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expressed their ideals.
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The Color of Fear - America's "Red Scare"
By Toni Lee Robinson
The world is torn by war. Terrorism
strikes fear into the hearts of people
everywhere. Sounds like today's 5:00 news,
right? Actually, this was the world of the
early 1900s. The Great War was raging in
Europe. In Russia, a group called the
Bolsheviks waged civil war. They took
over the nation of Russia in 1917. Many of
the rebels were anarchists. They believed
in the total disruption of law and order.
Bombs were a common tool of this group.
The anarchists killed many who opposed
them.
The U.S. wasn't the scene of a battlefield. However, a war of sorts
was going on. There had been a long debate over U.S. involvement
in the war. Then America had joined the conflict. A wave of
patriotism and unity swept the nation. Anyone opposed to the war
then was considered un-American. Some groups remained anti-war.
One of these groups was the socialists. The Communists were
another. Involvement in the war, they believed, was a ploy of the
wealthy.
Socialists defended the cause of the wage earner. They believed
that wealth should be parceled out evenly among all. The
Communists carried these ideas even further. They sought a society
where people were not allowed to accumulate wealth. They believed
the working class should rule. The symbol of these ideals was a red
flag. "Reds" became the shorthand label for anyone who held these
ideals.
Both groups were involved in the growing discontent among U.S.
workers. At a socialist gathering, a labor group called the Industrial
Workers of the World (IWW) came into being. They were known as
the Wobblies. The IWW called on workers to gather together. This
huge union would then fight for workers' rights. Wobblies wanted to
abolish the system of worker vs. factory owner. A song by Joe Hill
"Workers of the world, awaken.
Break your chains! Demand your rights!
All the wealth you make is taken
By exploiting parasites."
The socialist/Wobbly message sounded good to many in America.
It was especially appealing to immigrants. After World War One,
many people had come to America from their war-torn nations. They
were looking for a better life. They struggled to get on their feet in a
new country. For a few, the anarchist methods seemed the only path
to their goals. Bombs were exploded in U.S. cities. More bombs
were discovered before they could go off.
Not all socialists or IWW followers believed in anarchy. But
many Americans were a little nervous already. They were confused
about all these radical ideas. A bloody revolution had already taken
place in Russia. Would it happen in America?
At the same time, other problems were coming to light. At war's
end, industries struggled to find markets for their goods. Returning
soldiers were hard put to find jobs. Wages and conditions went
downhill. A wave of labor unrest hit the U.S. Workers in the vast
shipyards of Seattle organized a strike. In all, some 60,000 workers
walked off the job.
National news reports branded the workers as "Reds." The
papers predicted the fall of the city. The people of Seattle rushed to
buy survival supplies. In the city and the nation, panic took hold.
Thousands of police and federal troops were called out. In the end,
labor leaders called off the strike. A short time later, a bomb plot was
uncovered. Plans for the bombing of the home of Seattle's mayor
were found before they could be carried out.
The events in Seattle influenced public feeling for months
afterward. Any new attempt at labor organization was declared a
"Red" plot. In fact, the slightest stir anywhere for any reason caused
panic. Many people were stricken with fear. Would the violence of
Europe become a way of life in America? Was the U.S. becoming
another roiling cauldron of conflict? Where were the radicals hiding?
Where would they strike next? Something must be done!
Suspicion spread like wild fire. People who had come to America
from other places were viewed with distrust. Anyone expressing the
slightest tinge of discontent with the U.S. was suspect. Anyone
4. Explain the ideals of the Wobblies. Why were they associated
with the "Reds"?
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leaning toward workers' rights was branded a radical. All were
labeled communists or "Reds." The U.S. had plunged into a vast
ocean of fear. The waters of this storm-tossed sea had a distinct
color. They were "Red."
The Color of Fear - America's "Red Scare"
Questions
1. Name two things happening elsewhere in the world that were
affecting America in 1917.
5. How did events in Russia affect the American public?
A. They were indifferent-what happened in Russia couldn't
affect them.
B. They wanted to offer the Bolsheviks a safe haven in
America.
C. People felt sorry for the Bolsheviks and supported their
fight.
D. They feared that the revolution would spread and
America would be taken over.
6. Describe public reaction to the strike at the Seattle shipyards.
How did this strike affect the efforts of labor organizers?
2. Anarchists were:
A. People opposed to war
B. A group who used total disruption of order to reach their
political goals
C. Members of a labor union
D. Those who thought the U.S. should take over other
countries
3. What are the beliefs of socialists and Communists? How are
they the same? How are they different?
7. During the "Red Scare," immigrants were suspected of
conspiring to overthrow the U.S. government.
A. True
B. False
Describe the effects of fear on an individual. Give examples from your
own experience.
Name
8. Imagine you live in Seattle in 1919, at the time of the shipyard
strike. Your father is a shipyard worker. Write a journal entry
for the day the strike begins. Tell how you would feel about
the strike. Write another entry for the day the strike is called
off. How would you feel about public reaction to the strike?
What happens when a group of people is gripped by fear? Illustrate
your answer from an event of history or your own experience.