1. Post World War 1 Troubles
Demobilization – The transition from wartime production levels to peacetime production levels.
Thousands of veterans returning from WW1 in Europe were now out of the military and needed jobs.
Many couldn’t find any because most jobs were taken by Americans at home during the war, African Americans that migrated north during the great migration, and the influx (increase) of immigrants to the U.S. from Europe, especially Eastern Europe.
Great Migration – in , hundreds of thousands of African Americans moved North from the South.
Push Factors:
De Facto Segregation – segregation by tradition or custom
De Jure Segregation – segregation by law
Poor paying jobs
Poor education opportunities
Lynching

2. Post World War 1 Troubles
Great Migration Con’t.
Pull Factors:
Promise of jobs
Better educational opportunities
Media – (Chicago Defender) – Black run newspaper that encouraged Southern Blacks to move North because of the better opportunities.
Loss of Work – jobs that were once in high demand during war, were no longer needed.
The government canceled more than $2 billion in military contracts with supply factories. This led to people loosing their jobs and not having enough for vets.
Farm crisis – prices for crops and goods fell dramatically. This caused farmers to lose their farms and and go into heavy debt.

3. Post World War 1 Troubles
Strikes:
Seattle General Strike – 35,000 shipyard workers walked off the job demanding higher wages and shorter hours. Businesses owners and many other Americans blamed immigrants for this. It only lasted 5 days and did not result in change.
Boston Police Strike – sought better pay and working conditions. 19 officers were fired. Governor Coolidge called in state militia to disperse the strikers. Officers were called agents of Lenin or Bolsheviks. After giving up the strike the strikers were all fired and replaced.
Pennsylvania Steel Strike – 365,000 workers walked off the job, many were immigrants. They wanted better pay, and fewer hours. Strikers were called foreign radicals, and African-Americans and Mexicans were brought in to replace strikers. Eventually police and armed thugs got involved and jailed, beat, or killed some strikers. This ended the strike.
United Mine Workers Strike – 400,000 workers left the mines on strike. Organized by John Lewis. Workers wanted wartime production demand. Wanted more pay, shorter hours, and fewer work days. Started at the end of WW1, when it was a no no to do this. Ultimately earned a small wage increase, and went down as a labor leader.

4. Post World War 1 Troubles
The First Red Scare ( ) – Fear that the labor strikes were too similar to the communist revolution in Russia, and that communism would overthrow the U.S. government.
Vladimir Lenin – called for a worldwide communist revolution. This scared many Americans.
Red=Communist or Communism.
There were Anarchist, Socialist, and Communist parties in the U.S., but they were (low key).
Some of these groups organized bombings or terrorist attacks to promote their form of government.
Resulted in attacks that caused fear of Immigrants and especially anarchists and communists.
Palmer Raids – Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer’s house was bombed in these attacks. He began raiding known immigrants and their buddies and businesses, and deporting them. Many of the deportees had no evidence against them.

5. Post World War 1 Troubles
Sacco and Vanzetti
2 Italian Immigrants.
Self proclaimed anarchists
Vanzetti – sold fish from a push cart
Sacco – worked in a shoe factory
A shoe factory outside of Boston was robbed during payroll distribution. Both men were arrested and were armed with pistols upon their arrest.
They were immediately interrogated and charged with the murder of the payroll master and a guard.
Judge Webster Thayer wouldn’t allow witnesses who could testify that the men were not at the scene of the crime were not allowed to speak at their trial.
The jury found them guilty, and Thayer sentenced them to death.
“This man (Vanzetti), although he may not actually have committed the crime attributed to him, is nevertheless morally guilty because he is an enemy of our existing institutions.