1. The 1920’s
Postwar Issues

2. Americans Struggle with Postwar Issues
Postwar Trends
Americans deeply divided over the League of Nations
Economy
Soldiers returning home faced unemployment or took jobs away from minorities and women
Wartime orders decrease; hurting farmers and factory workers

3. Americans Struggle with Postwar Issues
Americans respond to stressful conditions by becoming fearful of outsiders
Nativism – prejudice against foreign-born people – sweeps the nation
More people support isolationism policy of pulling away in foreign affairs – is also sweeping the nation at this point

4. Fear of Communism
Communism = end to private property, substituting government ownership of factories, railroads, and other businesses
Panic of communism spreading to US begins after Lenin establishes a new communist state in Russia
Communist party formed in the US

5. Palmer Raids
Attorney General Palmer organized nationwide raids to round up suspected “Reds” (communists)
Many people were arrested and held without warrants and denied legal counsel; some deported without a court hearing

6. Sacco and Vanzetti
Red scare fed people’s suspicions of foreigners and immigrants
Two famous victims of nativism were Sacco and Vanzetti
Both were Italian immigrants and anarchists (didn’t believe in gov’t); both had evaded the draft in WWI
Were arrested and charged with murder; evidence was circumstantial but they were sentenced to death
Critics of the verdict claimed that the two men were convicted for their beliefs and heritage, not the crime

7. Limiting Immigration Nativism (motto “Keep America for Americans”)
People believed that now there were fewer jobs, fewer immigrants should be allowed to enter the US

8. KKK rises again
Group was devoted to “100 percent Americanism” which it considered to be English, Protestant heritage
In addition to being hostile to African Americans, the Klan also opposed Catholics, Jews, foreigners, and any other group it judged to be un-American
Appealing to racism and hostility towards immigrants, the Klan grew in the early 1920s and became a political power, electing senators and governors

9. Restricting immigration
Congress, in response to nativist pressure, decided to limit immigration from southern and eastern Europe only
Emergency Quota Act of 1921 set up a quota system (limit immigration)