American essay

What year did america enter the war

America entered the war in 1917

What were new immigrants blamed for

High concentrations of crime

During the late 19th century and early 20th century what was immigration to america at?

It's highest

During what were they arrested

Palmer raids

What does WASPS Stand for?

white Anglo Saxon Protestants

When did Mitchell propose the revolution would hit america

1st of May

What also led to america changing its open door policy

Religion

When was the federal immigration law passed

1917

What happened to robert prager

A German immigrant was illegally hung infront of 200 people after making anti american comments

What did it introduce

A head tax that all new immigrants had to pay, introduced a barred zone mainly for Asians and introduced a literacy test

When was the emergency immigration law passed

1921

When was the National origins act passed

1924

How many were arrested in January 1920

6,000

What was america often referred to?

A melting pot

What is the definition of nativism

A policy or belief that favours the interests of the native population over the interests of immigrants

Why did ww1 change attitudes

As it strengthened feelings of xenophobia and created hostility towards the immigrants

Why was it referred to as this

As its land of the free and land of opportunity policies attracted the worlds poor and oppressed

However soon started to happen

Attitudes towards immigration soon started to change which led to several restrictions being placed

Who highlighted the fear of communism

Attorney general Mitchell Palmer and J Edgar Hoover

What religion were many of the new immigrants

Catholic

What acts were introduced to stop the risk of communism

Espionage act 1917 and the Sedition Act 1918

What did quotas do

Favour countries from Northern Europe including Britian, Germany, Switzerland and scandanavia

What other factors led to the hostility towards immigrants

Fears related to the economy, religion and social issues as well as the fear of communism and other radical beliefs. Nativism also changed attitudes towards immigrants

However who liked the immigrants

Industrial owners relished the cheap labour and argued that immigrants were willing to do the jobs Americans were not prepared to do

However what can also be argued about The war

It can also be argued that WW1 merely acted as a catalyst to changing attitudes as restrictions were already being implemented

What argument can be made

It was the type of immigrant that came that changed the attitudes

Where were new immigrants from

Italy, Poland and russia

What did it do

Limited immigration to 150,000 per year and forbade all oriental Immigtation, also allowed 85% of quotas to come from northern and Western Europe

Why did hostile feelings grow

Many immigrants came in seeking jobs when many Americans lost theirs

Where did old immigrants come from

Northern Europe - Britain, Germany and Scandanvia

On what day was 10,000 immigrants arrested?

November 7th 1919

Who were wasps

Old immigrants

Why were they arrested

On suspicion of communism however there was no evidence against them

What were the crimes mainly committed by immigrants

Petty theft and drunkenness

What were new immigrants like?

Poor, illiterate

What did old immigrants believe

Proud of their background but committed to an ideal view of America

What did it do

Restrict the amount of immigrants entering the U.S. To 350000 per year and introduce quotas to only allow 3% of immigrants to enter the U.S. From each European country

However why can it be argued ww1 did not change attitudes 1

Restrictions on immigration were being implemented before the war even began as in 1882 the federal immigration act was introduced as well As the Chinese Exclusion Act

What did american do about Germans during ww1

Schools and colleges stopped teaching German, families with German sounding surnames changed them and German immigrants were tarred beaten and feathered

Although fear of communism did increase the hostile treatment of immigrants what was wrong with it

Short lived and had no long term effect

What did America fear

That after the russsian revolution immigrants would bring communism to America

However, what do others believe

That the crime committed in these areas were due to poor living conditions and serious deprivation

After ww1 what significantly lowered

The availability of jobs in factories and other areas

What happened when it didn't

The credibility of Communism dropped

2

The quota system introduced after the war in 1921 also favoured German immigrants

Why did the war lead to restrictions on immigration

The war arguably led to the introduction of the restrictions placed on immigrants

What changes attitudes

The way the media portrayed them as criminals and beggers

Why did unions hate immigrants

They were willing to work for low wages and in poor conditions. Strike breakers

What did Palmer and Hoover use these acts for

To launch a campaign against radical beliefs especially communism

Why did this change attitudes

Were seen to corrupt american society with their immoral behaviour