Summary

After the Russian Revolution in 1917 when the Bolsheviks gained power and established a Communist regime, fear ignited in America that Communism would spread to the United States. A sidebar on page 96 summarizes the rise and history of Communism in Eastern Europe. In the United States, anyone seen to be unpatriotic or who advocated for something like labor reform was suspected of being a Communist. Immigrants were also disproportionately suspected and targeted. In the spring and summer of 1919, several politicians were targeted by anarchist terrorists who sent explosives to them through the mail, though there was only one fatality. Attorney General Palmer was convinced that these were attacked by Communists and he took immediate, dramatic action. Palmer established a database of suspected sympathizers, and many suspected Communists lost their jobs. At the same time, violence began to erupt at marches and...