Palmer Raids (oct 7, 1919 – may 1, 1920)

Description:

A series of unexplained bombings caused Attorny General A. Mitchel Palmer to establish a special office under J. Edgar Hoover to gather information on radicals. Palmer ordered a mass arrest of anarchism, socialists, and labor agitators. From November 1919 through January 1920, over 6,000 people were arrested based on limited criminal evidence. Most of the suspects were immigrants and ended up deported back to their country. Additionally Palmer warned of huge riots on May Day 1920, but they never happened. His loss of credibility, coupled with rising concerns about civil liberties, which caused the hysteria to recede.

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