1920s FILE FOLDERS
Nam
e
Key Concept 7.8 - In the 1920s, cultural and politic al controversies emerged
as Americans debated gender roles, modernism, science, religion, and issu es
related to race and immigration.
TOPICS: (1) Nativism & the Quotas; (2) Red Scare; (3) Scopes Trial; (4)
Prohibition; (5) The “New Woman”; (6) Racial Tension
THEME: To what extent was the 1920s characterized by a shift to
modernism?
INSTRUCTIONS: Use the information in the folders to answer the questions.
Highlight or underline key terms. Then evaluate the extent to which that topic
represented a shift toward modernism.
○Nativist sentiment was caused the fear workers had at the thought of the immigrants
being competition for their jobs. Also with the new wave of immigration came a fear of
the immigrants bringing radical ideals to America that could cause revolution, like what
happened in Russia (Red Scare & Bolshevik Revolution).
○The Quota Acts limited immigration by cutting off the amount of immigrants allowed
into the U.S. to 3% of the country’s census population. Later, this was changed to 2%
to further hinder the immigration of select areas like China, Japan, and Southeastern
Europe using more census data.
○The Sacco & Vanzetti Trial set a notion that the government supported the nativist
sentiment. It also showed the racial discrimination against Italians as the two men were
innocent, but just part of an anarchist organization and fit the description. It related to
Eugene Debbs because both cases were based on their political affiliation which is the
main reason behind both of their convictions (the men were anarchists and Debbs was
a socialist).
○According to Source B, the effects of the proposed quota systems led to the decrease in
immigration into America.
NATIVISM &
IMMIGRATION
NOT AT ALL
MODERN
EXTREMELY
MODERN
EXPLAIN: While new political parties were involved, the ideas of ethnic discrimination and a
ban on immigration seen with the nativist sentiment were not new and were seen decades
before for the same demographic. Even before the World War Italians, Germans, and
Chinese immigrants faced discrimination,
○Demobilization affected Americans because as the soldiers came home, many African
American and female workers were laid off from their factory jobs so that the soldiers
had jobs when they came back from war. Many soldiers also did not get jobs after
coming back. Also, with all of the money they had gained, Americans spent their
money like it grew on trees and department stores started to pop up during the 1920s.
○One cause and effect of the palmer raids was the fear mongering of Attorney General
A. Mitchell Palmer who ordered mass arrests of radicals, anarchists, and socialists due
to the red scare. Many of these people were arrested and deported based on limited
criminal evidence, and most were foreign born)
○After the war, many union strikes brought more fear of the red scare because many
Americans thought that a labor union could turn a union strike into a revolution to
overturn the US government. This led to the distrust and dislike of labor unions during
this time.
○Many Americans thought that the increased immigration from Germany, Italy, and
Russia would bring anarchists and socialists that wanted to ruin America and kill
America from the inside.
THE RED SCARE
NOT AT ALL
MODERN
EXTREMELY
MODERN
EXPLAIN:
EXPLAIN: Newer political ideals like communism, socialism, and marxism started to grow in
popularity during this time making it more modern. Also the boost in the economy after the
world war was also new to America, which brought more leisure time and ways to spend
money.
NOT AT ALL
MODERN
EXTREMELY
MODERN
