Fear Of Radicals In The 1920's

The 1920’s was a marvelous era filled with innovative music, literature, fashion, and inventions. However, despite all the good that was being created, Americans also developed a fear of radicals that posed a threat to the nation. This fear, called the Red Scare, took ahold of the United States for a brief period of time from 1919 to 1920. The fear of anarchists and communists spread across the nation and caused difficulty for immigrants. These radicals were being deported daily for the causing or planning of riots and rebellions. People suspected of anarchism or communism were raided often and typically unfairly. The majority of the people seen as radicals were foreigners like Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti. On August 23rd, 1927, these

A string of robberies had recently been committed so authorities were on alert for the criminals responsible. “The police trap they had fallen into had been set for a comrade of theirs, suspected primarily because he was a foreign-born radical” (Cap). From the beginning the police showed a bias against foreigners. The men were not originally under suspicion, but at the time of the police trap they were carrying guns and lied when questioned by the authorities. With police in a rush to calm the public and Sacco and Vanzetti’s false statements, the police jumped to conclusions and forced the connection of their friend and the robbery onto the two men. “Vanzetti--despite having no previous criminal record--is indicted for the Bridgewater hold-up. He is quickly brought to trial, convicted, and sentenced to the maximum sentence of 12 to 15 years by Judge Thayer”

“They were brought into court with manacles and handcuffs and tried in a steel cage”, which gave them an image of being malicious and criminal (Cap). The judge of their case, Judge Webster Thayer, was harshly unfair. Each motion was ruled on and each motion was rejected by him, who was also the same judge that had previously severely sentenced Vanzetti for the first robbery. “Presented in these motions were evidence of perjury by prosecution witnesses, of illegal activities by the police and the federal authorities, a confession to the Braintree crimes by convicted bank robber Celestino Madeiros, and powerful evidence that identified the gang involved in the Braintree affair as the notorious Morelli Gang.” (Cap) These recanted witness testimonies , conflicting evidence on the ballistics of the guns used in the armed robbery and murder, a clearly prejudicial statement made by a juror prior to the trial, and a confession to the robbery from a man unrelated to Sacco and Vanzetti caused increasing controversy. Judge Thayer’s misconduct was so blatantly obvious that he even ruled on a motion where he had accused his own self of judicial prejudice. His self-accusation of bias brings all of his rulings during the trials and appeals into question, yet it was still insufficient in bringing about a new trial for Nicola Sacco and