Why did the US suddenly become so fearful of immigration in the 1920s?

Answer 1

In the 1920s the United States became fearful and hesitant of Immigration mainly because of the First World War. The Americans feared communism and were concerned with the damage they had been left with after the First World War. They also didn't agree with immigrants coming over with different religious backgrounds.

Answer 2

There are a variety of reasons why many Americans feared immigration during this period.

The main factors were its effect on employment and overcrowding, and, an aversion to change and ideological differences. These will be explored (in summary form) below:

1. Employment

• The large number of immigrants looking for work (willing to endure poor conditions and relatively low wages) meant cheap labour was widely available to employers- in other words there was more competition for the existing workers.
• Employers often used these immigrant workers as 'strikebreakers' who would undermine strikes.

2. Overcrowding

• Big cities saw massive growth during this era, one example is New York, which more than tripled its population in just thirty years.
• Many saw the continued arrival of new immigrants as further confounding the problem.
• Another point is that in cities certain districts often became 'immigrant ghettos' for different nationalities; this separation arguably fostered already existent fears.

3. Ideological Differences

• By the 1890s established Americans already had a strong sense of cultural identity. This identity was largely inherited from WASP (White, Anglo-Saxon, Protestant) immigrants, who tended to dominate politics.
• This lead some immigrants to be viewed as 'un-American'because they did not conform to this identity.
• A more direct example is of poorer European immigrants bringing ideas such as Communism and Anarchism that seemed hostile to Democracy, 'rugged individualism' and the American way of life in general.

So we can conclude a combination of these three main factors (along with countless other variables) contributed to the general fear of immigration in the collective American psyche, between 1890-1920.