Red Scare
fear of the rise, supposed or real, of leftist ideologies in a society
What was the Red scare?
In 1927, after years of legal battles and widespread protests, this event marked the tragic conclusion of the Sacco and Vanzetti case, despite calls for a retrial.
What is their execution?
The Scopes Trial of 1925 centered on this teacher, who was accused of violating a Tennessee law by teaching the theory of evolution in a public school.
Who is John T. Scopes?
In the 1920s, the Ku Klux Klan experienced a resurgence, expanding beyond the South and targeting not only African Americans but also these groups, including immigrants, Catholics, and Jews.
Who are immigrants, Catholics, and Jews?
The Palmer Raids were a response to the fear of this ideology, which was seen as a threat to American values and led to the arrest of thousands of suspected radicals during the early 1920s.
What is communism?
In the aftermath of the Russian Revolution, this U.S. Attorney General spearheaded a series of raids against suspected radicals, known as the Palmer Raids, during the Red Scare of the 1920s.
Who is A. Mitchell Palmer?
The trial of Sacco and Vanzetti was heavily criticized for this factor, which many believed led to an unfair trial and contributed to their eventual execution despite a lack of solid evidence.
What is anti-immigrant bias?
The Scopes Trial pitted these two famous figures against each other: the defense attorney who supported evolution and the prosecution attorney who advocated for the Bible’s creation story.
Who are Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan?
The 1920s revival of the Ku Klux Klan was largely fueled by this film, which romanticized the original Klan's actions during the Reconstruction era and helped inspire the organization's resurgence across the country.
What is "The Birth of a Nation"?
In addition to mass arrests, the Palmer Raids also targeted individuals for this action, which involved sending suspected radicals, including foreign-born anarchists, back to their home countries, often without trial.
What is deportation?
This event, often considered a key trigger of the Red Scare in the 1920s, involved a series of bombings in 1919, including one that targeted the home of U.S. Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer.
What is the 1919 anarchist bombings?
The trial of Sacco and Vanzetti gained international attention, with protests and rallies held in several countries. This country, where the accused men had connections, was particularly vocal in demanding their release, citing the unfair trial and their political beliefs.
What is Italy?
The Scopes Trial was held in this Tennessee town, where John T. Scopes was tried for teaching evolution, which violated the state's Butler Act.
What is Dayton?
By the mid-1920s, the Ku Klux Klan had grown to include up to 4 million members nationwide, making it a powerful force in American politics, especially in these two regions where the Klan had a significant influence on local and state governments.
What are the Midwest and the North?
The Palmer Raids, led by Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer, resulted in the arrest of over 5,000 suspected radicals in 1919 and 1920, but this event, which involved the deportation of many suspects, highlighted the widespread fear of communism and anarchism in the U.S.
What is the Red Scare?
This law, passed in 1919, made it illegal to advocate the violent overthrow of the government and became a key tool during the Red Scare to target suspected radicals, anarchists, and communists.
What is the Sedition Act of 1918?
Sacco and Vanzetti's conviction in 1921 was highly controversial due to allegations of anti-immigrant bias and the defendants' political beliefs. Their trial was influenced by the growing fear of this ideology, which was widely associated with radicalism and anarchism.
What is anarchism?
The Scopes Trial was seen as a battle between modern science and traditional religious beliefs. This influential 1925 law, which was challenged in the trial, prohibited the teaching of evolution in Tennessee public schools.
What is the Butler Act?
This man, a former Methodist preacher, became the national leader of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s and oversaw its dramatic expansion, recruiting millions of members through the use of sensationalist propaganda and rallies.
Who is William J. Simmons?
In 1920, these two prominent figures were among the thousands of individuals arrested during the Palmer Raids, both being prominent anarchists and deported as part of the government's crackdown on suspected radicals.
Who are Emma Goldman and Alexander Berkman?
This organization, formed in 1920 to protect civil liberties during the Red Scare, fought against government actions like the Palmer Raids and the suppression of free speech, playing a major role in defending the rights of those accused of being radicals.
What is the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)?
In 1921, these two Italian immigrants, Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, were convicted of robbery and murder in Massachusetts, despite widespread criticism of their trial for bias and lack of evidence. Their case became a symbol of anti-immigrant sentiment and the fear of radicalism during the Red Scare.
Who are Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti?
The Scopes Trial gained national attention, but its outcome was influenced by this legal strategy used by defense attorney Clarence Darrow, in which he called upon the prosecution's star witness, William Jennings Bryan, to testify on the literal interpretation of the Bible.
What is the use of a "witness stand" examination of William Jennings Bryan?
This influential Klan leader, often referred to as the "Imperial Wizard" during the 1920s, was responsible for greatly expanding the organization's reach across the United States, but his eventual downfall came after a scandal involving the assault and death of a woman, leading to his conviction and imprisonment.
Who is David W. Stephenson?
This U.S. Attorney General, who led the Palmer Raids in 1919 and 1920, initiated the controversial actions in response to a series of bombings by anarchists and the rising fear of communism and radicalism in the wake of World War I.
Who is A. Mitchell Palmer?