USA - Changing Attitudes Flashcards
What was isolationism?
US policy of trying to stay out of foreign affairs.
Increased xenophobia (fear of outsiders).
isolationism stopped when the US joined the war.
Post War Legislation - American wanted to return back to isolationism when the war ended - refused to join the league of nations.
1921 Emergency quota Act - limited immigration coming in from Eastern and Southern Europe by managing entry. 4/5 migrants now came from Northern Europe.
1924 National Origins Act - Reducing Eastern Europe immigrants to 2% of the existing population of Eastern Europeans already in the US per year. (If there were 100 Eastern Europeans in America in 1890, then only 2 people from Eastern Europe could immigrant to the US in 1925).
The acts encouraged Americans to believe that immigration should also be reduced to help this policy, US wanted to protect native born Americans against immigrants.
However, the acts only limited Asian and Eastern European immigration and that the WASPs and Mexicans were still allowed to enter.
Fear of Revolution - What was the Russian Revolution?
1917-1918 : Under leadership of Vladimir Lenin, the Bolsheviks replaced Russia’s monarchy with the Worlds first communist state.
Russian Empire transformed into the USSR by 1924.
Lenin was destroying capitalism and replacing it with a socialist system where the huge gap between rich and poor would be closed.
Communist ideas are the exact opposite of what most Americans believe in - free enterprise, competition and hatred of government interference.
‘New Immigrants’ from Russia continued to arrive in big numbers following WW1, this created a fear that they were also bringing with them the politics of murder and revolution.
Americans alarmed by the pro-Russian learnings of new organisations.
Many Americans were terrified of a communist revolution in the USA - transformed quickly into a post war ‘RED SCARE’.
Since almost all New Immigrants had left non-democratic societies, native-born Americans feared they were a threat to the constitution of the American public. Journalist Kenneth Roberts believed that even moderate Socialists had to be regarded with suspicion.
Almost traditional fear of communism. This led to further intolerance and suspicion towards immigrants and convinced many Americans to demand that action be taken to stop the flow of revolutionaries.
However, it is estimated that there were around 150,000 anarchists or communists in the USA in 1920 which represented only 0.1% of the population.
A journalist said “whole lot were about as dangerous as a flea on an elephant”
Fear of Revolution - What was the Strikes?
A series of strikes seemed to confirm the threat. They led many to believe that a revolution was near.
21st Jan 1919, 35,000 shipyard workers in Seattle went on strike. By February, increased to 60,000.
No violence or arrests but the strikers were still labelled as ‘Reds’ and charged with trying to encourage revolution. Many strikers were unskilled or semi-skilled and from Southern and Eastern Europe.
Mayor blamed the Wobblies, violent strikes and riots soon followed in other industries.
Press reported these strikes were “conspiracies against the government” and “plots to establish Communism” further creating the idea of a ‘RED SCARE’.
September 9th 1919, Boston police force went on strike. A panic that ‘Reds’ were behind the strike. Police called ‘agents of Lenin’.
September 13th, Police Commissioner announced striking policemen would not be allowed to return and that the city would hire a new police force. Ending the strike.
A scapegoat needed and the blame was on recent immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe, who were seen with the growth of Communism, attempts to overthrow the US government and the occasional high profile attack on prominent Americans such as John Rockefeller.
These strikes increased fear of revolution and therefore increased hostility towards immigrants.
Fear of Revolution - What was the Palmer Raids?
April 1919, police authorities discovered a plot for mailing 36 bombs to prominent officials.
June 2nd 1919, eight cities, 8 bombs exploded in same hour.
One target was Washington DC house Attorney General Palmer.
Palmer went out to hunt down all revolutionaries In order to achieve, he set up the GENERAL INTELLIGENCE DIVISION. He said America needed to cleanse itself of “foreign-born subversives and agitators.
1st January 1920, 6000 ‘aliens’ were rounded up and imprisoned or expelled from the country.
Many were detained without formal arrest.
5 elected members of the New York state assembly were prevented from taking their seats.
This was followed in other states when an anarchist bomb exploded in Wall Street in September 1920 - carried out by Italians, 38 killed. State government panicked and began more purges of immigrants/communists/anarchists.
Immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe were used as Scapegoats and blamed for the growth of communism.
Paranoia of American authorities increased and therefore increased hostile attitudes towards immigrants.
Palmer Raids showed that WASP America felt threatened by the arrival of new political ideas and showed how they attempted to isolated themselves.
However, the Communist threat was greatly exaggerated, the palmer raids led to the discovery of just three guns. Most arrested had to be let go due to lack of evidence.
Most of the 6000 were respectable citizens, but nonetheless the fear of communist immigrants heightened tension and led to increased calls for immigration restriction.
Prejudice and Racism - What is Old vs New Immigrants?
Old immigrants - had assimilated well into American society and saw themselves as ‘natives’.
New immigrants - Kept their cultures and religions
Emergency Immigration Act 1921 - Quota Act was designed to restrict new immigrants.
This law imposed an annual limit on immigration and limiting to 3% of the number of nationals from that country who were living in the USA in 1911.
This favoured immigrants from ‘Old Immigrant’ countries and kept out ‘New Immigrants’.
National Origins Act 1924 - Extended the 1921 act. The proportion from each country was lowered to 2% based on the sizes of national groups.
1929 only 120,000 immigrants a year were allowed into the USA and 85% of all places were reserved for Northern and Western Europe
So?
WASPs not happy as they feared that their culture would be replaced. Legislation reflected these fears.
Dillingham Commission formalised and gave weight to the argument that immigration should be restricted.
The acts proved that its not necessarily the number of immigrants, but where they came from.
Prejudice and Racism - What was the Dillingham Commission 1907?
Since the 1880s, most immigrants came from Southern and Eastern Europe.
Commission thought these immigrants were inferior compared to WASP immigrants.
Recommended a literacy test to be taken to make it harder for ‘inferior’ immigrants to get into the USA.
They had to show they could write in English or another language (not their own!)
The commissions findings provided the rationale inspired immigration restriction acts of 1920, which favoured immigration from Northern and western Europe.
Prejudice and Racism - What was Religious Differences?
The USA had been almost exclusively Protestant but the number of Catholics exceeded 3 million which was one tenth of the population.
A proportion of immigrants were Roman Catholic - Irish, Italians and Hispanics.
Irish immigrants confronted with demeaning stereotypes and WASPs were commonly assumed that the Irish were ignorant and filthy.
1913 : 1.25 million Jews were nicknamed ‘Kikes’.
Hostility was directed at Jews because many became successful.
Henry Ford bought a newspaper and used it as a vehicle for attacking Jews - blamed Jews for everything (Bolshevik Revolution and bootlegged liquor). Jews accused of conspiring to enslave Christianity and destroy the “Anglo-Saxon” way of life.
Jews suffered discrimination in employment and became targets for the KKK.
WASPs saw themselves as better than the ‘new’ immigrants and wanted to control the numbers of ‘new’ immigrants coming to the country.
Press added to this prejudice by fuelling fears that new immigrants were threatening the American ‘way of life’, Americans began to call immigrant restrictions.
Proves it was not the increased numbers but the changing nature of immigrants which led to calls for tighter controls.
However, evidence towards immigration was not a new thing and this was evidence in the restrictions introduced such as the Federal Immigration Act of 1882.
Prejudice and Racism - What was Growth of Nativism?
Nativism and Eugenics - High levels of immigration increased the WASPs sense of superiority and their determination to maintain racial “purity”. 100% American movement.
Some politicians claimed to have ‘scientific’ evidence (eugenics) that new immigrants from Southern Europe were racially inferior.
Woodrow Wilson compared the ‘men of the sturdy stock of the north of Europe’ with the ‘more sordid and hopeless elements.’
They were afraid that new immigrants would destroy American culture and activities were pledged to protect the purity of the American ideal.
The KKK - Reformed in Georgia in 1915.
The KKK appealed to the WASPs who believed that their dream of America was about to be shattered.
By 1924, KKK were openly parading.
The Klan’s appeal spread from the south to the western and northern states, where Catholics and Jews, as well as blacks became the target of their threats.
1922-1939 : Imperial Wizard of the KKK spoke out against the “vast horde of Immigrants who have reached our shores … Italian immigrants , Irish Catholics, Russian Jews, Finns, Letts, Lithuanians of the lowest class”.
Impact - Bigotry, prejudice and racism gave rise to the soon to be passed anti-immigration legislation.
These groups are a real reflection of the extent of anti-alienism in the USA at the time.
Social Fears - What was Slums and Drunkenness?
Migration patterns - majority of immigrants settled in four large cities (Chicago, Boston, Pittsburgh and New York).
These immigrant “enclaves” became names such as Little Italy, Irishtown and Chinatown.
They wanted to be close to other people who spoke their language and felt safer around communities who kept traditions of their home countries.
They had own shops selling their own food, own entertainment and sometimes own schools.
Slums - They had low wages and could only afford the cheapest housing in the worst areas.
Sometimes 10 or 12 people had to live in one room.
They were dark, damp and filthy with no sanitation, water and no toilets or drains. Rubbish and sewage thrown out into the streets.
However landlords could still put rents up due to the high competition which resulted in natives becoming hostile towards immigrants.
Drunkenness - Some Natives despised the lifestyle of immigrant groups.
Especially Germans and Italians who’s traditions involved what seemed to be big consumption of alcohol.
This offended native immigrants.
Puritans saw their Sabbaths ignored by drunken Irish navvies fighting, swearing and gambling.
They regarded the immigrants as lower class.
Impacts of Fears - Immigrants blamed for the poor conditions and overcrowding, in reality it was the responsibility of the city authorities.
Resentment towards immigrants would have encouraged WASPs to push for stricter legislation to reduce the social is ‘caused’ by immigrants.
Social Fears - What was Crime : Sacco and Vanzetti?
Statistics showed that high crime rates in neighbourhoods with high population of immigrants was proof of the bad influence immigration was having on the environment.
Around 17,300 people were arrested in New York in 1858
Around 14,600 were foreigners, around 10,400 of these were Irish.
Italians thought to be connected to the mafia and high profile gangsters like AI Capone seemed to confirm this image.
May 5th 1920, Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti (Italian Immigrants), were arrested and charged with murdering two men. They were anarchists, draft dodgers, spoke no English, but were found carrying guns. Lawyer put forward that they were elsewhere when the robbery took place - 107 witnesses said they had seem them elsewhere and claimed they were being mistreated for their beliefs.
Little concrete evidence against them. The Judge called them “those anarchists bastards” and they were found guilty and sentenced to death in the chair. Many people believed they were innocent and despite serious doubts and a massive worldwide campaign, they were executed in 1927.
This shows preconceived judgements about people of a certain nationality.
The two men shocked many people and riots followed in Paris, Geneva and Berlin.
However many in rural America supported the executions. They were coming to believe that the cities were filling with ‘foreigners’ and overthrow the American way of life.
Many Americans viewed immigrant communities with disdain and suspicion and started to believe immigrants were contributing to increased levels of crime, fuelled by high profiling cases and this led to calls for restricted immigration.
Economic Fears - What was Job competition?
After war, unemployment went from 5.2% to 11.7% by 1921.
Employers payed immigrant workers less because they were desperate for work and willing to accept lower wages than WASP workers.
WASPs believed they were being deprived of work or forced to accept lower wages because of cheap immigrant labour.
There was increased anger towards the endless pool of cheap labouring immigrants and blamed for “stealing jobs”.
When wages were low and work was difficult to find, immigrants were used as scapegoats for unemployment and reduced availability of work.
Economic Fears - What was Accepting Poor Conditions?
Unskilled and desperate - Many immigrants were unskilled and therefor set to long hours, low pay and harsh working conditions as they were desperate for work.
Trade Union perspective - Trade Unions believed that any positives they achieved (working conditions and wages) was wrecked by Italian or Polish workers who would work longer hours for less money. Backed the idea of a literacy test believing that many unskilled workers would be denied entry into USA.
Impact - Employers would not negotiate with trade unions because there was a of wealth of workers would would accept current pay and condition.
The acceptance angered poor, native-born Americans who believed abundance of immigrant labour kept wages low, condemned them to poverty and terrible conditions.
Social Fears - What was Strike Breakers?
Many strikes in 1919 across the USA as emerging trade unions fought for better wages, shorter working hours and better conditions.
Trade unions trying to get better working conditions for their members by striking. Employers were able to break these strikes by employing immigrant workers to replace the strikers.
They had no bargaining power when employers knew they could use cheap immigrants to break their strikes.
Therefore Immigrants gained reputation of ‘strike-breakers’ or ‘black legs’ - caused huge irritation and increased the desire to stop immigrants coming into the country.
When immigrants were used as strike breakers it made many Americans worry about their own economic situation.
