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
