1. Nativism is the belief that one’s native land needs to be protected against immigrants. It is important because the fear and prejudice that many felt toward Germans and communists during and after WWI triggered a general rise in racism and nativism.
Anarchists are people who oppose all forms of government. Two Italian immigrants, Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, were anarchists who were arrested for robbing and murdering two employees from a shoe factory in Massachusetts.The Emergency Quota Act restricted annual admission to the United States to only 3 percent of the total number of people in any ethnic group already living in the nation. The National Origins Act, which was passed in 1924, made immigration restriction a permanent policy.
Fundamentalism was a religious movement that a lot of people joined when they were afraid that the country was losing its traditional values. The name derived from a series of Christian religious pamphlets titled “The Fundamentals.” Evolution was Charles Darwins’ theory in which he said that human beings had developed from lower forms of life over the course of millions of years. Creationism was what people rejected the idea of evolution to support. It was the belief that God created the world as described in the Bible. Speakeasies were how Americans attempted to go around the prohibition laws.
People flocked to secret bars, called speakeasies, where they could purchase alcohol.2. The two factors that influenced the limits on immigration were postwar recession and nativist pleas to “Keep America American.” In 1921 the Emergency Quota Act made it so ethnic identity and national origin determined admission to the United States. Then, in 1924the National Origins Act made the immigration restriction a permanent policy.3.
One of the major issues that caused clashes between traditional and new moralities was the new right that women were allowed to vote. After winning the right to vote, many women sought to break free of the traditional roles and behaviors that were expected of them. This caused attitudes toward marriage to change. Instead of marriage just important for the loving and emotional aspects of it, the ideas of romance, pleasure, and friendship became linked to successful marriages.Women could also earn money to participate in consumer culture. Women fashion already changed to become more like movie stars.
Women also started going to college. In these colleges women were encouraged to pursue careers and to challenge traditional ideas about women’s role in society. Also, the automobile played a role on questioning tradition values. Cars allowed younger people to escape the careful watch of their parents.
Therefore, instead of socializing at home with the family, many young people would use cars to go out with their friends.4. Many Americans opposed immigration after World War I because of the fear and prejudice that many felt toward Germans and communists during and after World War I spread to include all immigrants. This led to a rise in racism and nativism—the belief that one’s native land needs to be protected against immigrants. By 1921, the majority of immigrants were coming from southern and eastern Europe. Many Americans blamed immigrants for bombings, strikes, and recession.
Also, many Americans believed that immigrants were taking jobs that would otherwise have gone to soldiers returning home from war.Finally, many business leaders saw immigrants as radicals. Today there are still restrictions on immigration. I think that the reasons do not differ that much from the reasons after World War I. For example, I think that it is still a scare that immigrants might take jobs from low-income Americans who badly need jobs.
ActProvisionsEmergency Quota ActRestricted annual admission to the US to only 3 percent of the total number of people in any ethnic group already living in the nation. National Origins ActIt made immigration restriction a permanent policy. The law set quotas at 2 percent of each national group represented in the US Census of 1890. Immigration quotas were based on the ethnic composition of the country more than 30 years earlier.
5. Nativists would probably agree with or approve of the visuals presented on page 377. One visual relays a group of the Klu Klux Klan, who targeted immigrants, Jews, Catholics, and African Americans. Their goal was to keep “undesirable” immigrants out. However, nativists would most likely disagree with the cartoon on the right, because they would think that literacy tests for immigrants were good, while the cartoon mocks the idea of literacy tests for immigrants.
