America's Becoming Less Tolerant in 1920s
This essay is going to talk about whether or not America became less
tolerant in the 1920s. It will include:
· The immigration change
· The KKK,
· The 'Red Scare'
· Palmer Raids and
· The Sacco and Vanzetti trial
· Christian revivalism and
· The 'Monkey Trial'.
America had had an 'open door' policy towards immigration, but from
1917 onwards the door began to close. In 1917 an immigration law
introduced a literacy test. This test discriminated against people
from poorer countries such as Europe and Asia as they would not be
able o afford to learn English in their own country. But after a while
this test began to fail as immigrates relatives that had already got
in to America who had taken the literacy test told them what the test
said in their language so they could then learn it in English. So in
1921 the immigration quota act was introduced which limited the number
of immigrates allowed into the USA to 357,000 each year. It also
stated that the number of people emigrating from any country should
not exceed 3% of the number from that country already living in
America. This quota system also worked in favour of people from
Western and Northern Europe as they made up a large percentage of the
immigrates in 1910. Three years after that in 1924 the number of
immigrates was reduced to 2% of the population in 1890 and in 1929 the
number of immigrates that emigrated to America was reduced to 150,000.
Between 1920 and 1925 five million members joined the Ku Klux Klan.
The Klan was at its strongest in the southern states because there was
a large population of black people there. During this period black
people were beaten till bleeding, whipped with branches, left to catch
pneumonia and flogged. The blacks would be beaten for reasons as
little as not selling their land to a white woman, even white people
were beaten, and this was because they were divorced.
“Columbia’s Unwelcome Guests”, by Frank Beard (February 7, 1885), displays how the unrestricted US policies that were implemented were causing more immigrants to emigrate from Europe. The new aliens are depicted as anarchist, socialist, and the Mafia arriving from the sewers of Italy, Russia, and Germany. In the late nineteenth century, the U.S. government was not only concerned with the racialization of the immigrants entering the country, but also
The United States had an open door policy on immigration from the nations beginning until 1921. During that time, between 1790 and 1920, the population grew by 102 million. That’s about one million new immigrants each year for 130 years. Most of these immigrants were from European countries. In 1921 Congress passed the Quota Act which put a cap of 360,000 new immigrants per year. Congress did this because the public was concerned about the number of new immigrants and how it would affect the country. This act also favored immigrants from England, Germany, France, and Scandinavia over those from Asia, Africa, and southern Europe.
In an era of addressing social issues and inequality, many African Americans were segregated and divided; they fought for justice but racial tensions still formed. The Progressive Era: a time of major movements of the American population. During the decades between the 1890s and 1920, Americans were faced with many challenges and in turn, they entered a modern era of change. The states and cities were experiencing a newly diverse and urban society. There were new technological advances and industrial economics were growing rapidly since the Civil War. Although, not all innovations made during this time were beneficial. With the large innovations in society and the progressive mindsets, the lives of African Americans dramatically changed. The
John Higham explains in "Racism Immigration Restriction" that in Americans at the turn of the century already had a dislike for the new immigrants and now with more entering America after World War I, the personal dislike intensified. He writes: "...the transformation of relative cultural differences into an absolute line of cleavage, which would redeem the northwestern Europeans from the charges once leveled at them and explain the present danger of immigration in terms of the change in its sources." (Doc 1) People believed these immigrants could not adapt to the "standardized" way of American living, as the Northwestern or Nordic immigrants did. These new immigrants' presence in America stirred up religious racist organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan.
Where did some of modern America's issues originate from? The answer to that is the Progressive Era. The Legislation of that era laid all of the groundwork for today, and much of it is still in public debate today. Roosevelt, Taft, and Wilson, three of the presidents from that era, all played roles in the groundwork. These presidents passed acts, tariffs, and amendments that are still with us, and debated today.
Immediately following the turn of the century, immigration into the United States began to increase, which led to the creation of many laws restricting the individuals who could be permitted into the country. “The Immigration Act of 1917 was a law passed by Congress on February 5, 1917 that restricted the immigration of 'undesirables’ and required eight-dollar entrance fee and a literacy test for those under the age of sixteen” (Tucker 1). This act created limitations on who would be permitted to enter the United States, making it more difficult for individuals to come start new lives. “Those who were uneducated, poor, or disabled were discriminated against, for the sake of keeping America “pure”. The Immigration Act of 1917 also excluded immigrants from many Asian countries (the “Asiatic Barred Zone”), and was followed by the Immigration Act of 1924, which added Japan to the zone, and limited the number of immigrants permitted in a given year to 2% of the number of residents from that same country residing in the United States” (“Milestones: 1921-1936” 2; Marcus 1). Those within the Asiatic Barred Zone were not permitted to immigrate into the United States, while those in other countries faced quota limitations that restricted the number of persons who could immigrate each year. This two percent quota caused a great decrease in ...
The roaring 20’s was a time in history when jazz music was becoming popular, the flapper was the new definition of modern womanhood, art deco was at its high, and the crash of Wallstreet first occurred leading into the great depression. The roaring twenties was known as the aftermath of World War 1. The phase was popular all over the world but mostly in North America, London, and Paris. The phase roaring twenties came about and was meant to accentuate period’s social, artistic, and cultural dynamism within that era. During this time is when technology had hit an all time high and was seen in every home, it was like it became a way of life.
A example of the negative changes during this time is the Red Scare during the roaring twenties was one when it refers to the fear of Communism in the U.S. just before and during the 1920s. In which 150,000 anarchists form 0.1 percent of the population. Most Americans were scare by communist when they overthrow the royal family in Russia before, in 1917, and murdered them. During the 1919s, there was a series of explosion to thwart a campaign against communist. On New Year’s Day, 1920, over 6000 people was arrested and put in prison. It started an immigration law called the National Origins Act of 1924, which states “set immigration quotas that excluded some people in favor of others” meaning to prefer a certain originated people against another.
The 1920's was a time of change in the United States. “The Roaring Twenties” had an outstanding impact on the economy, social standards and everyday life. It was a time for positive results in the industry of consumer goods and American families, because of higher wages, shorter working hours, and manufacturing was up 60% in consumer goods. But it was also a time of adversity and opposition for others, such as immigrants and farmers. Immigrants had lots of competition when they were looking for work and they weren't treated fairly by Americans, depending on where they came from and what they believed. Farmers were paid very little because the price of food kept going down, they also had the Dust Bowl to worry about. African Americans became further infused with mainstream America during the Harlem Renaissance. They were also able to organize and elect officials who would make life better for them. The Roaring Twenties was a very exciting time to live in and we can all learn what the real world is like, and how we can prepare to be ready for it, today and in the future.
As World War Two came to a close, a new American culture was developing all across the United States. Families were moving away from crowded cities into spacious suburban towns to help create a better life for them during and after the baby boom of the post-war era. Teenagers were starting to become independent by listing to their own music and not wearing the same style of clothing as their parents. Aside from the progress of society that was made during this time period, many people still did not discuss controversial issues such as divorce and sexual relations between young people. While many historians regard the 1950s as a time of true conservatism at its finest, it could really be considered a time of true progression in the American way of life.
Above all, the 1920s was a time of Confidence. America had never been so wealthy and most Americans saw no reason why the boom should not continue for a long time to come. This period in history demonstrated the confidence politically and economically, but these were not the only places were the United States felt they were self-assured.
The Progressive Movement, lasting from 1901-1920, was a time of great change in America. Originating as a response to corporate and political corruption at the turn of the century, progressives emphasized improving American society by taming capitalism. However, with this political and economic reform came social injustice. While America made great strides towards new and more efficient business, banking, and politics, the early twentieth century showed conservative approaches to issues like racial, ethnic, and religious equality.
The Roaring Twenties was America’s golden age. F. Scott Fitzgerald once said,“The parties were bigger, the pace was faster, the shows were broader, the buildings were higher, the morals were looser, and the liquor was cheaper” (“People” PBS). The cultural undertone of the twenties was very different from the times before and during World War I. “ For the first time, more Americans lived in cities than on farms…people from coast to coast bought the same goods…listened to the same music, did the same dances, and even used the same slang” (“Roaring” History). The Twenties was a time of social and cultural change. During this time, things like the automobile and jazz became more popular and mainstream. These things were possible because America
As a nation coming out of a devastating war, America faced many changes in the 1920s. It was a decade of growth and improvements. It was also a decade of great economic and political confidence. However, with all the changes comes opposition. Social and cultural fears still caused dichotomous rifts in American society.
In response to the World War I for the following years from the flow of immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe. Congress of United States passed a law to limit immigrations, which named Immigration Act of 1924 or the Johnson-Reed Act. The Immigration Act of 1924 was an Act use to limit the big number of immigration entry to the United States. The Immigration Act of 1924 only provided two percent immigration visas from 1980s national census. Asians were not allowed to immigrate to the United States.