US Social Changes in the 1920s: Immigration, Klan, Prohibition
Shifting Tides: US Immigration Policy in the 1920s
The 1920s saw significant changes to American immigration policy, marked by the introduction of quotas designed to limit the influx of immigrants from certain regions.
- 1921 Immigration Quota: New immigrants were allowed in a proportion of 3% to the number of people from the same nationality who had been in America in 1910.
- 1924 National Origins Act: The quota was reduced to 2% of the 1890 census.
- 1929: Only 150,000 immigrants were allowed in per year. No Asians. Northern and Western Europeans were to be allocated 85% of all these places. The idea was to reduce immigration from Southern and Eastern Europe, Japan, and China.
The Rise and Fall of the Ku Klux Klan
The Ku Klux Klan (KKK) first emerged in the Southern states at the end of the American Civil War (1861-1865). Its aim was to terrorize Black people, newly freed from slavery. Revived in 1915, the Klan attracted fanatics who believed that the best citizens were white Anglo-Saxon Protestants. They fought for “native” white supremacy and were anti-Communist, anti-Black, anti-Jew, anti-Catholic, and anti-foreigner. After 1925, Klan membership seriously declined, partly due to the excesses of some of its leaders.
The Black Experience in the 1920s
Although slavery had been abolished after the American Civil War, Black people continued to suffer discrimination and harsh treatment. Many states passed laws for the segregation of Black people in public places, known as Jim Crow laws. The situation was particularly bad in the Southern states, leading many to move North in hopes of better lives. However, life in the cities was not without its problems, and many lived in poverty.
The Harlem Renaissance: During this period, talented Black artists and writers expressed their social and economic grievances through their work, making white people aware of the Black experience.
Prohibition: Noble Experiment or National Disaster?
Between January 1920 and December 1933, it was against the law to make, sell, or transport alcoholic beverages in the USA.
Why Did America Introduce Prohibition?
The growth of the Temperance movement played a significant role. During the First World War, “dries” (those who supported Prohibition) used drinking as a cause of German aggression and suggested that refusing alcohol was a patriotic duty.
Bootleggers, Smugglers, and Illegal Liquor
Bootleggers and smugglers organized themselves into gangs and brought illegal liquor supplies into the cities. By the late 1920s, most alcohol was made in illegal stills at home, known as “moonshine.” Homebrewed “bathtub gin” could be drinkable, but it was often deadly. Although alcohol was still needed for some industrial processes, and despite the government deliberately adding poison to industrial alcohol, much of it was resold for drinking.
Stopping the Trade
The profits from bootlegging were so great that many people were willing to risk imprisonment. To stop the trade, the Prohibition Bureau employed agents. However, they were badly paid, and it soon became clear that something was wrong when some were being bribed.
Organized Crime and Corruption
Criminal gangs increased their activity and power. Rival gangs fought each other to supply illegal alcohol, hijacking their booze supplies and murdering the opposition. By the end of the decade, only the most powerful gangs had survived. Bribes taken by officials were high, and this meant that other rackets run by gangsters could operate without interference from the police or courts.
The End of Prohibition
Widely considered a cause of the violent crime wave that had swept the USA, Prohibition was repealed in 1933.