The Red Scare What was the Red Scare

The Red Scare

What was the Red Scare? �The Russian Revolution took place in 1917. �The revolution was led by Lenin and the Bolsheviks. �They were communists who called for the workers to overthrow the capitalist class. �In the U. S. , a handful of terrorists threw, planted, and mailed bombs. �This ignited a national hysteria against foreignborn radicals.

The Attorney General � In 1920, Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer headed the Justice Department. � He rounded up 7, 000 immigrants and deported 700. (Most were foreign born, but naturalized citizens. ) � In 1924, J. Edgar Hoover (one of Palmer’s aides) became head of the FBI.

The Palmer Raids �In 1919, Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer conducted the Palmer Raids. �The first raid occurred in November 1919: 450 Russians were arrested in simultaneous raids in 12 cities. �The largest raids took place in 1920: 10, 000 communists were arrested in simultaneous raids in 33 cities.

Deportation � When you send immigrants back to their country of origin.

Violation of Civil Liberties �None of the people had committed a crime. �They were convicted for their thoughts, not their actions. �This is a violation of the First Amendment - the right to freedom of speech. �The 7, 000 arrested were held without bail, a lawyer, or a trial. �This was a violation of their Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendment rights.

The American Civil Liberties Union �ACLU �The ACLU was founded in 1920 to defend people from the Red Scare. �The founding members were Clarence Darrow, Upton Sinclair, Jane Addams, and Helen Keller.

Immigration Act of 1924 �Russian and Italian immigrants were considered radicals �So Congress cut off immigration from Eastern Europe (Russia) and Southern Europe (Italy).

Sacco and Vanzetti �During the anti-immigrant hysteria, two Italian immigrants were singled out. �Sacco and Vanzetti were two Italian immigrants who lived just outside of Boston. �They were accused of armed robbery and murder in the course of the robbery. �There was little evidence, they had alibis, and another man confessed to the crime. �Their real “crime” was that they were anarchists.

�Anarchist: A person who wants no government. �In those days, anarchists believed they could stage massive strikes and overthrow the government. �The judge, jury, and the public were unanimous: The two men were sent to the electric chair.