Another case of intolerance based on skin colour was the Sacco and Vanzetti case, arguably the second most important case. Sacco and Vanzetti were two Italian immigrants who were wrongly accused of the murder of Fred Parmenter, a paymaster of a factory. Despite large scale protests by the American public, several other people who confessed to the crime, evidence that the evidence used in the trial had been falsified, and 107 eye witnesses who confirmed Sacco and Vanzetti’s alibi, the judge of the case was intent on finding the two guilty, and both were eventually executed by the electric chair. Many pointed out after the trial that Sacco and Vanzetti were only targeted by the judge due to their skin colour, being ‘olive skinned men’ as described by the paymaster before his death. The intolerance of the government in the 1920s can only be confirmed; in the 1970s both Sacco and Vanzetti were both granted a formal pardon by the Governor of the state due to mistrial. Therefore, the Sacco and Vanzetti case can be seen as the second worst case of intolerance, due to the fact that it showed how intolerance was also widespread across the judicial system of America, and not only the public. However, compared to the treatment of black Americans it is not as significant as Sacco and Vanzetti were the only two victims of the mistrial, while several thousands of black Americans suffered injuries or were murdered due to their skin colour, and little was done to help them.
The third worst case of intolerance was the attitudes towards immigrants. While the US prided itself on being a place where people could come together to form a new identity, many regarded immigrants as ‘inferior’, ‘lower quality’ immigrants who had little education and were largely ignored by the government, resulting in the formation of ghettos. Many also associated immigrants with conflicting political beliefs, such as the Red Scare in which there was fear that Eastern European immigrants in particular could spread communism into the US. The general idea of an ‘ideal American’ was WASP, White Anglo-Saxon Protestants. Many of the new immigrants did not meet this criteria and were often blamed for issues across the US such as the rise of violence in ghettos, anarchy and crimes, leading to rising hostility towards immigrants. The treatment of immigrants can therefore be seen as relatively significant, due to the fact that it affected a large proportion of the American population. However, it is not as significant as the Sacco and Vanzetti case or the treatment of black Americans as while there was hostility, there was little action taken against immigrants to directly deny them their rights and the new policies introduced to curb immigration can be seen as justifiable, as a measure taken in order to maintain the US’ stability.
Lastly, the fourth worst case of intolerance was shown by the Monkey Trial. This trial exposed the wide gulf in beliefs between rural and urban America, and how there was inability to accept change in culture and society. The rural areas of America, especially those in the ‘Bible belt’ upheld the beliefs of Christianity, going as far as banning the teaching of evolution in schools. This showed the intolerance towards other’s beliefs, and the suppression of anything deemed to be conflicting with the state governments’ own beliefs. This ban eventually lead to one teacher deliberately teaching evolution in his class, in order to be put on trial, resulting in the Monkey Trial. While the teacher Scopes was convicted of breaking the state law, the media coverage of the trial exposed the intolerance of the ‘Bible belt’ state governments who were unwilling to allow people their right to freedom of speech and expression, due to their own Christian beliefs. This case was quite significant as it highlighted the huge divide in American society, and also how intolerance was not only in the form of violence and physical action but also affected even education and people’s rights. However, the Monkey Trial had no major consequences in terms of physical harm, and the Trial had little effect on the general public except for the arrest of Scopes.
All these factors interlink together in order to create the intolerant views that were popular throughout 1920s America. The worst case of intolerance in 1920s America was the treatment of the black American population, due to the large number of victims that suffered from physical violence and intimidation. While the Sacco and Vanzetti case, as well as the policies towards immigration suggest intolerance in the government itself, there were limited physical consequences in that while these involved a large number of the population, there was limited actual physical action taken against them whereas with the case of the black Americans who often became victim of physical attacks and murders. The Monkey Trial is the least significant out of the four cases, as although it demonstrates that there was a divide in the society of the US over opinions, there were little consequences as a result of the trial and the trial resulted in widening the public’s perception to intolerance, rather than promoting it itself. These factors link as the treatment of black Americans was similar to the treatment of immigrants and the Sacco and Vanzetti case, although in the case of the black Americans their treatment was more extreme. The Monkey Trial case also interlinks with the immigration case, where there was a stigma regarding changing opinions and cultures in some areas. Although none of the cases can represent the true extent of intolerance themselves, the treatment of black Americans is the worst case of intolerance in 1920s America.
