Wall Street Bombing Provokes Fear of Foreign Born Extremists ... in 1920

1920 Wall Street Bombing
(Library of Congress)

The September 11, 2001 attacks were not the first time that American financial institutions were struck by an act of terrorism. At around noon on September 16, 1920, workers leaving their offices for lunch and midday errands on the corner of Wall and Broad street, in New York City's downtown financial district, suddenly found themselves in an intense shower of glass, later described as filling the street like snow. Thirty people were killed immediately and hundreds were injured by a blast of dynamite later traced to a horse drawn buggy--an old fashioned car bomb.

Although the culprits were never caught, it was thought that Anarchists or Communists were responsible. Many Americans at the time believed left leaning radicals had gathered enough strength in secret cells to bring down the U.S. government.

With hindsight, we know that the Red Scare of the 1920s was just that—a scare. But the fear engendered helped American politicians seek stricter laws and mobilize financial resources to combat the perceived threat. Three days after the tragic event, the New York Times reported that the Attorney General of the time, Mitchell Palmer, "would recommend in his annual report to Congress that drastic laws for dealing with anarchists and other disturbing elements be enacted. At the same time, he will ask for larger appropriations, which were denied in the past." Sound familiar?

Read more about: The Wall Street Bombing | The First Red Scare and the Collapse of American Civil Liberties | Anarchism and "anarchist terrorism" | History of Left Wing Terrorism | Contemporary Politics and Terrorist Legislation in U.S. Politics: Giuliani on the Patriot Act