USA Unit 3 (0.4) Flashcards
What aroused fears of a new alien(communist) threat in 1917?
What movement alarmed many Americans?
What wave of unrest was there in 1919?
-The revolution in Russia 1917.
-Americans were also alarmed at the emergence of an American Communist movement, largely foreign born in membership.
-A wave of industrial unrest occured in 1919 widely interpreted as revolutionary.
What did the flow of immigrants create a feeling of?
1920 to 1921 how many people entered the USA?Where were they mostly from?
-Nativism.
-Between 1920-1921 800,000 people entered the USA.
-They mostly came from Eastern and Southern Europe.
What caused a rise in the KKK?
Where did the Klan concentrate its energies?
What were immigrants blamed for?
In 1920 what happened to Sacco and Vanzetti?
-Nativist concerns about immigration.
-KKK concentrated much of its energies in trying to limit immigration numbers.
-Immigrants were blamed for criminal activity.
-Sacco and Vanzetti were trialed by a hostile judge for armed robbery and murder, both sentenced to death. Many believe unjustly and based on ethnic origin.
What did nativism and a surge of immigration bring an end to in the US?
What law passed in 1921 marked this?
What was the % allowed for every nationality?
-Brought an end to 3 centuries of unlimited immigration.
-1921 Congress passed the Emergency Immigration Act. Restricting new arraivals to 3% of the foreign born of any nationality.
What was the 1924 Quota law? What purpose did it have?
-1924 Quota law reduced the number to 2% based on the 1890 census, which included fewer ‘new’ immigrants.
-The purpose was to tilt the balance in favour of immigrants from northern and western Europe, which was assigned 85% of the total. The law completely excluded people from Eastern Asia.
Did the 1924 Quota Act limit immigrants for the Americas ?
Who became the fastest growing ethnic minority?
-NO.
-Hispanics, chiefly Mexican and Puerto Rican.
Why did Mexicans arrive? Where did they settle? How were they treated?
What % of Mexican migrants constituted farm labour ?
-Mexicans mainly settled in California and the Southwest.
-By the 1920s, Mexican migrants constituted 75% of farm labour in the West.
-Farmers and growers treated Mexican workers almost as slaves, paying them extremerly low wages.
-Other Mexicans were found in growing cities like LA and Tucson.
-Most Mexican immigrants were men and moved back and fourth with their homeland.
What had Puerto Rico been for America since 1898?
What were Puerto Ricans granted in 1916?
What did the shift from cotton to coffee production create a demand for?
Where did Puerto Ricans settle in search for work?
-Puerto Rico was an American possession since 1898.
-Puerto Rican people were granted US citizenship in 1916.
-A surplus of labour.
-Many moved to places like NY in search for work.
What happened to second generation immigrants culturally? Why?
-How were Italian and Jewish immigrants recognised as?
-Many had assimilated to American culture.
-They attended American schools and mingled with older established Americans.
-Italian and Jewish immigrants although initially on a low social scale were perceived as ‘white’.
-They regarded themselves superior to blacks.
Why did Hispanic Americans find it harder to assimilate ? What were they officially regarded as?
-Although officially regarded as ‘white’ by the US federal census, Hispanics found it more difficult to assimilate because of the racism they faced/
-Many continued to live in their own communities as a cultural defence.
-They also found it harder because of the language barriers.
