Nativism

Nativism combined such fears with the belief that established Americans’ culture should dominate. Some WASPs and some earlier immigrants or their descendants opposed newer arrivals. Their attitudes were not shared by every white American, but influential opponents helped turn prejudice into government restrictions.

The case’s significance is not that it settles whether the men committed the crime: it shows why many people believed that nativism and the Red Scare had compromised a fair trial.