The Red Scare of the 1920’s was widespread panic due to the fear of the communists, anarchists, and socialist ideas rising in the United States. Immigrants and foreigners were the first to be blamed because they were believed to have brought communist ideas with them into America. To try and put an end to this mass paranoia, people within the government went out to find any known Communists and eliminate them. One man in particular made this his full-time job for the sake of the American people. Attorney General Alexander Mitchell Palmer was born on May 4, 1872 in Moosehead, Pennsylvania.1 He was the most known anti-Communists during this time period and his goal was to wipe out any rumored Communists along the West Coast of America. To take
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Then, Palmer and his agents would raid the area for any more information. Lastly, they would hunt down any of the rumored communists that they had information about.4 His most famous raid was on New Year’s Day in the year 1920. The next day, on January 2, 1920, he arrested over 4,000 alleged “redicals”, any radical influenced by communist cause, simultaneously in 33 different cities. Prior to both of these days, he obtained thousands of warrants for arrest. With the help of his agents and the local police force of the Pennsylvanian police department, he arrested over 6,000 communists. With these new arrested convicts, Palmer began to make cases for deportation, the act of removing an immigrant from a country, to any of the suspects arrested for red scare related situations. After these large scale raids, the color red began to have more limits on its use for any reason. In the year 1919, 28 states banned the use of the color red on every flag besides any U.S. flag being produced at the time. These restrictions began to frighten the American people more about the rise of Communism. It scared them to the point that communists, anarchists, socialists, and even Americans feared these raids because of the inhumane punishments prisoners were put through. Convicts would be …show more content…
Immigrants were among the first to be accused of any riots that occurred. Though most immigrants were the cause of these riots, innocent foreigners were often beaten, had their homes broken into, or publically humiliated.9 They were also arrested without reasonable cause, and while they were in prison, immigrants would also get the same treatment as other inmates arrested for any red scare causes. In the most extreme cases, foreigners would be deported without any reasonable cause, only the suspicion of the American government. When police would arrive at their homes, their houses and possessions would be searched without a warrant and no warning.10 When the Supreme Court heard of all these unreasonable search and seizures, they announced that those actions were unconstitutional and therefore forbidden. A. Mitchell Palmer, along with most of the police force, would dust off these announcements and they claimed that “we’re only doing it for the sake of the American government, and the American
Then, Palmer and his agents would raid the area for any more information. Lastly, they would hunt down any of the rumored communists that they had information about.4 His most famous raid was on New Year’s Day in the year 1920. The next day, on January 2, 1920, he arrested over 4,000 alleged “redicals”, any radical influenced by communist cause, simultaneously in 33 different cities. Prior to both of these days, he obtained thousands of warrants for arrest. With the help of his agents and the local police force of the Pennsylvanian police department, he arrested over 6,000 communists. With these new arrested convicts, Palmer began to make cases for deportation, the act of removing an immigrant from a country, to any of the suspects arrested for red scare related situations. After these large scale raids, the color red began to have more limits on its use for any reason. In the year 1919, 28 states banned the use of the color red on every flag besides any U.S. flag being produced at the time. These restrictions began to frighten the American people more about the rise of Communism. It scared them to the point that communists, anarchists, socialists, and even Americans feared these raids because of the inhumane punishments prisoners were put through. Convicts would be …show more content…
Immigrants were among the first to be accused of any riots that occurred. Though most immigrants were the cause of these riots, innocent foreigners were often beaten, had their homes broken into, or publically humiliated.9 They were also arrested without reasonable cause, and while they were in prison, immigrants would also get the same treatment as other inmates arrested for any red scare causes. In the most extreme cases, foreigners would be deported without any reasonable cause, only the suspicion of the American government. When police would arrive at their homes, their houses and possessions would be searched without a warrant and no warning.10 When the Supreme Court heard of all these unreasonable search and seizures, they announced that those actions were unconstitutional and therefore forbidden. A. Mitchell Palmer, along with most of the police force, would dust off these announcements and they claimed that “we’re only doing it for the sake of the American government, and the American