Essay, Research Paper: The Red Scare

The Red Scare took place twice in American History. First in the period of 1919 to 1921
which was triggered by a Communist take over of Russia. The Red scare never really stopped
since it's first appearance, but occurred again in the 1950's. It was a label given to the actions of
legislation, race riots, and the hatred and persecution of revolutionary objectors during that
period of time.
After the war formally ended on November 18, 1918, there was an ideological war still
going on in the US. It was a war which prompted mass paranoia and caused what would be
known as the Red Scare, beginning in 1919 and ending in 1921. First period of red scare began
in June 1919, when the newly appointed US attorney general, A. Mitchel Palmer, was waken up
by the explosion on his door steps. A bomber tripped over something, blowing himself up. It was
later found that additional bombs had exploded on the doorsteps of other high-ranking
government officials in at least 8 more cities. This was the start of the first Red Scare throughout
the country. The next day's New York Times newspaper reported that the attack was Bolshevik or
W.W.I origin.
After all the unfair legislation passed by the government, the scene was set for a disaster.
Palmer used the laws set down in 1917 to deport members of the WWI. When the Palmer Raids
began, its two main targets were the Communist Party, and the Communist Labor Party. In 1918,
after the end of the war, all the groups which opposed the war came under fire. They were seen
as destructive to the peace and security of the American nation. The focus of the attacks was no
longer on the conscientious objectors, since many of them had already been jailed during the
war, and were still in jail at the time. It was now switched over to the Socialists; they were still a
viable target.
Another reason for the Red Scare was the strike held by mine workers. They were
thought to be making threatening moves against the Capitalist system through subversive
Socialist organizations. These strikes were part of a series of events taking place in 1919. This
strike, which occurred in February, consisted of 60,000 coal mine workers. In that September,
steel workers were on strike. All of the available blame was put upon the American
Communists, although many communists tried to oppose this strike. Nationalist Americans
called for a halt to this "Bolshevik Revolution" which was taking place on American soil. As a
result of this panic traveling through American society, a series of bombings occurred. The
Socialists were immediately assumed to be responsible. Newspapers had a field day publicizing
these bombings. Attorney General Palmer took advantage of the widespread panic of the public
and media and asked Congress for fund appropriations to help avoid further danger. Congress
obliged, not only supplying funds, but going one step further. The message was then made clear:
foreign radicals were to all be deported.
The Red Scare finally came to an end after a series of actions by high government
officials, especially in the Justice Department itself, which showed dissent from Palmer's
philosophy. Assistant Secretary of Labor Louis F. Post began to reject most of the cases brought
before him concerning the immigrants. Even the Secretary of Labor himself, William B. Wilson
turned against Palmer. Out of 6,000 warrants issued during the raids, less than 1,000
deportations resulted. Even with all this opposition to his actions, Palmer still aspired to the
office of the Presidency. He was never nominated. By 1920, the Red Scare was dying down, and
by 1921 it was virtually dead.
It would have been much easier to overthrow the government or get a lot of support for
Communist ideas during the first Red Scare rather then in the 1950's. After WWI was over, many
people were coming home and there was a tremendous rise in unemployment. Industries that
were working for the war had to change their products to meet piece time demands, which
costed a lot of money. On the other hand, in the 50's, the economy started to improve and people
finally gained some hope for a bright future. The Marshal plan, providing economical aid to any
state which suffered from fascism, brought American goods into the world market. Big labor
unions were also around, such as the Knights of Labor and the AFL, which wanted better
working conditions, higher wages and a smaller work day. Also, no legislation regarding
communism was passed by congress at that time, so workers in Unions were legally allowed to
be Communists. The first restriction on people entering the Unions was passed in 1947 by
Congress, called the Taft-Hartley Act. One provision stated that a worker must swear that he is
not, and was not a communist, before entering a Union.


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