The Decade We'd Rather Forget.
19th July, 1929 It has been decades since the end of the Great War. The tension and strife that had spoiled World Politics for a long time, finally gave way to this past period of peace and hope. Or has it? The 1920's haven't been the progressive, golden age for which America had hoped. Instead it has been a decade of rising intolerance and isolation with such problems as racial differences, restrictive immigration laws and prohibition.
In 1915, an enterprising bigot named William J. Simmons revived the Ku Klux Klan. They have targeted immigrants, Catholics, Jews as well as blacks for their "threat to American purity."ÃÂ The millions of supporters led the Klan to burn large, fiery crosses to threaten the Blacks who had demanded basic human rights. Those who persisted were either viciously beaten or lynched. Politicians feared the Klan because with such a large number of supporters, they have major power especially in the Democratic Party.
English: William Joseph Simmons, founder of the se...
Ku Klux Klan members and a burning cross, Denver, ...
Cartoon from 1868 ("'Tis but a change of banners -...They denied Governor Alfred E. Smith Presidential nominations because he was Roman Catholic, which shows us how dominant they are.
An immigration law, known as the Immigration Quota Act was enforced on June 5th, 1920, because "immigrants represented competition for jobs and are contributing to the overcrowded cities."ÃÂ The new law allowed anarchists and alien terrorists to be deported. Their goals were to keep out people who were considered undesirable and people of color or Asian background. The law was extremely effective and the severity of the law reveals that Americans are for racism and have an irrational fear of new cultures and ideas.
Prohibition was definitely one of America's worst laws because it was unable to be controlled by the authorities. January 16th, 1920, was the date the Eighteenth Amendment was passed, banning the selling,