US 12.1

1. Americans Struggle with
Postwar Issues
CH.12 SECTION 1

2. Postwar Trends
 After the war
 Debate over the league of nation left US divided
 Economy suffered without war orders
 Soldiers faced unemployment, or took their old jobs away from
women and minorities
 Nativism: prejudice against foreign-born people
 Isolationism: policy of pulling away from
involvement in world affairs

3. Fear of Communism
 Red Scare:
 Bolshevik revolution in Russia- called for spread of
communism
 Communist party formed in the US
 Palmer Raids:
 Mitchell Palmer, J.E. Hoover, and agents hunted down all
communists, socialists, and anarchists
 Invaded homes and offices, and jailed people without trials-
turned up nothing

4. Sacco and Vanzetti
 Italian immigrants and anarchists
 Were arrested and charged with robbery and murder
 Both provided alibis and all evidence was
circumstantial
 They were found guilty and sentenced to death

5. Limiting Immigration
 Nativists believed fewer immigrants should be let
into the country
 The KKK made a come back and began keeping
blacks “in their place” and driving foreign born
people out of the country
 Quota System: Emergency Quota Act of 1921
 Established the maximum number of people who could enter
the US from each foreign country
 Later limited immigration from each European nation to 2 percent
of the number of its nationals in the US in 1890 and prohibited
immigration from Japan

6. Labor Unrest
 More than 3,000 strikes in 1919- strikers were
labeled as communists
 Boston Police Strike: Boston police went on
strike when representatives were fired for asking for
a raise
 Calvin Coolidge sent in the national guard to end the strike
 Strikers were not sent back to work, new police were hired
instead

7. Labor Unrest Cont.
 The Steel Mill Strike: Steel workers wanted to
Unionize and negotiate for shorter hours
 300,000 went on strike and were beaten by police
 They were called communists
 Eventually won a shorter work day, but no union
 Coal Miners Strike: John Lewis lead coal miners
on a strike, even after it was ended by a court order
 Won a 27% pay increase

8. Labor Movement Loses Appeal
 Union membership dropped by 2 million
 The number of immigrant workers
 Were willing to work in poor conditions
 Spoke many different languages
 Farmers who moved to factory jobs were used to relying on
themselves
 Most unions excluded African Americans