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Introduction

Was the Sacco and Vanzetti case the worst case of intolerance in 1920s America? (16) The 1920s was a period of great change in the USA, and is regarded as being the time of great change, with the 1920s being widely regarding as the ?roaring twenties? due to the fast economic and social revolution that society saw. However, there was another side to the ?roaring? side of the 1920s; the 1920s also saw some of the worst cases of widespread intolerance in America, including the horrific treatment of black American citizens, the harsh treatment of immigrants, the Sacco and Vanzetti case, as well as the Monkey Trial which highlighted the overall divide in society. The worst case of intolerance in 1920s is the treatment of black American citizens, who were seen and treated as ?second class? citizens simply due to the colour of skin, along with numerous incidents involving violence against the black American population. The worst case of intolerance in 1920s America is clearly the mistreatment of black Americans. Black Americans suffered under the Jim Crow laws, in which they were segregated from the white community and not permitted to use the same public facilities as whites. ...read more.

Middle

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. ...read more.

Conclusion

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. ...read more.

This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE USA 1919-1941 section.