How do Attitudes Towards Immigrants, Blacks, and Other Minorities Reflect the Intolerance of the Decade?
Attitudes towards "true non-Americans" were apparent during the Roaring Twenties as organizations such as the KKK and ideas such as the Red Scare forced immigrants to hold a fear of America. The intolerance therefore was rampant and tried to succeed in its goal to "return to normalcy", in Warren Harding's terms.
How Does the Nostalgia and Attitudes From the Past Conflict with Modern Ideas of the Decade?
There are many tensions between the old ideas versus the new ideas, and that is due to World War I increasing isolationism and a boosted economy that made America divided on topics such as fundamentalism vs. evolution.
Immigration Restriction and Nativism
Before World War I, immigration was opposed to and railroads and steamship companies promoted immigration. However, World War I showed America that their economy can function without foreign immigrants. People started fearing that the rush of unskilled immigrants may decrease the wages of "true Americans". Also, many businesses feared foreign radicals harming the market.
The general population agreed to immigration restriction and decided on an immigrant quota. The people decided to make the quotas proportional to the current population in America for each ethnic group. This would ensure that the ratios would not alter in the future.
Nativism was very prevalent during this time. When World War I ended, many people were disillusioned and adopted isolationism. America had desired more "Americanism" and denounced "un-American" ideals and ended diplomatic ties to foreign countries. This would be disastrous for the ethnic groups in America (especially the Blacks, Jews, and Catholics).
The general population agreed to immigration restriction and decided on an immigrant quota. The people decided to make the quotas proportional to the current population in America for each ethnic group. This would ensure that the ratios would not alter in the future.
Nativism was very prevalent during this time. When World War I ended, many people were disillusioned and adopted isolationism. America had desired more "Americanism" and denounced "un-American" ideals and ended diplomatic ties to foreign countries. This would be disastrous for the ethnic groups in America (especially the Blacks, Jews, and Catholics).
The Ku Klux Klan
The Ku Klux Klan was a secret society organization made of white Southern Protestants that utilized terrorist tactics to eliminate the presense of non-Whites and non-Protestants in the United States of America. They incorporated race hatred, to be general.
The KKK rose for the second time after World War I after agriculture depression, The Great Migration (African-Americans moving to the North), and religious bigotry and nativism.
The KKK stood for true "Americanism" and to return the US to "normalcy". They also stood for traditional morality and defenders of Prohibition.
Overall, the KKK demonstrated intolerance by campaigning against African-Americans, Jews, and Catholics and showing resistance towards those who opposed their views.
The KKK rose for the second time after World War I after agriculture depression, The Great Migration (African-Americans moving to the North), and religious bigotry and nativism.
The KKK stood for true "Americanism" and to return the US to "normalcy". They also stood for traditional morality and defenders of Prohibition.
Overall, the KKK demonstrated intolerance by campaigning against African-Americans, Jews, and Catholics and showing resistance towards those who opposed their views.
The Red Scare
With the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia in 1919, the fear of communism gripped America with fear in the early 1920s. The threat of communism came along with the threats of socialists, anarchists, and other dissidents scared America.This fear would later be known as the Red Scare. The Palmer Raids arose from this fear and was known to arrest and deport extreme leftists (mainly anarchists) from the US.
With this newfound fear of communism came the fear of immigrants and the increase in intolerance. Immigrants such as draft dodgers, "slackers", conscientious objectors, German-Americans, and communists were immediately suspect (in general, whoever was not completely patriotic).
America's view on isolationism played a role in the Red Scare as more Americans led to restrictions of world affairs with other countries. The presense of communism in Russia and other world powers has led to the presense of the domino theory and that countries in contact with communist countries would turn to communism.
With this newfound fear of communism came the fear of immigrants and the increase in intolerance. Immigrants such as draft dodgers, "slackers", conscientious objectors, German-Americans, and communists were immediately suspect (in general, whoever was not completely patriotic).
America's view on isolationism played a role in the Red Scare as more Americans led to restrictions of world affairs with other countries. The presense of communism in Russia and other world powers has led to the presense of the domino theory and that countries in contact with communist countries would turn to communism.
Sacco and Vanzetti Trial
At the height of the Red Scare, the motivation to eliminate any threats of anarchism and communism was rampant and police had set traps to catch suspects. Two anarchists, Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were convicted of roberry and two murders in the early 1920s and were convicted to death in 1927. Many people believed that the two Italians were convicted based on their political views (rather than the evidence against them), and this would anger liberals and radicals around the world.
The American population was still in fear from the presense of communism, and many people around the world believed that the Americans convicted and sentenced Sacco and Vanzetti to death because of their suspicion of their relation to anarchism. This would hurt the reputation of the United States.
The American population was still in fear from the presense of communism, and many people around the world believed that the Americans convicted and sentenced Sacco and Vanzetti to death because of their suspicion of their relation to anarchism. This would hurt the reputation of the United States.
Scopes Trial
Before World War I, fundamentalism was the common view. Because more people lived in rural areas rather than urban areas, this was widely accepted to accept a higher deity to "begin" life before the Roaring Twenties. At the beginning of the Roaring Twenties, however, more people moved to urban regions and adopted new cultures and lifestyles, including scientific explanations to the world. The teachings of evolution was therefore the primary threat to fundamentalists.
John T. Scopes challenged the law in Tennessee by introducing evolution into the school curriculum. He was later arrested and put to trial. This trial would later be known as the Scopes Monkey Trial. After many arguments about the teachings of the Bible and evolution, the judge ended up fining Scopes $100. In the end, the trial exposed the stupidity and the danger of the fundamentalist position. However, the trail was bad for everybody, thus fundamentalism continued flourishing.
This trial was indicative of old vs. new because it brought about the conflict between fundamentalism/creationism and evolution and where the old method had a victory.
John T. Scopes challenged the law in Tennessee by introducing evolution into the school curriculum. He was later arrested and put to trial. This trial would later be known as the Scopes Monkey Trial. After many arguments about the teachings of the Bible and evolution, the judge ended up fining Scopes $100. In the end, the trial exposed the stupidity and the danger of the fundamentalist position. However, the trail was bad for everybody, thus fundamentalism continued flourishing.
This trial was indicative of old vs. new because it brought about the conflict between fundamentalism/creationism and evolution and where the old method had a victory.
Vocabulary
Immigration - to depart a native country and to permanently reside in a foreign country.
Quota - the proportional part of a total that is required from a certain region.
Race - a group of people related by common descent or heredity.
Bolshevik - members of the radical Communist Party during the Russian Revolution that utilized force by the proletarait.
Communism - a governmental system based on society ownership as a community rather than the individual.
Anarchist - a person who advocates a government without structure or law.
Fundamentalism - a reaction by the rural society members during the Roaring Twenties that believed that evolution was completely false and adopted an attitude of mind that the higher deity was the cause of life.
Evolution - the human process of formation and growth over an extended period of time.
Quota - the proportional part of a total that is required from a certain region.
Race - a group of people related by common descent or heredity.
Bolshevik - members of the radical Communist Party during the Russian Revolution that utilized force by the proletarait.
Communism - a governmental system based on society ownership as a community rather than the individual.
Anarchist - a person who advocates a government without structure or law.
Fundamentalism - a reaction by the rural society members during the Roaring Twenties that believed that evolution was completely false and adopted an attitude of mind that the higher deity was the cause of life.
Evolution - the human process of formation and growth over an extended period of time.
Cause and Effect
World War I was the main cause of the increase in suspicion and intolerance during the Roaring Twenties. From the suspicion in immigrants to the intolerance of newly found ideas, the US was divided between the old and the new. Supporters of change were mainly in the urban areas and supported immigrants and new ideas such as evolution. However, those from the rural areas still held on to nostalgia and believed in ideas such as fundamentalism and immigration restriction. The effects were apparent in the Red Scare and the Scopes Monkey Trial.
APPARTS Primary Source
Author: This was published in the African American newspaper by Watson Studio.
Place and Time: This was published in February of 1923 on the newspaper. This political cartoon would be publicized and can be seen by the general public.
Prior Knowledge: Intolerance was rampant during this era and the KKK was a terrorist organization that only wanted "true Ameicanism" by eliminating non-Protestants.
Audience: This political cartoon was intended for those who were against intolerance by the KKK and seeked action towards them.
Reason: This political cartoon was produced to warn the American people that the KKK was destroying America with their race hatred.
The Main Idea: According to Watson Studio, they believe that this satirizes the prevalent racist portrayal of the "negro brute" as a lurking threat to white "American womanhood". This cartoon states that this fact is not true and that the KKK is the threat to the American womanhood.
Significance: This is an important source because it shows the hostility of the KKK and shows us today the mistake of radical Americanism and to never repeat that mistake.
Place and Time: This was published in February of 1923 on the newspaper. This political cartoon would be publicized and can be seen by the general public.
Prior Knowledge: Intolerance was rampant during this era and the KKK was a terrorist organization that only wanted "true Ameicanism" by eliminating non-Protestants.
Audience: This political cartoon was intended for those who were against intolerance by the KKK and seeked action towards them.
Reason: This political cartoon was produced to warn the American people that the KKK was destroying America with their race hatred.
The Main Idea: According to Watson Studio, they believe that this satirizes the prevalent racist portrayal of the "negro brute" as a lurking threat to white "American womanhood". This cartoon states that this fact is not true and that the KKK is the threat to the American womanhood.
Significance: This is an important source because it shows the hostility of the KKK and shows us today the mistake of radical Americanism and to never repeat that mistake.