The First Red Scare (1917-1920)

Question 1

WW1 Suspicion of Immigrants

Answer 1

• During WW1, surge of patriotism, new hostility to ‘unreliable foreign elements’
• Fear of revolution
• Idea of ‘Nativist’ American citizens became more prominent, particularly with the rise of the KKK
• Demands to test the loyalty of new citizens

Question 2

The Russian Revolution & Red Scare

Answer 2

• 1918-1919: Communist revolutions broke out in Berlin, Munich and Hungary
• Fear of communism spread by immigrants from Central/Eastern Europe aroused suspicion in the US
• Led to the Red Scare - intense fear of possible revolution
• Fear of all left-wing movements, e.g. anarchism, pacifists, militant trade unions
• Particular suspicion of German Americans and recent immigrants from Russia and Eastern Europe

Question 3

The Sedition Act (1918)

Answer 3

• Passed in May 1918
• More than 1,500 prosecutions were carried out with 2/3 of them resulting in convictions
• Many Americans protested against the erosion of civil liberties but majority of public opinion favoured the patriotic nationalism

Question 4

Boston Police Strike (1919)

Answer 4

• 1919: Wave of strikes involving more than 4 million workers
• Boston Police Strike, 75% of the police officers went on strike, mostly Irish Americans
• One of their demands was the right to join a trade union
• Public opinion mostly supported authorities
• Future president, Calvin Coolidge, became widely popular for breaking up the Boston Police Strike

Question 5

Bombing Campaigns (1919)

Answer 5

• Fears of revolution were heightened by a wave of bombings in April and May 1919
• Bombs were sent in packages to many public figures
• Caused a public outcry
• Big industrial strikes prompted the start of the Palmer Raids

Question 6

US Attorney Palmer & Palmer Raids (1919)

Answer 6

• Most prominent fighter of the ‘Red Scare’ was Attorney General Mitchell Palmer
• Though taking tough action against the ‘Red Scare’ would help his political career
• Palmer was genuinely convinced that anarchist/communist threat was real
• Agents under Palmer’s justice Department, raided the offices of ‘radical organisations’ in 12 cities across the US
• Documents were seized, suspects were arrested
• Palmer Raids continued in January 1920
• 33 cities closed down all known Communist Party offices across the US
• Raids coordinated by Assistant Director Bureau of Investigations, J. Edgar Hoover

Question 7

The ‘Red Ark’ & ‘Red Flag’ Laws

Answer 7

• December 1919: 249 ‘radicals’ were deported back to Europe on the ‘Red Ark’
• A high-profile individual regarded with suspicion was radical feminist, anarchist and pacifist, Emma Goldman
• Goldman was deported to Russia on the ‘Red Ark’
• Many cities passed ‘Red Flag’ laws
• Laws banned left-wing insignia and symbols

Question 8

End of the Red Scare (1920)

Answer 8

• Red Scare lost momentum during 1920
• Protests against the violation of people’s rights
• Supreme Court ruled that the evidence collected during the Palmer Raids was illegal, couldn’t be used in trials
• Mitchell Palmer tried to revive the Red Scare by predicting that communist revolution would happen in the US on May Day in 1920
• No revolution happened, Palmer lost all his credibility