USA in the 1920s COMP Flashcards
How many people immigrated to America by 1900?
9 million people immigrated to America by the 1900s
Where did the original settlers in the 1600s come from?
The original settlers of America came from Northern and Western Europe.
Why did people immigrate to America?
Escape poverty, persecution, religious freedom, equality, opportunities.
What did having an ‘open door policy’ mean?
It meant that anyone and everyone was allowed into America from anywhere in the world.
What was the ‘melting pot’?
It means that people from different backgrounds all lived together and followed the same American culture.
What was the ‘melting pot’ made up of?
White Americans, black Americans, Native Americans, Hispanics and Asians.
What was the Literacy test?
Everyone had to pass a reading and writing test, otherwise, they were refused entry into America.
Why was the Literacy test a problem for many immigrants?
Many poorer immigrants, mostly from Eastern Europe, had never received an education.
What year did they start doing literacy tests for immigrants
1917
What was the Emergency Quota act?
Only 357,000 immigrants were allowed in each year.
In addition, only 3% of the amount of people from this country in America in that year would be let in. For example, if there were 10,000 Russians in America, only 300 more could come.
What year was the Emergency Quota act?
1921
What was the National origins act?
Only 150,000 immigrants were to be let in each year and the quota was reduced to 2%. Immigrants from Asia were banned.
What year was the National Origins Act?
1924
Who organised the Palmer Raids?`
A Mitchell Palmer - Attorney General for the President - Woodrow Wilson.
What was the Red Scare?
The fear of communism.
Why did Palmer want to arrest communists?
A bomb was put outside his house and communists were blamed - he thought they were going to overthrow the government.
How many people were arrested in the Palmer raids?
6,000
What had happened in the Palmer raids by 1919?
10,000 people had been arrested and 248 deported.
Who are Sacco and Vanzetti?
Two Italian immigrants - they both support Galleani, an Italian anarchist, and Vanzetti had been convicted of an armed robbery in 1919
What were Sacco and Vanzetti accused of?
April 5th 1920 - two people died after a shootout and $15,776 was taken. 61 people connected Sacco and Vanzetti to the crime,
When were Sacco and Vanzetti arrested?
May 5th 1920 - They were both carrying guns as they were arrested and Sacco’s pistol was connected with the crime.
What happened at Sacco and Vanzetti’s trial?
It began in May 1921 and lasted 45 days. On the 14th July, they were found guilty and all other attempts failed, their last appeal being in 1927.
When were Sacco and Vanzetti executed?
24th August 1927 - electric chairs.
How was the system of reservations different to how the Native Americans lived before?
- Bad quality land
- Starvation
- They couldn’t leave
How did the 1924 Indian Citizenship act change Native Americans’ lives?
Before civil war - you could vote if you were only half Native American
1888 - Native women could vote if they were married to citizens
1919 - Native veterans could vote
1924 - All Native Americans could vote
How did assimilation change Native Americans’ lives?
Many became farmers - They had to embrace the Christian religion and culture - no polygamy
Why was education important in changing Native American life?
Children were sent to boarding schools where they learnt about Christianity and the bible, maths and English.
What did the 1928 Meriam report say?
Boarding schools were too strict and underfunded.
They were then taught a mixture of the two cultures.
What was the 1920s eugenics project?
Native American women were sterilised in the hope that the Native Americans were die off.
What were the Jim Crow laws?
Laws made by the South to limit black freedom
What was the Great migration?
Black Americans moved from the South of America to the North.
How many black people moved from the South to the North?
Between 1916 and 1920 - 1 million Black Americans lest the South.
Who was Paul Robeson?
He was a black man who lived in America at a time of great racial segregation but he was a trained lawyer so had a good education, and he became a famous actor.
Who was Countee Cullen?
He was a black man who lived in America at a time of great racial segregation but still managed to go a good school and get a good education.
Who was William Dubois?
He was a black man who lived in America at a time of great racial segregation. He set up the NAACP, which had 90,000 members by 1919, and MLK was a member.
Who was Marcus Garvey?
He was a black man who lived in America at a time of great racial segregation. He formed the UNIA in 1914 and influenced over 250,000 people.
Why did so many people join the KKK?
- The Birth of a Nation
- Politicians afraid of losing votes
- peaked in 1924 with 5 million members
- promoted WASPs
- attacked black people, Jews, Communists, Catholics
- Stephenson tried to use his klan influence to avoid conviction for rape and murder.
What did the KKK do to their victims?
Boycott businesses, Burning crosses outside houses, whipped people, used bombs, forced people to sell land.
What are religious fundamentalists?
People who are very strict about their religion and choose to interpret their holy texts very literally.
