32.2 Main Points

The main points of section 2 of chapter 32:

• During the Great Depression, unemployment rate rose rapidly, driving thousands of people into poverty.
• Unemployment affected people from all classes, races, ages, and sexes both financially and mentally.

Comparison of 3 Sources (revised)

There were three major social issues in the United Statesduring the 1920s. One of these issues concerned nativist organizations and the attacks on “non-white” groups. According to History Alive and Zinn, nativist organizations, such as the Ku Klux Klan, had growing political influence in the United States. By 1924, the membership of the KKK had reached four million, and politicians supported by the Klan were winning state legislatures in many states. Both sources also show that non-nativists faced “mob violence and race hatred everywhere”, as many “non-white” communities were terrorized by the KKK. Schweikart, however, has a different view. Although the nativists were attacking “non-white” immigrants, he claims that they were not a worry, since the "organization [KKK] had plummeted in membership since the 1920s".

Another post-WWI social issue in the United States was the “liberal” organizations which defended the “non-whites”. History Alive gives a balanced view point on this issue and thus, only provides enough information to verify that it agrees with it. Zinn and Schweikart both acknowledge that the liberal groups were active during this time period, but according to Zinn, liberal groups “seemed helpless” and ineffective against the strong discrimination towards “non-whites”. Organizations such as the NAACP could do very little for African Americans in the face of “the powerful white supremacy.” On the other hand, Schweikart spends time attacking the motives and characters of the liberals who supported and protected the rights of immigrants. Schweikart describes them as “…well-meaning whites…who practiced a quiet, and perhaps equally systematic, racism.”

The last social issue concerns the U.S. government. According to History Alive, the U.S. government took the side of the nativists, and Zinn seems to agree with this. This is evident in the Congress’ decision to pass immigration laws, such as the Immigration Act of 1924, which, according to Zinn, “put an end to the dangerous, turbulent flood of immigrants.” These laws favored Anglo-Saxons and attempted to keep out the “non-whites”. Zinn goes even further in stressing this point by providing specific quantitative data. Unlike History Alive and Zinn, Schweikart is silent on this issue. He neither agrees nor disagrees that the U.S. government was supporting the nativists in the 1920s.

Comparison of 3 Sources

There were three major social issues in the United States during the 1920s. One of these issues concerned nativist organizations and the attacks on “non-white” groups. According to History Alive and Zinn, nativist organizations, such as the Ku Klux Klan, had growing political influence in the United States. By 1924, the membership of the KKK had reached four million, and politicians supported by the Klan were winning state legislatures in many states. Both sources also show that non-nativists faced “mob violence and race hatred everywhere”, as many “non-white” communities were terrorized by the KKK. Schweikart, however, has a different view. Although the nativists were attacking “non-white” immigrants, he claims that they were not a worry, since the "organization [KKK] had plummeted in membership since the 1920s".

Another post-WWI social issue in the United States was the “liberal” organizations which defended the “non-whites”. History Alive gives a balanced view point on this issue and thus, only provides enough information to verify that it agrees with it. Zinn and Schweikart both acknowledge that the liberal groups were active during this time period, but according to Zinn, liberal groups “seemed helpless” and ineffective against the strong discrimination towards “non-whites”. Organizations such as the NAACP could do very little for African Americans in the face of “the powerful white supremacy.” On the other hand, Schweikart spends time attacking the motives and characters of the liberals who supported and protected the rights of immigrants. Schweikart describes them as “…well-meaning whites…who practiced a quiet, and perhaps equally systematic, racism.”

The last social issue concerns the U.S. government. According to History Alive, the U.S. government took the side of the nativists, and Zinn seems to agree with this. This is evident in the Congress’ decision to pass immigration laws, such as the Immigration Act of 1924, which, according to Zinn, “put an end to the dangerous, turbulent flood of immigrants.” These laws favored Anglo-Saxons and attempted to keep out the “non-whites”. Zinn goes even further in stressing this point by providing specific quantitative data. Unlike History Alive and Zinn, Schweikart is silent on this issue. He neither agrees nor disagrees that the U.S. government was supporting the nativists in the 1920s.