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The Red Scare and Palmer Raids. By Kyle Gibson, Bryce Ring, and Aaron Sauerland. Industrial Workers of the World. Members of the IWW were prosecuted under various state and federal laws Due to the 1920 Palmer Raids, foreign- bron members were singled out
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The Red ScareandPalmer Raids By Kyle Gibson, Bryce Ring, and Aaron Sauerland
Industrial Workers of the World • Members of the IWW were prosecuted under various state and federal laws • Due to the 1920 Palmer Raids, foreign-bron members were singled out • By the mid 1920's, membership was on a decline because of Government repression • The 1924 schism of the organization into "Westerners" and "Easterners" caused and even bigger decline
Industrial Workers of the World • This was due to issues including the role of General Administration and the Communist Party trying to dominate and take control of the organization • By 1930, membership was down to around 10,000 members
The Red Scare • The Red Scare is a term used for a nationwide spread of fear created after WWI that communists, socialists, anarchists, and other dissidents would overthrow the United States • The outburst of fear took place in 1919 after a series of bombings occured made by anarchists • The Red Scare is tied to the Palmer Raids • Because of this psychological disorder in many government officials, innocent people were being wrongly accused • although some did have different political views
The Red Scare • Many simply feared that the Bolshevik Revolution would spread to America • or that a Boleshevik-like Revolution would occur • In the early 1920's, the Red Scare seemed to be over just as quickly as it started
Palmer Raids • Palmer Raids were attempts by the U.S. Dept. of Justice to arrest and deport "left-wing radicals" • these especially included Anarchists • In short, the Red Scare was the biggest reason for the Palmer Raids • people believed that the U.S. was being over-run by people with radical political views and wanted them out of the country • Raids/arrests were made between November 1919 and January 1920 • Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer was the leader of these arrests
Palmer Raids • Over 500 foreign citizens were deported including several prominent laftist leaders • Palmer's efforts were largely frustrated by officials at the U.S. Department of Labor • they objected Palmer's methods and disrespect for the legal process from the very beginning
Important People- Luigi Galleani • Luigi Galleani was considered to be one of the most radical and most violent anarchists within both Italy, his home country, and the United States. • Galleani became close friends with Sacco and Vanzetti in the summer of 1917. • Galleani had published several literature pieces including many articles on how to create your own explosive. • Him and his "Galleanists" are believed to have planned and carried out approximatley 40 bombings in 1919 alone. • Many attacks were attempts at assassinating U.S. officials such as judges, senators, congressman, immigrant managers, and most importantly Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer. • Galleani was finally deported to Italy in June of 1919 where he was then exiled to an island until 1922 when Benito Mussolini allowed him to return to mainland.
Important People- Sacco and Vanzetti • Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were two Italian immigrants who were accused of murder along with the armed robbery in South Bridgewater. • The two seperate trials took place in the spring of 1920 and have been disputed ever since. • Both Sacco and Vanzetti were known Galleanists, or followers of Luigi Galleani, an Italian anarchist who promoted violent revolutions. This included many bombings and assassinations. • Vanzetti was tried for armed robbery and was convicted. Both were then tried for murder and then convicted, the same judge presiding over both cases. • However, there was no credible evidence to support any of these accusation upon either man. • Several failed appeals took place over the six years following their conviction and both Sacco and Vanzetti were finally executed on August 23, 1927 by the electric chair. • Suspicion arose surrounding the trials involving the evidence and the judge, Webster Thayer.