USA 1919-41 (Depth study)

Question 1

Motives for Isolationism: I.M.A.G.E

Answer 1

Isolationism - wanted to be separate from Europe and ‘old world’

Money - worries about cost of league (taxes, losing trade)

American soldiers - 100,000 dead in WW1

German immigrants - Hated treaty of Versailles as much as in Germany

Empires - America didn’t want to be part of League that upheld empires

Question 2

Why did they want to stop immigration?

Answer 2

1: Prejudice - many immigrants were poor Catholics and Jews which worried WASPS

2: Red Scare - terrified of Communism. number of bombs planted, one by Italian. Immigrants were accused of being communists and anarchists

3: trade unions - fears immigrants would take jobs

Question 3

How did they restrict immigration?

Answer 3

1. Immigration law (1917) - required immigrants to prove they could read English, banned immigrants from Asia, charged fee of $8
2. Emergency Quota Act (1921) - number of immigrants from eastern hemisphere couldn’t be more than 3% of number already in US in 1910. Set max number of immigrants in any year to 357,000
3. Reed-Johnson Act (1924) - max number of immigrants at 154,000. Eastern hemisphere quota reduced to 2%.

Question 4

How did they attempt to Americanise Immigrants?

Answer 4

• Federal Bureau of Naturalization organised naturalisation proceedings, eg Americanisation Day

• Federal Bureau of Education organised politics courses to prepare immigrants on Citizenship exam

• courts clamped down on political crimes by immigrants —> link to Sacco + Vanzetti