Racism In The 1920s Essay

In the early 1920's, many generational Americans had moderately racist views on the "new immigrants," those being predominantly from Southern and Eastern Europe. Americans showed hatred for different races, incompatibility with religion, fear of race mixing, and fear of a revolution from other races. At the time, people believed the Nordic race was supreme.

John Higham explains in "Racism Immigration Restriction" that in Americans at the turn of the century already had a dislike for the new immigrants and now with more entering America after World War I, the personal dislike intensified. He writes: "...the transformation of relative cultural differences into an absolute line of cleavage, which would redeem

He states in his manifesto the general frustration of the Nordic whites being uncomfortable with the integration of other races and the liberal organizations being formed who support them. "To understand the Klan, then, it is necessary to understand the character and present mind of the mass of old-stock Americans." (Doc 4) The new immigrants also brought turmoil to the "old-stock Americans" by practicing Catholicism and not conforming to white Protestant methods of traditional living. One cannot be loyal to the white race if they do not match the traditions of America and conforming to Protestantism, "which has been an essential part of Americanism ever since the days of Roanoke and Plymouth Rock." (Doc 4) This was a radical way of protest, another way they described it was eugenics, or selective

The tone right away reduces the Japanese student to a coconut-headed Jap, sly and cunning, and must have cheated his way through life, although the boy is obviously intelligent, being head of the class. Stratton-Porter bars no discriminatory remarks by portraying the American girl, "Sweet Linda" spouting against the Japanese boy who heads the class: "Before I would let a Jap, either a boy or girl, lead in my class, I would give up going to school and go out and see if I could beat him growing lettuce and spinach." (Doc 6) It goes on to protest the foreigners' success, fearing that it would bring in "greater numbers, better equipped for battle of life than we are." (Doc 6) Another public source that also feared a sort of a revolution was the anonymous "Because You're a Jew," generalizing the Jew as a cheat and a swindler, always winning contests, sly speaking and greedy. "The Jew is winning everywhere. By fair means or by foul means he wins. He has the commerce of the city in his hands now, and the signs on Broadway make one think of the main street in New