AP US History in 1 Minute Daily: The Red Scare (Day 233/309)

Hey APUSHers, let’s chat about the Red Scare as part of my series- APUSH in 1 Minute Daily!

“We Can’t Digest the Scum,” The Ohio State University

During and after World War 1, a period of intense anti-communist hysteria swept the United States and was known as the Red Scare.

Step by Step, Wikimedia Commons

Fueled by the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the rise of communism, Americans became deeply suspicious of radical leftist ideologies, feared a Bolshevik-style revolution, and targeted immigrants. 

“Huns, Here, There, Everywhere,” The Delineator

The federal government responded with legislation such as the Espionage and Sedition Acts which were used to suppress dissent, leading to the imprisonment of political activists. 

“The Soviet Ark,” Wikimedia Commons

Additionally, the Federal Bureau of Investigation was established and was tasked with monitoring and suppressing perceived subversive activities. The Bureau was the lead agency of the Palmer Raids, in which thousands of suspected radicals were arrested and deported.

The period of intense fears over the spread of communism known as the Red Scare led to scrutiny of immigrants, increased restrictions on civil liberties, and created an atmosphere of political repression.

Join me tomorrow as I explain Women in the 1920s in the next APUSH in 1 Minute Daily!