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Today we will be looking at the Red Scare of the 1920's and identifying its causes and
effects on the United States.
Before we dig deeper into the Red Scare, we must revisit WWI, as we learned in class during
the war the government passed the Espionage and Sedition Acts to prevent people from speaking
out against the war. There were also various other changes that happened during WWI. For
example, The role of women greatly changed. When the men left, women took their jobs.
However, when all the men returned women had to leave. But they had already gotten a taste
of what they were capable of doing and did not want to settle for less and felt it was
important to continue the fight for their vote which they got in 1920. Also, taking
the jobs left by the soldiers were African Americans who during what is called the "Great
Migration" moved to the cities in the north and west in an effort to escape the racism
and economic conditions in the south, unfortunately conditions and treatment was not that much
better in the areas in which they moved to. During WWI the economy greatly grew because
of all the production and purchasing of war supplies and weapons. However, once the war
was over that all changed as can be seen in the graphs in 1920 the national income was
80 billion but by 1922 it went down to 63 billion. Likewise the annual incomes of americans
went from 859 dollars to a little over 659 dollars. But why did it take a downturn?
In the 1920s the economy begins to fail for various reasons
—U.S. government didn't need new weapons anymore, the war was over
—Europe was broke and can no longer afford to buy American made products
—European countries put up huge trade tariffs or taxes to help rebuild their own businesses,
so they are not buying from our companies —Farm prices drop, because they are not
longer selling massive amounts of food to the military. American farmers try to grow
more to make more money, but it makes Prices drop even more.
Workers grew very frustrated began to look for new solutions because they were tired
of their low pay and the downturn in the economy, options
Anarchist--Someone who doesn't believe in any form of organized government
Communist—Someone who supports a government that owns the means of production (land, labor
and capital). They take property from the rich to give to the poor. No one has private
property. Socialist- A less extreme form of communism.
It's mostly economic system and can exist with different types of political systems.
People can still own their own property, but things like education and healthcare are free.
Radical—Anyone who wants to make a big change in how things are done
Even though all these are different, in the 1920's they were seen as one and the same.
They did not distinguish between them, so being labeled a "radical" could have meant
any of these. Now in the 1920's America was famous for the
music from the Jazz Age, its sports mania, the new fashions, and it's prohibition of
alcohol that made famous gangsters like Al Capone and for its economic strength before
the Wall Street Crash, but a darker side existed. The *** dominated the South and those who
did not fit in found that they were facing the full force of the law. Those who supported
un-American political beliefs, such as communism, were suspects for all sorts of crimes
The so-called "Red Scare" refers to the fear of communism in the USA during the 1920's.
It is said that there were over 150,000 anarchists or communists in USA in 1920 alone and this
represented only 0.1% of the overall population of the USA.
many Americans were scared of the communists especially as they had overthrown the royal
family in Russia in 1917 and murdered them in the following year. Also, In 1901, an anarchist
had shot the American president William McKinley dead.
How did this fear begin You may ask? —Well, Someone who was communist was called
a "red" because red was the color of the Bolshevik revolution, or communist takeover in Russia
—Some Americans were afraid that the increase of Russian immigrants and eastern Europeans
after World War I would bring with them ideas for a communist revolution in the U.S.
and during this time —At least 70,000 workers, radicals and anarchists took part in labor
strikes, which Americans saw as proof of communists to take over, since communists claimed to
support the workers. The fear of communism increased when a series
of strikes occurred in 1919. For example, The police of Boston went on strike and 100,000
workers of steel and coal workers did also in order to get better pay and working conditions.
However, The communists usually always got the blame.
People like famed radicals Emma Goldman and Eugene Debs
Emma Goldman was an anarchist, and immigrant from Russia who became a U.S. citizen she
was an outspoken voice for workers rights and critical of the war, she was deported
for her beliefs. Eugene Debs was leader of the American Socialist
Party, and ran for president while in Jail! in 1920 and received almost 1 million votes.
He was arrested for violating the Espionage Act for speaking out against the war.
A series of bomb explosions in 1919, lead to a campaign against the communists. On New
Year's Day, 1920 the Palmer Raids began, over 6,000 people were arrested and put in prison.
Alexander Mitchell Palmer, or A. Mitchell Palmer was attorney general to President Woodrow
Wilson, which means he was in charge of enforcing federal laws, think of him as the main lawyer
for the nation. He blamed the violence and strikes on communist radicals. He illegally
arrested, searched, and harassed workers and protesters, all in the name of keeping america
safe from communism. Hundreds of american citizens were deported.
Many had to be released in a few weeks and only 3 guns were found in their homes. Very
few people outside of the 6,000 arrested complained about the legality of these arrests such was
the fear of communism. The judicial system seemed to turn a blind eye as America's national
security came first. However, far more people complained about
the arrest of Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti.
They were arrested in May 1920 and charged with a robbery in which 2 guards were killed.
Both men were from Italy and both spoke little English. But both were known to be anarchists
and when they were found they both had loaded guns on them. The judge at their trial - Judge
Thayer - was known to hate the "Reds" and 61 people claimed that they saw both men at
the robbery/murders. But 107 people claimed that they had seen both men elsewhere when
the crime was committed. Regardless of this both men were found guilty. They spent 7 years
in prison while their lawyers appealed but in vain. Despite many public protests and
petitions, both men were executed by electric chair on August 23rd, 1927.
Throughout the 1920's and 1930's a culture developed within America which both feared
and despised communism. This stance against the "Reds" only briefly went away when America
and Russia allied against a common enemy in the Second World War.