How widespread was intolerance in America in the 1920's?

Answer 1

Widespread intolerance did exist in America during the 1920s on many different levels: politically, socially and culturally. To begin with, Immigration in the 1920s started to become an increasingly worrying problem for the American government. The USA claimed it was the "melting pot" of all nationalities where all people were to become one people, "The American" although this was quite the opposite when immigrants arrived en masse. Many of these people were unemployed and unskilled, subject to poverty and falling into the lower classes of America's capitalist society. They were treated unfairly with appalling working and living conditions and, although they may have escaped persecution or extreme poverty elsewhere, the prospects of becoming successful and prospering (as the American dream had so claimed) were quite distant. It was soon apparent that Americans began to fear the immigration system where hundreds of thousands of people arrived in the USA, refusing to swear an oath to the constitution which brought about anarchism and communism. America dived into the Red Scare, fearing that thousands of communists were roaming the streets hoping for another revolution - similar to the Bolshevik Revoultion in Russia of 1917 - causing mass intolerance of the immigration system that remained existent. The government had to act proficiently which subsequently led to Congress passing Quota Acts which immediately restricted the number of immigrants entering the USA. One example of intolerance would be the Palmer Raids where a military chief was threatened with radical terror which resulted in the official deporting at least one thousands suspected anarchists or criminals to the State. It was clear during the 1920s that immigration was becoming a major problem for the government, which led to high federal government expenditure on state schemes to provide work and health benefits to the thousands of immigrants existent in America's main cities. ---- "As wartime fears ran high, anti-immigration sentiment took the form of demands for 100% Americanism which called for restrictive immigration laws, and antagonism towards German-Americans and immigrant groups suspected of sympathising with the enemy." ---- Intolerance to the Black Americans was a huge problem that too existed in Amercian society especially during the 1920s. In the South millions of Black farmers that struggled to earn a living and survive amongst the poverty cycle were subject to discrimination and extreme racism. The Jim Crow laws stated that all Blacks would be segregated among Whites. Benches, toilets, hospitals, schools, buses, parks and other public buildings were divided to separate the Black culture from the "Americans." There was also extreme aggression against the Black Americans too and one of them took the form of lynching, which was common in the southern states of America. Lynching is an untrialled hanging which was of course illegal - government could not enforce these laws without risk of losing support from Senators from the southern state. The Klu Klux Klan, a notorious White racial group that exercised violence and discriminatory prejudice against the Black population, gained millions of supporters before, during and after the 1920s. The KKK fought to preserve "Americanism" and to maintain White supremacy throughout its campaign. The racial group became stronger during this time period as many Whites began to fear the growing power and influence Black Americans started to acquire; the KKK fearing one aspect of economic insecurity. This caused the KKK to instil hatred against the "un-American" people, mainly the Blacks who continued to receive poor education and work in agriculture for a bare minimum wage. In the northern States, Black workers found employment in factories, residing in terrible accommodation, although following the end of WWI thousands of White workers protested that their jobs were subsided to a second class. Black communities continued to suffer discrimination and segregation - denied working opportunities and, at the time, mistreated as second class citizens losing the right to vote in particular southern states. The government turned a blind eye to such activities fearing the loss of valuable support from Senators of the South, whom many partook in the KKK and prejudice groups. It was a time of racial conflict and intolerance between both black and white people that attracted considerable tension and prejudice against the Blacks to preserve "Americanism" suppressing the minorities under the superiority of the White ruling government.

Answer 2

-Socialists, Communists and anarchists were feared and hated.

-Fundamentalists Christianity gained in strength.

-Racial intolerance was widespread especially in the Southern States.

Answer 3

Issues were the drinking of liquor, women having the vote and still were segregated as far as schools, neighborhoods and military.