Jonathan Mullen Period: 05Mrs. Cuzzi 28MAR2010

Chapter 20: Politics of the Roaring TwentiesSection 1: Americans Struggle with Postwar Issues

1. Postwar Trends2. Fear of Communism

i. Communism was a threat to American Life1. Economic AND political system based on a single-party government

ruled by a government.b. The Red Scare

i. 1919: Revolutionists overthrow dictatorship & establish a communist state.1. Communists also known as “reds”

a. Goal was to spread communism globally and abolish capitalism on a global scale

b. Communist Party in the U.S. emergesi. Used violent means to display their message

1. Known as the Red Scarec. The Palmer Raids

i. August 1919: U.S. Attorney General appoints J. Hoover as his “special assistant”1. Mission: Hunt down suspected Communists, socialists, and anarchists

a. Anarchists: people who opposed all forms of Government.2. How they performed their mission: Ignoring people’s civil rights,

invasion of privacy, jailing without trials, instant deportation.a. People soon disagreed with this policy

d. Sacco and Vanzettii. Red Scare- increased suspicions of foreigners / immigrants

1. Nicola Sacco and Bartolommeo Vanzetti are two famous examples of these suspicions

a. They were accused of 2 accounts of murder because they were Italian and anarchists.

i. They were sentenced to death, and later executed1. Still unknown who actually committed the

murdera. Caused global conflict

3. Limiting Immigrationa. The Klan Rises again

i. As a result of the Red Scare the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) rises once againb. The Quota System

i. 1919-1921 immigration rates to the U.S. had grew to about 600%1. Congress pressured to limit immigration

a. They Pass the Emergency Quota Act (1921)i. Established a max. amount of immigrants permitted in

the us (set amount for each country)1. Amended in 1924: Further limited immigration

rates

a. Prohibited Japanese immigrationi. Japan angered because they

were still honoring the Gentleman’s Agreement

4. A Time of Labor Unresta. The Boston Police Strike

i. Boston City Police decide to strike because of1. No raise since pre WW12. Denied right to unionize

ii. Massachusetts Governor (Calvin Coolidge) calls in the National Guard1. He claimed “There is no right to strike against the public safety by

anybody, anywhere, any time.”a. Participants of the strike were fired and a new police force was

hiredb. The Steel Mill Strike

i. Steel Mill workers demand to negotiate:1. Shorter Working Hours2. Better wage

ii. U.S. Steel Corporation refuses to recognize these demands.1. More than 300,000 workers go on strike in protest

a. Steel Companies hire strike breakers for temporary labor.i. Strikers were subject to brutal attacks from police,

military, and national guardsmenb. President Wilson pleas for negotiations.

i. Eventually U.S. Steel met all requests except for union recognition

c. The Coal Miners’ Strikei. United Mine Workers of America goes on strike soon after the new union

leader, John L. Lewis takes office1. Protested over:

a. Low Wagesb. Long Workdays

2. In order for the strike to come to an end President Wilson had to appoint a judge to end the dispute

a. Payment issue was dealt with, but the work hours remained the same

d. Labor Movement Looses Appeal (Quoted from textbook)i. Union Membership began to dramatically decrease because of

1. Much of the work force consisted of immigrants willing to work in poorer conditions

2. Unions had a difficult time organizing immigrants due to language differences

3. Farmers who migrated to cities were used to relying on themselves4. Many unions excluded African Americans