Which statement about the Palmer raids is true?
A. They targeted immigrants.
B. They were completely supported by the government.
C. They aimed to destroy the Ku Klux Klan.
D. They were carried out by state police.
The correct answer and explanation is :
The correct answer is:
A. They targeted immigrants.
Explanation:
The Palmer Raids were a series of aggressive law enforcement actions carried out by the U.S. Department of Justice between 1919 and 1920. They were named after Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer and were primarily aimed at anarchists, communists, and other leftist radicals during the First Red Scare, a period of intense fear of communist influence in the United States following the Russian Revolution of 1917.
One of the most significant aspects of the Palmer Raids was their focus on immigrants, particularly those from Eastern and Southern Europe. Many of the individuals arrested and deported were suspected of being affiliated with radical political groups such as the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) and the Communist Party. Palmer, along with his assistant J. Edgar Hoover (who later became the head of the FBI), used the raids as an opportunity to suppress dissent and eliminate what they perceived as a threat to American democracy.
The raids often violated civil liberties, as individuals were arrested without warrants, held in inhumane conditions, and denied legal representation. Thousands of people were detained, and several hundred immigrants, including Emma Goldman and Alexander Berkman, were deported. Many of those arrested had no actual ties to communist or anarchist movements, but the hysteria of the time led to widespread paranoia and government overreach.
Although some government officials supported the raids, they were not completely backed by the entire government, ruling out option B. They were also not aimed at the Ku Klux Klan (C) nor were they conducted by state police (D)—instead, they were carried out by federal authorities under the Department of Justice.
Ultimately, the Palmer Raids contributed to growing concerns about civil liberties, leading to greater public scrutiny of government power.