History of antisemitism in the United States

Historians have long debated the extent of antisemitism in America's past and contrasted American antisemitism with its European counterpart. Earlier students of American Jewish life minimized the presence of antisemitism in the United States , which they viewed as a late and alien phenomenon on the American scene arising in the late nineteenth century. More recently, scholars have asserted that no period in American Jewish history was free of antisemitism. The debate continues about the significance of antisemitism in different periods of American history. Antisemitism has always been less prevalent in the United States than in Europe . Anti-Jewish sentiment started around the time of the American Civil War , when General Ulysses S. Grant issued an order (quickly rescinded by President Abraham Lincoln ) of expulsion against Jews from the portions of Tennessee, Kentucky and Mississippi under his control. ( See General Order No. 11 ) In the first half of 1900s, Jews were discriminated against in some employment, not allowed into some social clubs and resort areas, given a quota on enrollment at colleges, and not allowed to buy certain properties. Antisemitism reached its peak during the interwar period. The rise of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s, the antisemitic works of Henry Ford , and the radio speeches of Father Coughlin in the late 1930s indicated the strength of attacks on the Jewish community. Following the Second World War and the American Civil Rights Movement , anti-Jewish sentiment waned.

Earlier students of American Jewish life minimized the presence of antisemitism in the United States , which they viewed as a late and alien phenomenon on the American scene arising in the late 19th century. More recently, scholars have asserted that no period in American Jewish history was free of antisemitism. The debate continues about the significance of antisemitism in different periods of American history. Antisemitism has always been less prevalent in the United States than in Europe . The first incident of anti-Jewish sentiment was recorded during the American Civil War , when General Ulysses S. Grant issued an order (quickly rescinded by President Abraham Lincoln ) of expulsion against Jews from the portions of Tennessee, Kentucky and Mississippi under his control. ( See General Order No. 11 .) In the first half of the 20th century, Jews were discriminated against in some employment, not allowed into some social clubs and resort areas, given a quota on enrollment at colleges, and not allowed to buy certain properties. Antisemitism reached its peak during the interwar period. The rise of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s, the antisemitic works of Henry Ford , and the radio speeches of Father Coughlin in the late 1930s indicated the strength of attacks on the Jewish community. Following the Second World War and the American Civil Rights Movement , anti-Jewish sentiment waned.

A cartoon from Judge magazine showing the advancement of poor Jewish immigrants, 1892. There have been different opinions among historians with regard to the extent of antisemitism in America's past and how American antisemitism contrasted with its European counterpart . Earlier students of American Jewish life minimized the presence of antisemitism in the United States , which they considered a late and alien phenomenon that arose on the American scene in the late 19th century. More recently however, scholars have asserted that no period in American Jewish history was free of antisemitism. The debate about the significance of antisemitism during different periods of American history has continued to the present day. The first governmental incident of anti-Jewish sentiment was recorded during the American Civil War , when General Ulysses S. Grant issued a General Order (quickly rescinded by President Abraham Lincoln ) of expulsion against Jews from the portions of Tennessee, Kentucky and Mississippi that were under his control. During the first half of the 20th century, Jews were discriminated or limited in some employment, certain properties, social clubs, resort areas and quotas on enrollment at colleges. Antisemitism reached its peak during the interwar period with the rise of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s, antisemitic publications in The Dearborn Independent , and incendiary radio speeches by Father Coughlin in the late 1930s. Following World War II and the Holocaust , anti-Jewish sentiment declined significantly in the United States. However, in recent years there has been an upsurge in antisemitic hate crimes .

Anti-semitic caricature from Judge magazine depicting negative tropes of the Jewish diaspora, 1892. Antisemitism has a long history in the United States of America . Jewish people having been living in North America since the colonial period , and antisemitism in the United States has roots in this time. One early US governmental incident of anti-Jewish action came during the American Civil War , when General Ulysses S. Grant issued General Order No. 11 (1862) to expel Jews from the portions of Tennessee, Kentucky and Mississippi then under his control. The order was quickly rescinded by President Lincoln. Grant himself later became a supporter of Jews. From the 1870s to the 1940s, Jews were routinely discriminated against and barred from working in some fields of employment, barred from residing certain properties, not accepted as members by elite social clubs, barred from resort areas and limited by quotas in enrolling in elite colleges. Antisemitism reached its peak with the rise of the second Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s, antisemitic publications by Henry Ford , and incendiary radio speeches by Father Coughlin in the late 1930s. Following World War II and the Holocaust , antisemitic sentiment declined in the United States; nevertheless, there has been an upsurge in the number of antisemitic hate crimes in recent years.