Nativism Flashcards
Attitudes changing
California Workingmen’s Party supported white workers.
US immigrants had done a lot for their prosperity
Nation began a change of mood - dislike of immigrants.
Strong in 1920s because it was reflected in federal legislation
Immigration policy
Traditionally open door, welcomed immigrants
1882 Chinese Exclusion Act, banned for 10 years. Made permanent in 1902, Californian residents saw them as undermining their job opportunities.
Immigration-oriented legislation
1917 literacy test
1921 first immigration quota system: restricts number & type. Uses national census of 1910 and calculates total number of each group then 3% of that. Also a capped total of 375,000
1924 Johnson-Reed Immigration Act reduces it to 2%, uses 1890 census and total cap is 150,000
End of quota was august - ships would line up 2 miles long at midnight and race to get there first
New wave of immigration
Traditionally British / Western Europe - white, Protestant
New wave - S & E european, Mediterranean, Jewish, Catholic
Couldn’t read or speak English
-> questioning what it meant to be American
Pseudo science
Justified with pseudo science and scientific racism e.g. Madison Grant’s ‘The Passing of the Great Race’ 1916 which said that America was committing race suicide. Need to rid themselves of inferior races that are diluting America’s strength. Was in the Times bestseller list.
Nativism
A product of many things: pseudo science, labour relations due to WWI
4 million drafted into service, vast majority returned to civil life and found America had changed.
Costs had gone up: food 84%, US Bureau of Labor Statistics 1924 Bulletin - cost of living up 99%
Returning soldiers couldn’t find jobs or support families - found a scapegoat
Organised labour
Made huge gains during the war
AFL (American Federation of Labour) - equivalent of trade union congress. Grew in strength, 500,000 to 4 million by 1919
Bosses had gained power, in better positions after the war as their factories had helped the war effort
-> tension between who has more power as both had grown in strength
Communism and Organised Labour
Workers power magnified by communism
Communist Party of USA established 1919 - foreign born immigrants joined, 75% Eastern European and majority of the rest were Russian.
Communism linked to immigration through this
Strengthened by labour strikes - problem of higher cost of living and fewer opportunities. 3,600 strikes.
1919-21 first red scare because of the amount of strikes and people’s opposition to it
Fighting Quaker
Attorney General A. Mitchell ‘The Fighting Quaker’ Palmer
Used legislation from the war to crack down on leftist labour strikes after the war
1917 Espionage Act
1918 Sedition Act incl the power to “deport aliens who were anarchists”
The Palmer Raids - arrested immigrants and deported them
Significant in showing their growing fears & a drive for 100% Americanism
100% Americanism
5 May 1920 Sacco and Vanzetti arrested for murder and robbery. Judge allowed their background as immigrants to be discussed -“those anarchist bastards” - judge not being impartial
Trail characterised by nativism
Sent to the electric chair 1927
Audio 28
The Ku Klux Klan
Whites trying to maintain political control of newly freed blacks and politicians trying to gain control over changes being made by reconstruction - this was KKK before.
Re-emerged 1915 by William Joseph Simmons, called it the “New Klan”.
By mid 1920s had 4 million members although declined after that .
Differences of the New Klan
More widespread than before, exclusively southern before.
Reconstruction era focused on African Americans whereas this focused on all who were not white Anglo Saxon Protestants.
Mainstream organisation that represented middle America.
National Conventions stopped either party standing on anti-Klan platforms
1923 Oklahoma put under law because of klan activity
Protected - gave them contacts, customers etc
Fitted a time where there was a desire for a clean pure america
1920 two PR officials brought in to modernise - women’s klans, media campaigns etc
Klan summed up the tensions of the time
