Essential Question:
How do attitudes towards immigrants, blacks, and other minorities reflect the intolerance of the decade? How does the nostalgia and attitudes from the past conflict with modern ideas of the decade?
The attitude towards minority groups shows a large amount of intolerance in the 1920's through the Immigration Act of 1924, the racist KKK, and the Sacco and Vanzetti Trial. All three of these incidents were based purely on American dominance and was true, but unfair to the minorities. The attitudes of the old ideas is shown in the Red Scare, and the Scopes Trial. Both areas included new ideas being created and conflicting with the old like creation and evolution.
How do attitudes towards immigrants, blacks, and other minorities reflect the intolerance of the decade? How does the nostalgia and attitudes from the past conflict with modern ideas of the decade?
The attitude towards minority groups shows a large amount of intolerance in the 1920's through the Immigration Act of 1924, the racist KKK, and the Sacco and Vanzetti Trial. All three of these incidents were based purely on American dominance and was true, but unfair to the minorities. The attitudes of the old ideas is shown in the Red Scare, and the Scopes Trial. Both areas included new ideas being created and conflicting with the old like creation and evolution.
Immigration:
Immigration in the 1920's was limited through the Immigration Act of 1924 or the Johnson-Reed Act. This act limited the amount of Immigrants who could enter the United States annually. The amount of immigrants of any country had to be limited to 2% of the people who were US citizens. Many US citizens wanted to preserve the American culture by preventing large amounts of emigrants from immigrating. Nativism at this time was a very strong aspect of creating the immigration acts.
Immigration in the 1920's was limited through the Immigration Act of 1924 or the Johnson-Reed Act. This act limited the amount of Immigrants who could enter the United States annually. The amount of immigrants of any country had to be limited to 2% of the people who were US citizens. Many US citizens wanted to preserve the American culture by preventing large amounts of emigrants from immigrating. Nativism at this time was a very strong aspect of creating the immigration acts.
The KKK:
The KKK was an extremist racial group that was founded in 1866 by ex-confederates and southerners who resented Reconstruction after the Civil War. The KKK was abandoned for some time but then brought back into action in 1915 by William Joseph Simmons. The KKK let everyone know they were back by setting a cross on fire on the top of a local mountain. In 1915, the group broadened its targets from blacks to Jews, Catholics and foreigners while also advocating white supremacy. During the 20's there were as many as 8 million people in the group. The KKK many different types of people including doctors, lawyers, and politicians. The Klan created a plan called the "decade" where every member had to convince 10 people to vote for a KKK candidate. By doing so, the KKK effectively controlled some regions and had a large sway in politics.
The KKK was an extremist racial group that was founded in 1866 by ex-confederates and southerners who resented Reconstruction after the Civil War. The KKK was abandoned for some time but then brought back into action in 1915 by William Joseph Simmons. The KKK let everyone know they were back by setting a cross on fire on the top of a local mountain. In 1915, the group broadened its targets from blacks to Jews, Catholics and foreigners while also advocating white supremacy. During the 20's there were as many as 8 million people in the group. The KKK many different types of people including doctors, lawyers, and politicians. The Klan created a plan called the "decade" where every member had to convince 10 people to vote for a KKK candidate. By doing so, the KKK effectively controlled some regions and had a large sway in politics.
The Red Scare:
The first red scare happened in the early 1920's when the fear of communism began to spread. The scare began after Russia did not become democratic after world war one. After the first war, strikes began happening in the US like the Seattle General Strike and the Boston Police Strike. In order to put the strike down, communist like tactics were used scaring the public of possible communism.
The first red scare happened in the early 1920's when the fear of communism began to spread. The scare began after Russia did not become democratic after world war one. After the first war, strikes began happening in the US like the Seattle General Strike and the Boston Police Strike. In order to put the strike down, communist like tactics were used scaring the public of possible communism.
Sacco and Vanzetti:
Sacco and Vanzetti were two Italian-American men who were accused of the robbery and murder of the shoe factory in South Braintree, MA. The trial came into play when there were numerous eyewitnesses of the men being in other places the night of the robbery. However, the mens anarchist views swayed the jury into accusing them of guiltiness. Both men were sentanced to death and executed in the electric chair. This case received large amounts of attention. This was an example of suspicion and intolerance because both men had evidence of innocence, however, their italian background and beliefs are what ultimately made them guilty.
Sacco and Vanzetti were two Italian-American men who were accused of the robbery and murder of the shoe factory in South Braintree, MA. The trial came into play when there were numerous eyewitnesses of the men being in other places the night of the robbery. However, the mens anarchist views swayed the jury into accusing them of guiltiness. Both men were sentanced to death and executed in the electric chair. This case received large amounts of attention. This was an example of suspicion and intolerance because both men had evidence of innocence, however, their italian background and beliefs are what ultimately made them guilty.
Scopes Trial:
The scopes monkey trial was a case in the 1920's where a high school teacher began teaching evolution, but at that time evolution was illegal to teach because most people still believed in creation. The trial was staged in order to bring attention to the small town and the teacher didn't even think he taught evolution, but said he was guilty so there would be a defendant in the case. This case was an issue of old vs. new because the new way of thinking included fundamentalism and less religion while the old way believed in creation and the Bible.
The scopes monkey trial was a case in the 1920's where a high school teacher began teaching evolution, but at that time evolution was illegal to teach because most people still believed in creation. The trial was staged in order to bring attention to the small town and the teacher didn't even think he taught evolution, but said he was guilty so there would be a defendant in the case. This case was an issue of old vs. new because the new way of thinking included fundamentalism and less religion while the old way believed in creation and the Bible.
APPARTS:
Author: A photographer in the 1920's
Place and Time: Washington D.C., 1928
Prior Knowledge: The KKK was a racist group who had previously been a problem following the civil war.
Audience: American Citizens
Reason: The purpose is to show people how abundant the KKK is.
The main Idea: The KKK was more abundant than ever in the 1920's and their power and membership grew largely.
Significance: This source is very important because it really captures how powerful the KKK was in the 1920's and shows us how one organization can effect a country.
Author: A photographer in the 1920's
Place and Time: Washington D.C., 1928
Prior Knowledge: The KKK was a racist group who had previously been a problem following the civil war.
Audience: American Citizens
Reason: The purpose is to show people how abundant the KKK is.
The main Idea: The KKK was more abundant than ever in the 1920's and their power and membership grew largely.
Significance: This source is very important because it really captures how powerful the KKK was in the 1920's and shows us how one organization can effect a country.
Thinking like a Historian:
Change and Continuity: In the 1920's immigration policies and beliefs have changed. Immigration was restricted and the beginning of new vs old ways had started, but the idea that America was the dominant country stayed the same. Many of the Americans benefited from these changes but the minority groups suffered because there rights were being taken away.
Change and Continuity: In the 1920's immigration policies and beliefs have changed. Immigration was restricted and the beginning of new vs old ways had started, but the idea that America was the dominant country stayed the same. Many of the Americans benefited from these changes but the minority groups suffered because there rights were being taken away.
VOCAB:
Immigrant: A person who travels from one area to live in another area because of push and pull factors.
Anarchist: A person who believes in a situation of confusion and wild behavior in which the people in a country, group, organization, etc., are not controlled by rules or laws
Communism: A political theory derived from Karl Marx, advocating class war and leading to a society in which all property is publicly owned and each person works and is paid according to their abilities and needs.
Race: The background a person comes from is their race.
Bolsheviks: A member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which was renamed the Communist Party after seizing power in the October Revolution of 1917
Fundamentalism: A form of a religion, especially Islam or Protestant Christianity, that upholds belief in the strict, literal interpretation of scripture
Evolution: The human population came from a single cell organism.
Quota: A limited or fixed number or amount of people or things, in particular
Immigrant: A person who travels from one area to live in another area because of push and pull factors.
Anarchist: A person who believes in a situation of confusion and wild behavior in which the people in a country, group, organization, etc., are not controlled by rules or laws
Communism: A political theory derived from Karl Marx, advocating class war and leading to a society in which all property is publicly owned and each person works and is paid according to their abilities and needs.
Race: The background a person comes from is their race.
Bolsheviks: A member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which was renamed the Communist Party after seizing power in the October Revolution of 1917
Fundamentalism: A form of a religion, especially Islam or Protestant Christianity, that upholds belief in the strict, literal interpretation of scripture
Evolution: The human population came from a single cell organism.
Quota: A limited or fixed number or amount of people or things, in particular