Unit 3: Hostility towards immigrants (1)

Question 1

What was the dominant ethnic group in America up until the 1880s?

Answer 1

WASPs

Question 2

What does WASP stand for?

Answer 2

White Anglo-Saxon Protestant

Question 3

Why did the superior WASPs pass laws to decrease immigration?

Answer 3

Because they feared the mass influx of new immigrants from Europe.

Question 4

Who did the WASPs believe initiated the 1919 strikes and how did they react?

Answer 4

The communists and they used European immigrants as scapegoats.

Question 5

How many people were involved in the 1919 strikes and why did this stir fear amongst the wasps?

Answer 5

4,000,000. Because the WASPs feared revolution.

Question 6

John Higham (fear of revolution)…

Answer 6

“Never before had anti-radical nativism stirred the public mind so profoundly.”

Question 7

Bar communism, what else did the Americans fear?

Answer 7

That anarchists would use violence to protest.

Question 8

Give an example of American paranoia regarding anarchism (Victimisation)…

Answer 8

Sacco and Vanzetti were sentenced to death with no sufficient evidence.

Question 9

How did this victimisation/paranoia backlash against the Gov.?

Answer 9

Because unjust victimisation caused people to oppose the Gov.

Question 10

Give an example of anarchist violence that stirred fear amongst Americans…

Answer 10

The Haymarket Affair, and several other bombings.

Question 11

What did the increase of new immigrants cause American nativists to demand?

Answer 11

They called for the ‘Protection of American Purity’

Question 12

What were the real motives of this call for the ‘Protection of American Purity’?

Answer 12

Prejudice and racism.

Question 13

What did this call for purity show about the WASPs?

Answer 13

They were threatened by the changing nature of America and the mass flood of inferiors.

Question 14

Alan Kraut (threatened WASPs)

Answer 14

“Nativism was the response of those Americans who regarded themselves as an endangered species and were prepared to be ruthless in their own self-defence.”

Question 15

How did the start of WW1 change how Americans looked at some immigrants?

Answer 15

Because it created tensions between Americans and groups such as Germans and Austrians.

Question 16

What was introduced in 1917 as result of WW1, decreasing the influx of immigrants from Europe?

Answer 16

A literacy test for immigrants upon arrival.

Question 17

John Higham (Germany)…

Answer 17

“The struggle with Germany called for the most strenuous nationalism…”

Question 18

What did the war encourage amongst Americans?

Answer 18

100% Americanism, conformity/national loyalty.

Question 19

How did the immigrants appear to Americans?

Answer 19

Malnourished, frightening, ragged, deformed, dressed traditionally, spoke little English.

Question 20

Why was the appearance of immigrants an issue?

Answer 20

It showed a lack of conformity and a vague threat to society.

Question 21

John Higham (inferiority)

Answer 21

“By Western European standards, the masses of Southern and Eastern Europe were educationally deficient, socially backward and bizarre in appearance.”

Question 22

What did Americans typically associate immigrants with?

Answer 22

Crime and poor housing.

Question 23

What commonalities were found between areas abundant in immigrants and crime rates?

Answer 23

Crime rates were greatly higher in areas of immigrants.

Question 24

How was this correlation of crime and immigration less successful?

Answer 24

Because most of the immigrant arrests were for petty crimes and many arrests were motivated by racial prejudice.