---------------- One meaningful and intractable problem with human
civilization is that it s fundamentally human. Another is that the universe is going to win
eventually. Human cruelty and frailty will be on display in the weeks ahead as we begin our series
exposing the 1920s year by year. Stay tuned for horrible events mostly forgotten, until now.
Between the end of World War One and the Great Depression
events were frequently violent and sometimes amazing.
The technologies and conveniences that define our modern lives were just coming into existence.
But the most awful parts of the previous century remained.
And natural disasters are a persistent threat at any time in human history.
Our first story shows that distrust of immigrants is a well-established
American tradition. ----------------
Palmer Raids During World War One,
President Woodrow Wilson led a nationwide campaign against certain immigrant groups. He was concerned
that groups of immigrants were loyal to their home countries and would betray the United States.
Woodrow Wilson was also extremely racist. So, he didn t need more reasons to distrust those
who arrived from other countries. Unfortunately, some Italian followers
of anarchist Luigi Galleani started mailing letter bombs to people in 1919.
One exploded when a housekeeper opened it. Her hands were blown off. Another damaged the home
of the US Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer. Along with each bomb were brochures that claimed
war was being declared on capitalism. Palmer first went after the anarchists in 1919.
He prosecuted three anarchists from Buffalo, New York. Ultimately the case was dismissed because
they were using free speech to transform the government rather than violence.
Palmer realized that he wouldn t get far trying to prosecute people for speaking against the
government. But he could use immigration law to target many of those who spoke publicly.
A young J. Edgar Hoover was put in charge of the investigation.
Throughout 1919 the government conducted raids against various immigrant communities.
Afterward many in these communities claimed they were beaten and threatened.
Several who were United States citizens said they were also arrested and
threatened with deportation. These events collectively became known as the Palmer Raids.
Palmer s success rate was not encouraging. For instance,
650 radicals were arrested in New York City. He was only able to deport forty-three of them.
Throughout 1920 Palmer kept publicly raising concerns about anarchists and communists.
He wanted Congress to pass an act that would allow him to prosecute those that
kept going free. Palmer wanted them to make speaking against the government illegal.
He also predicted that on May 1, 1920, there would be an attempted radical uprising.
The uprising never happened, which caused Palmer s support to erode in the Senate.
Additionally, in response to his raids, the American Civil Liberties Union was founded.
They challenged the behavior of the Department of Justice in court and won.
In June 1920 District Court Judge George W. Anderson
ordered the release of many of those arrested in the raids. In his decision he wrote:
"a mob is a mob, whether made up of Government officials acting under
instructions from the Department of Justice, or of criminals and loafers and the vicious classes."
Before this, Palmer was expected to be the next Democratic candidate for President.
Instead, his political career came to an end.
Anarchist bombing campaigns continued off and on for another twelve years.
Palm Sunday Tornado Outbreak In the 1920s weather forecasting wasn t exactly
useful. Daily newspapers in the United States tried to predict weather for their readers. But
by the time someone read the paper, the prediction might be out of date. Communications technology
couldn t keep up with changing conditions. Sometimes the forecasters could see bad weather
coming. But they could not print the word tornado in newspapers. It was prohibited
because authorities feared people would panic if they knew a tornado was coming.
March 28th, 1920 was Palm Sunday. In the early morning hours, a severe thunderstorm
began forming in Missouri. The storms began moving northeast toward Chicago, Illinois.
The front traveled very quickly moving at over sixty miles per hour.
A tornado formed and killed thirty-five people as it moved through Springfield, Missouri.
Later in the day the atmosphere began destabilizing all over the Midwest.
Storms raged from the Great Lakes all the way into Georgia. Nobody knows for sure how many tornadoes
formed, but it was at least thirty-seven. At least 153 people were killed. Another 1,215
were injured. In addition to those killed in Missouri, there were also fatalities in
Ohio, Indiana, and Georgia. Everyone was caught by surprise
when the tornadoes arrived. They had no idea that bad weather was coming.
It wouldn t become standard practice to warn the public about tornadoes until 1954.
Duluth Lynchings
During World War One and the decade following it, black people in the United States began
migrating from southern states to northern states. They wanted to escape the rampant
racism that was normal in the south. Most hoped to find well-paying jobs and create a better life.
Some accomplished that goal by joining the circus.
On June 14, the John Robinson Circus came to Duluth for one night.
The circus gave one performance then planned to move on.
After the show, black workers began dismantling the tent. As they loaded items into the wagons,
they were watched by two teenagers that had snuck into the area.
Jimmie Sullivan was eighteen years old. Irene Tusken, his companion, was nineteen.
Nobody knows what really happened between Jimmie, Irene, and the workers.
But later that evening Jimmie told his father that five or six of the workers assaulted him.
Then they raped Irene and robbed her. The next morning the Duluth police chief
took all the black workers from the circus and lined them up. He asked Jimmie and Irene
to identify their attackers. The police chief arrested six men for the rape and
robbery and took them to city jail. On June 15, Irene was examined by her
physician who found no evidence of rape. But the truth no longer mattered.
Newspapers printed stories about the rape. Rumors began to spread claiming that Irene was
near death from her injuries. The result was an angry mob of several thousand men
that formed outside the city jail. The police chief ordered his officers to
not use their guns to defend the prisoners. When the mob succeeded in breaking down the doors,
they entered the jail and took the imprisoned circus workers. They decided to hang them.
Three of the prisoners were beaten then hanged from a light pole.
The next day the Minnesota National Guard arrived. They protected the surviving three prisoners.
They were also charged with protecting four more because the police went back
to the circus and arrested more men for Irene s supposed rape and robbery.
The members of the mob were identified, and trials were held. A grand jury handed down
137 indictments. None of those charged were convicted of killing the prisoners.
Ultimately, three were found guilty of rioting and served no more than fifteen months in prison.
The seven black men who were arrested were also put on trial for rape.
Charges were dismissed for five. One went to trial and was acquitted. Another went to trial and was
found guilty and sentenced to thirty years. He was released after serving four years.
Wall Street Bombing On September 16, a horse drawn
wagon pulled up to the headquarters of the J.P. Morgan Bank. Inside the wagon was 100 pounds of
dynamite and 500 pounds of cast-iron weights. The explosives were connected to a timer. Around
noon the detonation was triggered. The dynamite exploded and shrapnel flew in all directions.
Forty people were killed in the blast. They were young people who worked in
mostly low-level positions. Several more in the area suffered severe injuries.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation didn t exist yet. Its predecessor was the Bureau of
Investigation. The Justice Department asked them to find out who planted the bomb.
Brochures were found in the area that said: "Remember, we will not tolerate any longer.
Free the political prisoners, or it will be sure death for all of you."
At the bottom was written American Anarchist Fighters .
The Bureau investigated for three years. They were never able to find out who planted the bomb.
Bloody Sunday The United States wasn t the only
place experiencing violence and unrest. The Irish War of Independence was at its height in 1920.
The Irish Republican Army, or IRA, fought against British forces hoping to win their independence.
Michael Collins was the leader of this new Irish government.
On November 21 he instructed the IRA to kill a group of undercover British agents that
were living in Dublin, Ireland. IRA operatives traveled to various locations within the city.
They killed fifteen people including some innocent civilians.
The killings caused panic among British authorities.
They fled to Dublin Castle for safety. Later that day British forces raided
a football game. They were supposed to seal off the area and perform a search.
Instead, they opened fire on players and spectators. At least fourteen civilians
were killed and sixty more were wounded. Three of the IRA operatives that carried out
the attacks were captured and brought to Dublin Castle. Two of them were beaten then killed.
The IRA operation severely damaged British Intelligence in the city.
And the British retaliation against civilians and operatives resulted in
increased public support for Irish independence. Direct conflict continued for two more years.
The violence didn t end for decades. -------------------------------
Government overreach. Natural disasters. Bombings. And of course, civil war. 1920 was a difficult
year for terrorists and victims alike. The struggles of this decade would
shape the modern world into the dark and foreboding place we enjoy today.
Which of these troubling events from 1920 bothered you the most?
Let us know in the comments if you feel up to the task.
If you want to see more of this troubling decade then hit the like button and consider
subscribing to our channel. You might also enjoy a previous series we completed called
Bad Things Happened in the 1950s. Thank you for watching Bad Things in History.