Cortland’s Red Scare: Immigration, Radicalism, and Civil Liberties in the Post World War I Period mmlBy Doctor Randi Storch President George W. Bush stated after the 9/11 attacks, “You’re either with us, or you’re with the terrorists.” This declaration of war against terrorism was not a new policy. This radical ideology can be traced back to after World War I. Author of Working Hard for the American Dream, Dr. Randi Storch, offers an illustration that transcends back to the earlier years of what is defined as the “American Century”.
This particular case involved the question of whether or not these two men were given a fair trial for being convicted of robbery and murder. More specifically, “two Italian immigrants named Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were arrested in connection with the shooting” (Sacco-Vanzetti Case 2) of a paymaster of a shoe factory near Boston. Unfortunately, both men were victims of the anti-immigrant feeling of many Americans in 1920. The fact that the jury may have been racist against these immigrants proved that this case “was not just a travesty for two men on the outskirts of society, but a miscarriage of justice that affected all Americans” (Sacco-Vanzetti Case 8). Additionally, the outcome of the case illustrated the prejudicial atmosphere that was present in 1920.
In a news article published during the Red Scare, the author describes the Communist red flag as symbolizing “defiance of law, order, and constitutional government. It is an insult to the stars and stripes.” It also states, “There is no room in this country for any flag but our own.” (source) The article goes on to say that the federal government must do whatever it takes to eradicate any forms of communism.
Lastly, unlike the period of 1840s-50s in the period of 1910s-20s Americans were afraid immigrants were bringing ideas of communism into the country and threatening the safety of democracy. The red scare in 1919-20 resulted in a nationwide crusade against left-wingers whose Americanism was suspicious. Numerous states joined in the outcry against radicals. The case of Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, the court may have discriminated against them because they were
Austin Storie Mrs. Call American Literature January 31, 2016 Red Scare: The Era of Mass Hysteria Imagine being disowned from your family, losing your job, and facing jail time over an untrue rumor. That situation may seem farfetched, but it was a reality for some during the Red Scare. While government action during the Red Scare was intended to protect democracy, it did more harm than good.
A major political issue of the 1950’s could be the Second Red Scare. This scare was brought on by the tremendous power of the communist in the awakening of the Second World War. Many people in the U.S were in great scare that the allies of the Soviet Union were going to try and spread a big growth of communism all around. This was overthrowing both democratic and capitalist institutions because of its great power. With the Soviet Union pretty much taking over a lot, the U.S fears declared this as communist expansionism.
After the ending of the World War II, that’s when the Cold war started to begin. The Cold War affected the politics and also society of the United States by making it physically stronger and they wanted to have their own sense of power and also wanted control over everything. All the presidents during the Cold War were given an enemy. These enemy’s that were given to the presidents were someone whom could allow them some sort of control in which they wanted in the first place. That’s where they came up with the phrase “evil Communists”.
The First way the Red Scare affected the United States is by it hurting the people of the United States. When the Red
President and Hunter of Vampires Abraham Lincoln influenced many americans while he was the President of the United States, either by the way he ended slavery with the Emancipation Proclamation or by the way he hunted vampires. Abraham Lincoln was a great man and always did things that he thought was best for this great nation, sadly, some of these events led up to the tragic evening of April 14, 1865. The life of Abraham Lincoln growing up, his life as president, the life of John Wilkes Booth up to his death, and the sad tragedy of the assassination of Lincoln. In a log cabin on February 12, 1802, in Hodgenville, Kentucky, one of America’s greatest heroes was born.
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.
After World War I, America had come across some terror attacks which contributed to the Red Scare and also prompted A. Mitchell Palmer to initiate a campaign that “...targeted men and women who harbored ideas that Palmer believed could lead to violence, even though the individuals may not have done anything illegal. ”(Roark, Pg.738). In his campaign he was determined to find and convict radical immigrants who held “revolutionary conspiracies”(Roark, Pg.738), in order to enforce the American way of life. In Palmer’s eyes, in order to prevent crime in America “...there could be no nice distinctions drawn between the theoretical ideals of the radicals and their actual violations of our national laws. ”(Doc.17, Pg.66), which resulted in the “...500 noncitizen suspects deported.
In 1920s, American Society was in in a stage of radicalism. Coming after the ended of World War I, society took all the blame on foreigners and immigrants. Minority group and immigrant was targeted to committing crimes and law did not protect their rights. Incidents and bias in Justice system have also caught the awareness of labor organizations. Congress sparked off a great debate on whether immigrants should be reduce and limited.
This extreme violence was not too out of line with the racial attitudes of the time, which is evidenced by the federal government’s failure to ban lynching, the KKK’s preferred method of execution. Anti-immigrant hysteria was also widespread during the “Red Scare” of 1919-1920. During this time communism was demonised and the National Origins Act (1924) was passed to prevent Eastern Europeans and Asians from entering the country . This discrimination conflicts with America’s modern values of equality and tolerance in term of race, religion and political beliefs. Therefore, the 1920’s were not a time of positive change due to the rampant racist and anti-communist
During the late 1940s and early 1950s, the peak of the Cold War, communist ideologies began the spread from Russia, known as the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic, into parts of Asia such as China, Vietnam, and Korea. Thus starting a nation wide hysteria in the United States of America known as The Red Scare which created an intense political stand-off most notably between the Soviet Union and the United States. To combat the spread of socialist ideals in America, the government turned to using propaganda through a variety media to help promote an anti-socialist and pro-capitalist mindset. For communist ideas to flourish, socialist establishments also utilized propaganda. However, there is a problem that arises.
1. The Red Scare, the fear of the spread of communism and possible communist control of the U.S. government, had lasting effects on immigration views and foreign policy at the time. It’s presence became prominent in 1917 during World War I and lasted for several decades. This fear of communism resulted in more negative opinions concerning immigration, and nativists of the time stated several causes as their justifications. Some arguments stated that immigrants lowered minimum wage due to the excess of foreign workers seeking jobs, and even that “America 's racial stock was being overrun by undesirable ethnicities” (“Intolerance”). Several changes were made to slow down immigration due to this fear of communism spreading inside America.
