Hello, I'm Mr. Marchant, and thank you for joining me for today's history lesson.

My job today is to help guide you through our history resources in the lesson.

And I'm gonna be working to make sure that by the end of our time together, you can securely meet our lesson objective.

Welcome to today's lesson, which is part of our unit on the boom years in the USA, where we've been asking ourselves, how did the boom affect the lives of the American people? By the end of today's lesson, you'll be able to explain what the Red Scare was and its impact on Americans.

There are four key words which will help us navigate our way through today's lesson.

Those are paranoid, communists, anarchists, and deported.

Somebody may be described as paranoid if they are unreasonably or excessively scared of something.

A communist is a person who believes in sharing wealth equally.

An anarchist is a person who believes that countries should not be ruled by organised governments.

And if a foreign person is legally forced to leave a country, they have been deported.

So today's lesson is gonna be split into three parts and we'll begin by focusing on fear of reds.

The Red Scare was a period beginning in 1919 and which lasted into the early 1920s in the USA.

During the Red Scare, many in the USA became paranoid about the spread of un-American ideas which could threaten US society.

Reds referred to a wide range of people with left-wing, un-American ideas.

Two main groups were feared as Reds, communists and anarchists.

Communists believed in sharing wealth equally and also were committed to improving workers' rights.

Anarchists argued that countries should not be ruled by organised governments, and were often associated with terrorism.

So let's think about what we've just heard.

I want you to write the missing keywords from the following sentence.

During the Red Scare, Americans were fearful of the threat posed by blank and blank living in the USA.

So pause video here, write the missing words, and press play when you're ready to see the right answers.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that the missing words were communists and anarchists.

You could have written those either way round as part of your answer.

Several factors contributed to the development of the Red Scare.

Some of these factors were related to developments abroad, and others to developments in the USA itself.

Factors responsible for the Red Scare included the Russian Revolution, immigration, strikes, and terrorism.

And we'll think about each of these in turn.

So let's start by focusing on the importance of the Russian Revolution for the Red Scare.

Communists took power in Russia after a revolution in October, 1917.

This triggered a bloody four-year-long civil war in Russia.

Millions were killed and communists took control over private property and businesses in the course of the civil war.

This created fears of similar violence spreading throughout the USA if the communists were to gain power there.

Immigration was also important for beginning the Red Scare.

In the early 20th century, most immigrants to the USA were coming from regions such as Southern and Eastern Europe.

Many Americans worry that these immigrants were bringing un-American ideas such as communism with them.

So let's reflect on what we've just heard.

We have a statement on the screen that says, communism and anarchism were often considered un-American.

Is that statement true or false? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that that statement was true.

But we need to be able to justify our response.

So two justifications have appeared on the screen.

The first says that immigrants from Eastern and Southern Europe were often suspected of bringing radical ideas to the USA.

The second says that immigrants from Western and Northern Europe were often suspected of bringing radical ideas to the USA.

So which one of those two justifications is correct? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that the correct answer was a, immigrants from Eastern and Southern Europe were often suspected of bringing radical ideas such as communism and anarchism to the USA.

So the increase in immigration from those regions helped contribute to the beginning of the Red Scare.

Another cause of the Red Scare was strikes.

Strikes are periods of time when people refuse to complete their work in order to demand better working conditions.

After the end of World War I, the USA experienced a growing number of strikes.

In Seattle, there was a five day general strike involving 65,000 workers.

Policemen even went on strike in Boston.

This was blamed on communists, and it was feared that it was the first stage in beginning a revolution in the USA.

And terrorism was another cause of the Red Scare in the USA.

The US experienced terrorist attacks and political violence in the early 20th century.

In 1901, US President McKinley was assassinated by an anarchist, in 1919, the US Attorney General was targeted in a bomb attack, and in 1920, 40 people were killed when Wall Street, an important financial centre in New York, was bombed.

So let's make sure we have a secure understanding of what we've just heard.

Which of the following was not a cause of the Red Scare, concerns about a bust on Wall Street, fear of a bloody communist revolution, fear of anarchist and communist terrorism, or suspicion of Eastern and Southern European immigrants? Pause video here and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said the correct answer was a, concerns about a bust on Wall Street were not a cause of the Red Scare.

Instead, fear of a bloody communist revolution, the fear of terrorism by anarchists and communists, suspicion of immigrants, and rising strikes all help contribute to its outbreak.

So we're now ready to put all of our knowledge and understanding into practise.

I want you to study the cartoon.

It was published in the USA in 1919.

How can the cartoon help a historian to understand the Red Scare? As part of your answer, you should refer to specific details from the source.

So pause the video here and press play when you're ready to reflect on your response.

Okay, well done for all of your effort on that task.

So I asked how can the cartoon help a historian to understand the Red Scare? Your answer may have included, the cartoon shows a man labelled as a European anarchist standing behind the Statue of Liberty was holding a knife in one hand and a bomb in the other.

This shows that many Americans were worried about the potential danger posed by anarchists in the USA during the Red Scare, and the fact that they often associated this danger with European immigrants.

So really well done if your own answer looks something like that model we've just seen.

What's really important is that you are clearly referring to specific details from the source and explaining their relevance.

So now we're ready to move on to the second part of our lesson where we are going to focus on the Palmer Raids.

The Palmer Raids were a key moment during the Red Scare.

They were organised by Alexander Palmer, the US Attorney General, and took place in 1919.

Thousands were affected by these raids.

Alexander Palmer was the US Attorney General.

This meant he was responsible for law and policing across the USA.

In July, 1919, the front of Palmer's home was blown up by a bomb, although Palmer himself was unharmed.

Palmer's was not the only home targeted in this way as many of a leading figures in the government had been targeted with bombs that same summer, communists and anarchists were blamed for these acts of terrorism.

Palmer warned the US Congress that he believed there were radicals in the USA planning to rise up and destroy the government at one fell swoop.

In response, Palmer organised a series of raids at the end of 1919 and beginning of 1920 to capture and remove America's communists and anarchists.

Federal agents and local police forces raided locations in more than 30 American cities, and arrested and imprisoned roughly 6,000 suspects without trial.

However, little evidence of revolutionary plans were uncovered.

In fact, the raids only led to the discovery and confiscation of four guns in total, not a single explosive was found.

Nevertheless, the Palmer Raids had a significant impact on many of those who were targeted by the authorities.

The majority of those targeted during the raids were immigrants from Italy and Eastern Europe.

These groups were often associated with radical left-wing ideas like anarchism and communism.

Under US law, immigrants who were communists or anarchists could be deported.

556 immigrants arrested during the Palmer Raids were deported from the USA.

This included people such as Emma Goldman.

A portrait of Emma Goldman is shown on the screen.

Goldman had immigrated to the USA from Russia in 1885 and was a well-known anarchist.

Despite no evidence that she had been plotting a revolution, Red Emma's political beliefs were enough to justify her deportation from the United States.

So let's make sure we have a secure understanding of the Palmer Raids.

Starting with the earliest, I want you to sort the following events into chronological order.

To do that, you need to number the statements from one to four to indicate the correct order.

So the four statements you have to think about are, 6,000 people are arrested during raids across the USA, the US Attorney General's house is bombed, 556 immigrants suspected of being anarchists or communists are deported, and Alexander Palmer warns Congress a revolutionary plans.

So sort those into chronological order.

Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to see the right answers.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that those four events should have been organised as follows.

Firstly, the US Attorney General's house was bombed in 1919.

This led Alexander Palmer, the US Attorney General, to warn Congress of revolutionary plans.

And thereafter, Palmer organised raids across the USA, which arrested 6,000 people.

And finally, as a result of these arrests during the Palmer Raids, 556 immigrants suspected of being anarchists or communists ended up being deported from the USA.

So really well done if you got all of those statements numbered in the correct chronological order.

And let's try another question.

This time we have a statement on the screen which reads The Palmer Raids uncovered a serious revolutionary plot against the US government.

Is that statement true or false? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that that statement was false, but we need to be able to justify our response.

So two justifications have appeared on the screen.

The first says that weapons were found distributed across the USA, but no agreed plan was uncovered.

And the second says that no explosives and only four guns were discovered despite thousands being arrested.

So which one of those two justifications is correct? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said the correct justification was b, we can tell that the Palmer Raids didn't uncover any serious revolutionary threats because no explosives and only four guns were discovered despite 6,000 people being arrested during the Palmer Raids.

So we're now in a good position to put all of our knowledge and understanding of the Palmer Raids into practise.

Which one of these two would you use to describe the Palmer Raids, paranoid or unjust? Both adjectives are valid, but whichever one you pick, I want you to write one paragraph to explain why your chosen adjective can be used to describe the Palmer Raids in the USA.

Include evidence from this lesson to support your answer.

So pause the video here and press play when you're ready to reflect on your response.

Okay, well done for all your hard work on that task.

So I asked you to pick one of two objectives and explain why your chosen objective can be used to describe the Palmer Raids in the USA.

Your answer may have included, the Palmer Raids could be described as paranoid.

For example, the raids were justified by Alexander Palmer because he claimed that radicals were planning to rise up and destroy the government.

However, the raids uncovered only four guns and no explosives or real revolutionary plans.

This suggests that leaders like Palmer had been excessively concerned about the threat posed by communists and anarchists in the USA.

Alternatively, you may have written an answer which looked like this.

The Palmer Raids could be described as unjust.

For example, 6,000 people were arrested and imprisoned without trial during the raids.

Furthermore, most of the suspects targeted by the raids were immigrants with left wing views.

556 immigrants were deported from the USA as a result of the Palmer Raids, such as Emma Goldman.

This shows that many people were severely and unfairly punished simply for holding communist or anarchist beliefs.

So really well done if your own response look something like one of those two models, which we've just seen.

And so now we're ready to move on to the third and final part of our lesson for today where we are gonna focus on the impacts of the Red Scare.

The Red Scare is usually considered by historians to have ended by 1920.

The legacy of the Red Scare meant that some groups continued to be affected by it even after it ended.

This was particularly true for immigrants and for trade unions, and we'll focus on the experience of both of these groups in turn.

Trade unions are organised to help workers protect their interests, such as achieving improved pay and working conditions.

However, suspicion of trade unions had grown significantly during the Red Scare because of their role in organising strikes.

During the Seattle general strike in 1919, the city's mayor had claimed that the strike was really an attempted revolution, that there was no violence, does not alter the fact.

As a result of opposition from the government, employers, and the general population, trade union activity declined considerably in 1920s America.

Membership of trade unions fell from 6 million in 1920 to 3.

6 million in just three years.

Similarly, whilst workers staged 3,600 strikes in 1919, only 900 strikes took place across the USA in 1929.

As a result, the ability of unions to secure improvements for workers grew noticeably weaker.

So let's make sure we have a secure understanding of what we've just heard.

Whose opinion is correct, Jun's, Alex's, or Izzy's? Jun says that "Restrictions on communist activities meant all trade unions were outlawed." Alex says, "Most members of trade unions were communists and anarchists." And Izzy says, "Many Americans began to associate trade union activities with communism." So pause the video here and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that c, Izzy's answer was correct.

Many Americans began to associate trade union activities with communism.

And let's try another question.

What happened to trade union membership in the US between 1920 and 1923? Was it that membership nearly doubled, membership stayed roughly the same, or membership nearly halved? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said the correct answer was c.

Membership of trade unions nearly halved between 1920 and 1923 as the membership fell from 6 million in 1920 to just 3.

6 million by 1923.

Because the un-American ideas feared during the Red Scare were frequently associated with foreigners, intolerance of immigrants in the USA grew and continued even after the Red Scare had reached its peak in 1920.

In 1920, a bank robbery led to $15,000 being stolen and two people being killed.

Two Italian born immigrants, Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were accused of committing the crime.

Aside from being Italian, Sacco and Vanzetti were both anarchists.

However, there were significant doubts about whether the two men were really guilty.

Not only did they claim they were innocent, but 107 witnesses testified that Sacco and Vanzetti had been elsewhere on the night of the crime.

Although the judge admitted that Sacco and Vanzetti may not have actually committed the crimes, he used racist terms to describe the men.

Referred to Vanzetti as "our enemy." And after the trial was even heard to remark, "you see what I did to those anarchists." In July, 1921, Sacco and Vanzetti were found guilty.

Despite protests that their trial had been unfair, Sacco and Vanzetti were executed by electric chair in August, 1927.

So let's reflect on what we've just heard.

Which of the following statements about the Sacco and Vanzetti case is correct, few witnesses were willing to testify and support of them, Sacco and Vanzetti were deported, they were suspected only because they were Italian, or the judge was biassed against Sacco and Vanzetti? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that the correct statement was d, the judge in the Sacco and Vanzetti case was biassed against them.

For example, he was heard to say after the case, "you see what I did to those anarchists," and even use racist terms to describe them during the trial.

This suggests that the men weren't really given a fair trial.

So we are now ready to put all of our knowledge into practise.

In what ways did the Red Scare affect different groups of Americans? Write two paragraphs outlining different impacts which the Red Scare had in the years between 1920 and 1923.

You should consider the experiences of different groups, for example, immigrants and trade unions as part of your answer.

So pause the video here and press play when you're ready to reflect on your response.

Okay, well done for all your effort on that task.

So I asked you, in what ways did the Red Scare affect different groups of Americans? Your answer may have included, one way the Red Scare affected American lives was by discouraging trade unions.

For example, during the Red Scare, many people had accused trade unions of attempting to prepare for a revolution when they organised strikes.

As a result, Americans grew much more suspicious of trade unions in the 1920s and unionised activity felt substantially.

Between 1920 and 1923, membership nearly halved to 3.

6 million and a number of strikes organised also fell to only 900 by 1929 compared to 3,600 in 1919.

This suggests that many Americans no longer wanted to be involved with trade unions after the Red Scare.

Alternatively, your answer may have included, another way the Red Scare affected the lives of Americans was by encouraging intolerance towards immigrants.

Radical ideas like anarchism and communism were often associated with immigrants from Eastern and Southern Europe.

So they faced unfair treatment.

For example, 556 immigrants were deported from the USA after the Palmer Raids as they were suspected communists and anarchists, even courts treated immigrants unfairly.

For example, when Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were put on trial in 1921, the judge referred to them as "our enemy" and used racist terms against them.

This suggests that prejudice towards some groups of immigrants increased during an after the Red Scare and even led to the government treating many immigrants unfairly.

So really well done if your own paragraphs look something like those two models, which we've just seen.

And that means we've now reached the end of today's lesson.

So we're in a good position to summarise our learning.

We've seen that during the Red Scare, there was widespread paranoia about the threat of anarchism and communism in the USA.

Events abroad, prejudice towards immigrants, strikes and acts of terrorism all contributed to the development of the Red Scare.

In 1919 and 1920, the Palmer Raids targeted thousands of suspected communists and anarchists but uncovered no real evidence of revolutionary plans.

And the Red Scare led to intolerance of immigrants and discouraged trade union activities in the 1920s.

So really well done for all of your effort in today's lesson.

It's been a pleasure to help guide you for our resources today.

And I look forward to seeing you again in future as we think further about life in America in the 1920s and how the lives of Americans were affected by the boom.