Left-Side
Palmer Raids
What caused the Palmer Raids?
Youtube: Attorney General Mitchell Palmer and the Prosecution of
Communism. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nOzlo8gSlQ
Left-Side
“Palmer Raids”
What Caused the Palmer Raids?
Doc A, B and D
Doc C
a. Source and date
1. Purpose: Why did Hoover
b. POV – What arguments
send the memo?
does the author make
2. Problem: Why was
towards the raids?
Hoover having issues with
c. Evidence from source to
the Dept of Labor?
support reason(s).
3. Description: How does
d. Challenge - Do you find
Hoover describe Goldman
something questionable
and Berkman?
in the source? Explain.
Take-A-Stand?
Left-Side
“Palmer Raids”
Doc A and B
a. Source and date
b. POV – What arguments
does the author make
towards the raids?
c. Evidence from source to
support reason(s).
d. Challenge - Do you find
something questionable
in the source? Explain.
Left-Side
“Palmer Raids”
Document C:
a) Purpose - Why did
J.Edgar Hoover send this
memo?
b) Problem - Why was
Hoover having issues with
the Dept. of Labor?
c) Description - How does
Hoover describe Goldman
and Berkman? Do you
believe him?
Left-Side
“Palmer Raids”
a.
b.
c.
d.
Document D:
Source and date
POV – What arguments does the
author make towards the raids?
Evidence from source to support
reason(s).
Challenge - Do you find something
questionable in the source?
Explain.
Left-Side
“Palmer Raids”
Take-A-Stand:
• What caused the Palmer
Raids and was it
necessary/justified to keep
America safe? Support.
Left-Side
“Palmer Raids”
4. Take-A-Stand:
a) What caused the Palmer
Raids and why did the nation
allow the raids to take place?
(use evidence from documents)
b) Whose argument do you
agree with, why?
Left-Side
“Palmer Raids”
Document A:
Arguments - What arguments does
Palmer make and how does he
support these claims?
a)
b)
c)
Document B:
Arguments/Fears - What
arguments and fears does
Palmer express?
Do you believe him?
Document C:
Purpose - Why did J.Edgar Hoover send this
memo?
Problem - Why was Hoover having issues with
the Dept. of Labor?
Description - How does Hoover describe
Goldman and Berkman? Do you believe him?
Document D:
Arguments - What arguments does Goldman
make and how does she support these
claims?
Do you believe her?
Take-A-Stand:
–
Palmer Raids were necessary/justified to keep America safe.
Support.
–
Use document evidence.
Four Corner Debate
Statement:
Palmer Raids were
necessary/justified to
keep America safe?
Support
(support)
Strongly Agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
At anytime during the debate, you may
move to another corner.
What is communism? What is socialism? Why does the United
States have a long history of opposition to socialist ideas?
• Communism is a theory. It says that one day all the people/workers
will own all the ways of making money – all the land, all the
machines, all the stores (so there will be no private business, and
there will be no way for one person to become very rich).
• In this theory, socialism is when you’re on the way to communism.
(Today, many people believe in socialist ideas without necessarily
believing in communism). Some signs of socialism would be
government owning of major private business (like banks);
government owning of major public services (like hospitals and
healthcare); and laws that make rich people contribute more taxes
so that there isn’t a huge difference between rich and poor.
• In the United States, there’s been a long history of fear of
communism and suppression of socialist ideas because the ideas of
communism and socialism threaten the individual’s rights to private
wealth.
Socialism increases in America, why?
•
•
In the early 1900s, many people in the United States believed in socialism. Why?
1. Industrialization created a huge gap between the rich and the poor and
when people looked around, they thought that wasn’t fair.
2. Many people joined labor unions. Not all labor unions were socialists.
Some, like the American Federation of Labor (AFL), thought they would be
more successful by only organizing skilled workers. But some labor unions,
like the International Workers of the World (IWW), were socialists – wanted
all workers to unite (black, white, men, women, skilled, unskilled).
3. In 1917, the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia established a communists
country. Many people in the United States were inspired by their success.
Others were very scared by the potential spread of communism.
4. At this time, some people were also anarchists – people who didn’t believe
in any government. Some anarchists thought the government should be
overthrown with violence. Although anarchist, socialists, and communists
shared some of the same ideas (ex: they all opposed government protection
of private wealth), they represented different theories.
Today, we’re going to learn about what happened to people who believed in
socialist ideas right after WWI.
Left-Side
“Palmer Raids”
5. Take-A-Stand:
–
Were the Palmer Raids justified?
Support.
•
Use document evidence.
Closing Lecture
• The “Red Scare” technically ended in 1920, but in many
ways the 1920s continued to be a time of intolerance.
• Sacco and Vanzetti – two Italian anarchists were arrested in
1920 from robbery and murder. The evidence was very
sketchy and many have argued that their trial was
extremely unfair but they were executed in 1927.
• KKK membership exploded – at its peak in 1924 it had 4
million members.
• National Origins Act of 1924 severely restricted immigration
by setting quotas and limited the number of immigrants
from Southern and Eastern Europe. [Because Western
Hemisphere was excluded from the act, this actually became a time of
high Mexican immigration]
“The Case Against the ‘Reds’”
• Read Document A:
1. Sourcing – Who wrote this document and
what is his perspective?
2. Contextualization – read head-note.
What’s happening at the time?
3. Closing Reading –
a)
b)
c)
According to Palmer, what is spreading like a
fire? (not just ‘revolution!’ Explain what he’s
referring to).
How does Palmer describe communism? Why
does he think it’s dangerous?
What is he promising to do?
“Emma Goldman Deportation Statement”
• Read Document B:
1.
2.
Contextualization – According to this document, who did
Palmer arrest?
Closing Reading - According to Goldman:
a)
b)
•
What is wrong with the Palmer Raids?
What is the goal of the Palmer Raids?
Wrap Up Question – based on both documents,
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Why did Palmer arrest thousands of people and deport
hundreds between 1919-1920?
Why does Palmer think Goldman is dangerous?
Why does Goldman think Palmer is violating her rights?
Why did the nation allow the Palme Raids to take place?
Why were people so afraid of anarchists, socialists, and
communists?
Left-Side
“Palmer Raids”
5. Take-A-Stand:
–
–
What caused the Palmer Raids?
Whose argument do you agree
with?
•
•
–
Was Palmer justified in his actions?
Was Goldman justly deported?
Use document evidence.
Left-Side
“Palmer Raids”
1. Read Document A:
–
Arguments - What
arguments does Palmer
make and how does he
support these claims?
2. Read Document B:
–
–
Arguments/Fears - What
arguments and fears does
Palmer express?
Do you believe Palmer?
Left-Side
“Palmer Raids”
4. Read Document D:
–
–
Arguments - What
arguments does
Goldman make and
how does she support
these claims?
Do you trust her?