Alexander Mitchell Palmer (1872–1936), a lawyer, politician, and attorney general of the United States after World War I, is remembered for directing the notorious “Palmer raidsPalmer raidsThe Palmer Raids were a series of raids conducted in November 1919 and January 1920 by the United States Department of Justice under the administration of President Woodrow Wilson to capture and arrest suspected socialists, especially anarchists and communists, and deport them from the United States.

What role did Mitchell Palmer play?

Alexander Mitchell Palmer (May 4, 1872 – May 11, 1936), was an American attorney and politician who served as the 50th United States attorney general from 1919 to 1921. He is best known for overseeing the Palmer Raids during the Red Scare of 1919–20. White Haven, Pennsylvania, U.S.

Did the Palmer Raids cause the Red Scare?

The raids, fueled by social unrest following World War I, were led by Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer and are viewed as the climax of that era’s so-called Red Scare.

What was the Red Scare Why did Attorney General A Mitchell Palmer launch a series of raids against suspected communists?

Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer launch a series of raids against suspected Communists? He believed that a Communist revolution was imminent in the United States, and he needed an issue on which to campaign for the 1920 Democratic presidential nomination.

What foreign event caused the Red Scare and the Palmer Raids?

Causes of the Red Scare
The Bolshevik Revolution in Russia, which led many to fear that immigrants, particularly from Russia, southern Europe, and eastern Europe, intended to overthrow the United States government; The end of World War I, which caused production needs to decline and unemployment to rise.

Who is Mitchell Palmer Why is he important?

Alexander Mitchell Palmer (1872–1936), a lawyer, politician, and attorney general of the United States after World War I, is remembered for directing the notorious “Palmer raids,” a series of mass roundups and arrests by federal agents of radicals and political dissenters suspected of subversion.

What is a Mitchell Palmer known for quizlet?

Mitchell Palmer, was Attorney General of the United States from 1919 to 1921. He is best known for overseeing the “Palmer Raids” during the Red Scare of 1919-20.

Who was involved in the Red Scare?

Senator Joseph R. McCarthy was a little-known junior senator from Wisconsin until February 1950 when he claimed to possess a list of 205 card-carrying Communists employed in the U.S. Department of State.

Who led the First Red Scare?

First Red Scare

Part of the Revolutions of 1917-1923
“Step by Step” by Sidney Greene (1919)
Location United States
Cause October and Russian Revolution of 1917, 1919 United States anarchist bombings
Participants Lee Slater Overman Josiah O. Wolcott Knute Nelson A. Mitchell Palmer J. Edgar Hoover

When was Palmer Raids and Red Scare?

On June 2, 1919, a militant anarchist named Carlo Valdinoci blew up the front of newly appointed Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer’s home in Washington, D.C.—and himself up in the process when the bomb exploded too early.

What president was in office during the Red Scare?

Following the breakdown of the wartime East-West alliance with the Soviet Union, and with many remembering the First Red Scare, President Harry S. Truman signed an executive order in 1947 to screen federal employees for possible association with organizations deemed “totalitarian, fascist, communist, or subversive”, or

What was the Red Scare and what was it in response to?



The term is most often used to refer to two periods in the history of the United States which are referred to by this name. The First Red Scare, which occurred immediately after World War I, revolved around a perceived threat from the American labor movement, anarchist revolution, and political radicalism.

How did Attorney General Palmer justify the Palmer Raids?

Explanation: Palmer faced significant opposition, especially from Congress, but the raids were justified as necessary in the face of a larger American panic over communists and other perceived subversives supposedly embedded in parts of the American government.

What was Mitchell’s role in Watergate?

Tape recordings made by President Nixon and the testimony of others involved confirmed that Mitchell had participated in meetings to plan the break-in of the Democratic Party’s national headquarters in the Watergate Office Building.

What was the purpose of Palmers raid?

The Palmer Raids were a series of raids conducted in November 1919 and January 1920 by the United States Department of Justice under the administration of President Woodrow Wilson to capture and arrest suspected socialists, especially anarchists and communists, and deport them from the United States.

What impact did the Palmer Raids have on America?



The American Civil Liberties Union, or ACLU, was created in 1920 as a direct result of the Palmer Raids. It was suggested in a January 13 meeting to reorganize the National Civil Liberties Bureau as the ACLU, which held its first meeting on January 19. The ACLU’s first action was to challenge the Sedition Act.

How did Attorney General A Mitchell Palmer restrict civil liberties?

In November 1919 and January 1920, in what notoriously became known as the “Palmer Raids,” Attorney General Mitchell Palmer began rounding up and deporting so-called radicals. Thousands of people were arrested without warrants and without regard to constitutional protections against unlawful search and seizure.

Who was involved in the Red Scare?

Senator Joseph R. McCarthy was a little-known junior senator from Wisconsin until February 1950 when he claimed to possess a list of 205 card-carrying Communists employed in the U.S. Department of State.

How did Palmer Raids violate peoples civil rights?

The raids were direct violations of First Amendment rights to freedom of speech and freedom of press. The raids also violated the due process clause of the Fifth Amendment, as many individuals were arrested and detained without warrants.