ISOLATIONISM

1. more than 40 million people moved to the USA between 1850 and 1914
   1. the USA was now filled with over 100 different nationalities which lead to wide spread racism and intolerance, mainly hidden uder the excitement of the 1920's
      1. these people wanted to keep America for the 'WASPS' and feared that the new immigrants would take their jobs and spread communist ideas
2. The Immigration Law required all immigrants to be able to read English
   1. 1917
3. The Emergency Quota Act said that the number of people entering the US could not exceed 3% of the population from that country already liking in America from the 1910 census.
   1. 1921
   2. this ruled out Eastern European immigrants as there were very few living in the US.
      1. this limited the number of immigrats to 357,000 per year.
4. The National Origins Act reduced the number of people entering the USA to 2% of the population from the 1890 census.
   1. 1924
   2. this ruled out immigrants from Asia
      1. only 150,000 immigrants were now entering the USA per year
5. 1. immigrants would arrive at Ellis Island
      1. after 1924 the 'open door' was closed as the government believed that immigrants didn't enrich the culture and society of the USA.
         1. lead to xenophobia and racial persecution

1. immigrants were restricted to lowest paid jobs and lived in ghettos where crime rate was high and housing was poor.
   1. this was because of national distrust and disgust at immigrants.
2. The Russian Revolution
   1. 1917
   2. Americans feared communism as it threatened their free lifestyle and capitalist economy.
      1. this fear became widespread as Italian communists and anarchists dropped bombs
3. On September 16th 1920 a bomb was detonated outside the Stock Exchange on Wall Street. 38 people died and 400 were injured, American newspapers called the bomb and 'act of war'.
   1. the bombers were never captured
   2. the 'Palmer Raids' then arrested 10,000 people suspected of holding left wing views these immigrants were then deported without trial
      1. started by US attorney-general Alexander Palmer
4. 1. a street in Harlem one of the biggest immigrant communties in New York

1. charged for the murder of two guards and armed robbery
   1. this was the most famous injustice case against immigrants involving two Italians Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti
      1. they were executed in 1927
2. 1. they were openly anarchist
3. FOR AND AGAINST
   1. 61 witnesses identified them as guilty however none of them could agree on the details of the crime
   2. 107 witnesses who said they are somewhere else = innocent
      1. largely because these men were also Italian immigrants the jury didn't trust their word

Annotations:

• founded in 1866 but lost support however this was increased in the the 20th century and again during the civil rights movement (1960s)

1. a militant organisation of white supremists who started what they saw as a moral crusade in the US
   1. they would only except those who they saw as 'true' American so 'WASP'
      1. stirring up racial and religious hatred
      2. didn't like:
         1. - Jews
            1. - Catholics
               1. - Southern European immigrants (e.g. Italians)

                  Annotations:

                  • an example would be Sacco and Vanzetti
                  1. - Eastern European immigrants (e.g. Russians)
                     1. - People from Asia
                        1. - They especially didn't like black people
2. 5, 000 members in 1920
   1. 5, 000, 000 members in 1925
      1. the biggest membership was in the southern states where there was a large black population and a history of slavery
3. members were often poor whites who felt their jobs were being threatened by those willing to work for less
   1. some members were however influential people in society
      1. e.g. state politicians
4. WHAT THEY DID
   1. held ceremonies and dressed in long white robes
   2. spoke to each other in secret codes
      1. 'Klonversations'
   3. used torture and violence against those who weren't true Americans
      1. they often attacked black people raping and lynching them. they also set their homes on fire and destroyed their property
5. Klan membership fell after 1925 as their crimes were widely reported and seen as appalling by most of the population
   1. before this white jury's were reluctant to find them guilty and were often members themselves as were many judges