66
Q

How many people died from alcohol poisoning due to poor quality moonshine in 4 days in NYC

A

34

67
Q

How much did anti-prohibitionists claim that the government lost in alcohol tax from 1919-31

A

$11 billion

68
Q

Why was the prohibition law poorly enforced

A
  1. The budget was initially only $2 million
  2. Five states refused to comply
  3. American juries refused to convict law breakers
69
Q

What was a bootlegger

A

Someone who made or distributed alcohol illegaly

70
Q

Why did prohibition promote a rise in gangs and organised crime

A

Gangs operated to produce, smuggle and sell alcohol to ordinary people

71
Q

How much did Al Capone make per year at the height of his power

A

$105m

72
Q

Who was Al Capone

A

One of the most successful gang bosses during the prohibition era

73
Q

How was Al Capone brought down and when

A

He was found to have not paid $200k in taxes so he was arrested on charges of tax avoidance in 1931

74
Q

Why did the rise in gangs have a big effect on US cities (3, 2 with stats)

A
  1. They were extremely violent - 200 gang related murders by November 1924
  2. They controlled local politicians - the politicians relied on gangsters’ votes
  3. They turned ordinary citizens into criminals - residents in the South of Chicago produced 200 gallons of alcohol per day
75
Q

How did many gangs interact with prohibition officers

A

They bribed them - they were lowly paid so many accepted the bribes

76
Q

What was the alcohol consumption level in 1929 compared to 1914

A

70%

77
Q

How many speakeasies were there in NYC in 1929

A

32,000

78
Q

When did prohibition end

A

1933

79
Q

Why was prohibition lifted (6)

A
  1. Tax - government needed money due to depression
  2. Public opinion
  3. Policies of FDR
  4. Domestic industry
  5. Enforcement challenges
  6. Organised crime
80
Q

Summarise the first Red Scare

A
  1. Many Americans preferred immigrants from northern and Western Europe
  2. A number of laws were introduced in the 1920s to restrict immigration
  3. Some Americans feared communism and anarchism which led to the Palmer raids on suspected radicals
  4. Sacco and Vanzetti were tried (1921) and executed (1927) showing anti immigration attitudes in the US legal system
81
Q

Summarise the black experience in America in the 1920s

A
  1. Black Americans feared racist attitudes from some white Americans
  2. Segregation, violence and restrictions were all put on black people
  3. The KKK (persecutors of black people) rose in power
82
Q

Summarise the monkey trial

A
  1. American Protestants were divided between fundamentalists and modernists
  2. John Scopes was tried and fined for teaching Darwin’s Theory of Evolution in 1925 (modernist theory)
83
Q

Summarise prohibition

A
  1. Introduced in 1919
  2. Improved the health and productivity of Americans
  3. Many people did not comply
  4. It was enforced poorly
  5. Gangsters rose in power, making, transporting and selling alcohol illegally
  6. It was lifted in 1933