The Red Scare Essay Research Paper After

The Red Scare Essay, Research Paper

After World War 1 paranoia and cruelty swept across the United States during a period known as the Red Scare. The year 1919 had a large number of social conflicts including strikes, prohibition, women suffrage, and the Chicago race riot (2, 27). Anarchists set off bombs, targeting political officials. Objectors and those who spoke against the government were subject to attack. During this period of chaos, the United States government tried to minimize radicalism as best to their ability (2, 29). Attorney General Mitchell Palmer proposed aggressive action on those who spoke and took action against the government (4, 104). A large number of radical immigrants were deported and raids on liberal organizations ensued. The Red Scare was the United State government s reaction to rising socialistic actions, but spread fear across America.

The backbone of the Red Scare was the Conscription Law of May 1917, which was put into place during World War 1 to draft more Americans (1, 67). As a result, a large number of objectors to the war were drafted and enlisted. These objectors were thought to be cowards, pro-German socialists and were to be targeted in the Red Scare (1, 67). The objectors were to be blamed for any radical ideas that occurred after the war. The United States government decided to take action and smother radical uprising, and hence the Red Scare was created.

The first period of the Red Scare began in June 1919, when the newly appointed US attorney general, Mitchel Palmer, was waken up only to find that a bomb had exploded on his front door steps (6, 1). Mitchel Palmer wanted to create a special task force that would stop the terror which swept through America (6, 1). He went before the Congress and asked that they add fund to the Department of Justice to deal with the sudden crises (6, 2). However, Congress refused to grant any money. Then he gave a speech before the Senate convincing it that Communists are planing the overthrow the government and that the bombings were part of the well organized conspiracy (4, 73). He then received half a million dollars from the Senate, and he began a search for the conspirators (4, 75). After it emerged that the bombs have exploded on the doorsteps of other high-ranking government officials in at least 8 more cities, the Red Scare had begun throughout the country.

Palmer s newly formed Anti-Radical organization searched for communist radicals and other groups that would attempt to cause a revolt against the United State s government. One night in January of 1920, ten thousand people were arrested throughout the country (5, 2). Many were arrested without a warrant and were not informed about their right to council (5, 2). Organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union defended the rights of the objectors who they thought were wrongfully arrested and persecuted(3, 48). The American Civil Liberties Union gained the reputation of helping people who were too poor to pay for their own representation in court (3, 48). These poor objectors and other minorities who were unlawfully arrested were members of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) and were called Wobblies.

These Wobblies and Socialists were thought as being rebellious individuals who were trying to overthrow the United States government. Wobblies, in particular, were persecuted against for speaking out against the capitalist system (3, 127). Although most of what they said was only to attract attention to their cause, their messages were taken seriously by the government and its officials (3, 127). From the very beginning of the Red Scare, the Wobblies were the subject of attack by the government, because they were a symbol of radicalism. The government put in place legislation, not only against the Wobblies, but also against Socialists and Communists, due to the fact that the government did not distinguish the different radicals from each other (3, 128). One such action taken by the government prevented Wobblies who were not yet citizens from naturalization, even if they quit their organization. In 1917, the US government made a law which gave the Secretary of Labor the power to arrest or deport any alien promoting or teaching destruction of property or the overthrow of government by force(6, 1). These laws allowed the government to use deportation as a cure for the anti-government views of its enemies. After all the unfair legislation passed by the government, disaster and more chaos were inevitable.

Attorney General, Mitchell Palmer used biased laws to rage a war against the Wobblies and the Socialists. One way that these people were targeted was by use of the Espionage Act of 1918 (3, 42). This act penalized anyone who interfered with the operation of the armed forces, was insubordinate, or expressed disloyalty to the forces. Because of the law’s vague language, the Justice Department convicted more than 1000 people (3, 44). Among those convicted were a large number of Socialists and Wobblies. The Espionage Act was not the only form of legislation to discriminate against anti-war groups. In October 1918, Congress passed the Alien Act, which gave the Secretary of Labor the power to deport ” any alien who, at any time after entering the United States, is found to have been at the time of entry, or to have become thereafter a member of any anarchist organization” (3, 45). The extremely broad