POST-WAR TENSIONS

Widespread Unemployment  World War I had created great economic prosperity in the US  The government, however, was not prepared to convert to a postwar economy  100s of factories that had produced war materials closed  Crop prices fell as overseas demand dropped  By 1920, 5 million Americans were out of work EMERGING ECONOMIC TENSIONS

Businesses Return to Prewar Labor Practices  During World War I, the government encouraged businesses & labor to cooperate  When the war ended, workers struggled to keep the gains they had made in the war years  Businesses, however, reduced wages & paid less attention to employee safety  Some even tried to increase the average workday from 8 hours to 12 hours RISING LABOR TENSIONS

Workers Organize  Many Americans responded to businesses by joining a union for the first time  American Federation of Labor – Concentrated on improving wages & working conditions  Industrial Workers of the World – Saw socialism as the solution to workers’ problems RISING LABOR TENSIONS

Workers Go On Strike  In 1919, unions staged more than 3,600 strikes across the country  1 out of every 10 workers walked off the job at some point that year  The most controversial strike involved the Boston police force  City officials had cut their wages & refused to negotiate  At first, the people of Boston sympathized with the police  The city, however, lapsed into anarchy  Governor Calvin Coolidge called in the National Guard to keep order RISING LABOR TENSIONS

Unions Lose Public Support  Overall union membership declined in the 1920s  People began to see them as a threat  Strikes failed to achieve many of the workers’ goals  Many unions excluded women, blacks, & most immigrants  Supreme Court decisions further weakened unions  The Court rejected child labor laws, minimum wage for women, etc. RISING LABOR TENSIONS

A Bomb Scare Fuels Fear  In April 1919, 2 government officials received packages containing bombs  34 more bombs were eventually discovered  Many Americans saw the bomb scare as a sign that radicalism was on the rise  Socialists – Called for public ownership of land & factories  Communists – Wanted a classless society brought about through a working class revolution  Anarchists – Opposed all systems of government GROWING POLITICAL TENSIONS

Red Scare Leads to Raids  The postwar fear of radicals became known as the Red Scare  The Red Scare intensified when in June 1919, 8 bombs exploded in 8 cities at the same time  One target was Attorney General Mitchell Palmer’s house  As a result, Palmer conducted searched places he thought might house radicals  These Palmer Raids were conducted without warrants GROWING POLITICAL TENSIONS

Civil Liberties Suffer  The fear of radicalism led people to react  30 states passed sedition laws  Books considered to be offensive were removed from libraries  Palmer hoped to use his notoriety to help him win the presidency  He announced that a plot to overthrow the government would begin in NYC on May 1, 1920  When nothing happened, his ambitions were ruined RISING LABOR TENSIONS

The Revival of Nativism  After World War I, immigration into the US increased  Many feared that these immigrants would never become 100% American  This triggered a resurgence of nativism & calls for restrictions on immigration INCREASING SOCIAL TENSIONS

New Laws Restrict Immigration  1921 – Emergency Immigration Act  Set the maximum number of immigrants allowed in the US each year at 375,000 people  Introduced a quota system limiting the number of immigrants from each country to 3% of its residents in the US in 1910  1924 – Immigration Act of 1924  Reduced the number of immigrants allowed in to the US each year to 164,000  Cut quotas to 2% of a country’s residents in the US in 1890  Banned all immigration from Asia INCREASING SOCIAL TENSIONS

The KKK Targets “Alien” Influences  The Ku Klux Klan was reborn in Atlanta, GA in 1915  Restricted its membership to native-born white Protestants  Targeted Africans Americans, immigrants, Catholics, & Jews  By the early 1920s, the Klan had 3-4 million members  Lawmakers supported by the Klan won control of state legislatures in Oregon, Oklahoma, Texas, & Indiana  Klan members held marches in Washington, DC & other major cities INCREASING SOCIAL TENSIONS

Americans Face Discrimination  Asian immigrants faced severe legal discrimination  Barred from becoming citizens  Could not own land or marry a white person in many states  African Americans faced continuing discrimination as well  In some places, lynching made a comeback  During the Red Summer of 1919, tensions erupted in race riots  Led to support for Marcus Garvey’s Back-to-Africa movement ENDURING RACIAL & RELIGIOUS TENSIONS

Catholics & Jews Fight Prejudice  The increase in Jewish immigrants stirred up anti-Semitism  Gave birth to the Anti-Defamation League to protect the rights of Jews  Catholics were also targets of religious prejudice  1928 – Democratic Party nominated NY Governor Al Smith, a Catholic for president  Soon there were rumors that if Smith was elected, the pope would run the US ENDURING RACIAL & RELIGIOUS TENSIONS