To what extent was increasing hostility towards immigrants in the 1920s due to political fear?

Answer 1

America was widely believed to be the "land of opportunity", but by 1919, its open door policy was beginning to close and a new wave of hostility was being directed towards its immigrants. At first, many hoped for the "melting pot", though unfortunately this was not the case. Many immigrants fled to America to escape from severe poverty or persecution, but also some left due to Government revolutions in their own countries. However, this created a lot of tension among the Americans as they feared that immigrants would still believe in their old country's political ideas and would therefore be a potential threat to the constitution of the US Government. However, fear of the immigrant's political beliefs was not the only cause for hostility towards them, social and economic problems created by immigrants increased hostility towards them dramatically in the 1920s.= The First World War was the main catalyst in limiting Immigration and heightening fear among the Americans. There was a great feeling of hatred towards the Germans and many were beaten and shamed in public. The teaching of German languages was forbidden and many German's had no choice but to change their names in order to avoid conflict and abuse. This led many American's to support the introduction of prohibition, as they saw it as a punishment for the many Germans who owned breweries, therefore by banning the sale and consumption of alcohol, they hoped that many of the German businesses would become bankrupt. However, there were other nationalities impacted by the War, for example many of Austrian origin were suspected to be sympathisers to the Kaiser and the Irish were suspected of being Anti-British and potentially Anti-American particularly if they were Catholic, as they were deemed a threat to the mainly Protestant America. Other Eastern Europeans were suspected of being communists or anarchists. After World War One, America became particularly hostile to anything foreign and adopted the view of Isolation, in the hope of avoiding "alien contamination" as they feared that America's society itself was at threat otherwise. This is emphasised by what William Aspen stated, "America must be kept pure and not turned into a second rate power by second rate people."== After the Bolshevik revolution in Russia during 1917, fear of Communism became irrational and widespread. American's increasing fear was that Communism would spread throughout the U.S.A. It was the US attorney, Michael Palmer who began to purge America of Russians, who he believed were "foreign born subversives and agitators". However, some suggest that his determination came from his great desire for revenge on anarchists who had made an attempt on his life in 1919. Under the Espionage Act and the Sedition Act of 1918, 6000 suspected Russians were imprisoned or expelled from the US. Also, 5 elected member of the New York State Assembly were prevented from taking their seats as they were believed to be anarchists. Though eventually, these purges subsided, but it did not stop prejudice from affecting the lives of many Russians, this most famous of which, being Sacco and Vanzetti, two Italian immigrants who were denied their rights as citizens and killed without a fair trial. As they were Italian immigrants, they were victims of severe racial discrimination which ultimately ended in their death. The case of Sacco and Vanzetti is highly significant in showing how American society treated its immigrants due to political fear. President Coolidge insisted that, "America must be kept American".==On the other hand, there were other reasons which created hostility between Americans and immigrants other than political fear. Many immigrants were blamed for social problems which resulted in hostility towards them. Indeed, their appearance frightened Americans, as many were dirty and malnourished and some suffered with physical deformities' caused by their poor diets. Most had no money and therefore were happy to work hard labour for little money which in turn meant that the areas that they lived in became ran down and overcrowded which increased poverty and sickness. There were often accusations from the Americans that immigrants were the main cause of crime in the country, this was further emphasised by the Media who agreed with this. However statistics suggest that immigrants were no more violent than Americans, and their crimes were provoked by sheer poverty and desperation. There was a rise of organised crime and Italians were particularly famous for this, for example, Al Capone who made $60 million dollars a year from the illegal distribution of alcohol. Many American's worried about the influence they would have on the American population. Immigrants were known for frequenting brothels and taverns, such places were not tolerated in the refined white neighbourhoods. This is not to say, however, that Americans did not undertake such activities. There was also severe discrimination within the Education system, as many prestigious universities such as Harvard and Princeton refused all immigrants entry even after appeals from pressure groups and influential people who were no match to the opposing WASPS.==In addition, religious beliefs created tension and resentment as Americans felt that these new foreign religions were dangerous and damaging to their Protestant values. After the influx of "city vices", WASPS in the "Bible Belt" believed that these new modern ideas were replacing old traditional teachings therefore they did all they could to control and even stop them. Some states banned the teaching of Darwin's theory of evolution as they alleged that it contradicted The Bible. One teacher, John Scopes was tried and charged in court. The Ku Klux Klan also believed strongly on who should be called "American" and are a good representative of WASP culture. The KKK was the first of many anti- Catholic and Jewish societies which heightened tension and hostility between Americans and immigrants.==The immigrants also brought economic trouble to the Americans which caused hostility towards them as many were so poor that they were willing to work in appalling conditions for very little pay, therefore this made Trade Unions resent them and eventually they demanded that immigrants be made to sit a literacy test when entering the country, in the hope that many would fail and be denied entry. Immigrants were also blamed for lowering the standards of working conditions and forcing down pay. However, after World War One, many factories were forced to shut and many lost their jobs. Some immigrants worked dangerous and underpaid jobs, some even worked as strike breakers. Americans accepted that the immigrants were doing all the difficult jobs that they did not want.==Increased hostility was evident when the U.S began to introduce anti-immigration laws. As John Kerr stated in 2003, "…America's "open door" policy was closing and American policy towards immigrants was becoming more racist", gradually these new laws meant immigration was almost impossible. The Americans hoped this would help in avoiding all the issues that were associated with the immigrants. Thanks to the Quota Act in 1921 and the 1924 National Origins Act, most immigrants were white and protestant and often only the skilled and talented people were granted entry like actors, singers and also many professional people.==In conclusion, it is clear that political fears heightened tension in America and was one of the main reasons for hostility towards immigrants; however, it was not the only one. Other factors, including social, economic and religious issues meant that many immigrants suffered from severe prejudice, discrimination and racial abuse.== =