Why was terrorism such a prevalent force in America between 1906 and 1920?
Iwan Taylor-Evans - AM-338
Terrorism was a prevalent force within America between 1906 and 1920 for a multitude of reasons, such as the effectiveness of the anarchist movement, the growing resentment towards capitalism within the working class, issues surrounding immigration and most importantly, a flawed response from the US Government. The anarchist movement was effective due to the insouciant approach many Americans held towards the terrorist threat as attacks only occurred sporadically. Figure heads of the anarchist movement such as Emma Goldman were able to tour America, spreading the anarchist message, giving the cause free publicity as Richard Jensen notes, which allowed it to remain relevant. 1 The message of the anarchist movement resonated with people due to the growing resentment towards capitalism within the working class. Jensen acknowledges that there was much more sympathy towards the anarchists and the ‘reds’ during the severe economic crisis of 1907-1908, which resulted in mass unemployment. Resentment towards capitalism was particularly prevalent during and after World War One, culminating in the Wall Street Explosion in 1920, an event that Jeffrey Simons describes as the most ‘devastating terrorist attack’ at the time on U.S. soil. 2 Issues surrounding immigration caused resentment amongst both those who had migrated to America and individuals who were leading the nation. Congress had passed legislation in 1907 which excluded immigrants who held anarchist beliefs from entering America 3 , which in turn led to the mistreatment of European communities, garnering a lot more sympathy for the anarchist cause. 4 Resentment surrounding immigration resulted in the Palmer Raids which saw the arrests of thousands that were deemed to be involved in the Red Scare, although the majority of arrests were made without warrants. 5 Chris Finan acknowledges that 50% of those arrested, were simply in the wrong place and did not know English. 6 1 Richard Jensen, ‘The United States, International Policing and the War against Anarchist Terrorism, 1900-1914’, Terrorism and Political Violence , 13.1 (2001), 15-46 (p. 33). 2 Jeffrey D. Simon, ‘The Forgotten Terrorists: Lessons from the History of Terrorism’, Terrorism and Political Violence, 20.2 (2008), 195-214, (p. 208). 3 Jensen (2001), p. 20. 4 Simon, p. 211. 5 Simon, p. 211. 6 Christopher Finan, From the Palmer Raids to the Patriot Act: A History of the Fight for Free Speech in America (Boston: Beacon Press, 2007), p.2. ProQuest Ebook Central.
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