The Origins and Meaning of “Put Them Out and Keep Them Out”

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Robby

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The phrase “put them out and keep them out” has a complex history in American politics. It emerged in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as a xenophobic slogan used to target immigrants, radicals, and organized labor. Understanding the origins and evolution of this phrase provides insight into a divisive period in America’s past.

Background of an Unsettled Era

During the late 1800s and early 1900s, American society was undergoing dramatic changes:

  • Rapid industrialization shifted work from farms to cities, displacing rural populations.
  • New waves of immigration, especially from Southern and Eastern Europe, challenged traditional Anglo-Saxon demographic dominance.
  • Income inequality grew as business tycoons amassed wealth while exploited workers struggled.
  • Radical political ideologies like socialism, anarchism and communism arose in response to labor exploitation.
  • Economic depressions, strikes, and unemployment created anxiety about stability.

Perceived Threats

Many native-born Americans perceived these changes and influx of immigrants as threats

  • Xenophobia cast newcomers as unwanted foreigners with strange religions and politics.
  • Labor unrest was blamed on external radical influences rather than poor conditions.
  • Fears emerged that radicals would disrupt major industries and institutions.
  • Prejudice toward groups like Italians, Slavs, Russians and Eastern European Jews prevailed.

Anti-Immigrant Sentiment

“Put them out and keep them out” first emerged as a warning against immigrant radicals and labor organizers. It became a xenophobic rallying cry for immigration restrictions targeting specific ethnicities:

  • Mass arrests and deportations of immigrant radicals were cheered under this mantra.
  • The slogan captured the desire to purge unwanted foreigners and circle the wagons around a narrow conception of Americanism.
  • It reflected prejudice toward new immigrant groups deemed racially suspect and politically subversive.

Suppressing Labor Rights

The slogan was also used by business interests to undermine unionism

  • Organized labor was conflated with radicalism in the popular imagination.
  • Collective bargaining and worker solidarity were associated with foreign ideologies.
  • Employees were compelled to reject unions to prove their patriotism.
  • “Put them out and keep them out” validated anti-labor tactics as necessary counters to alien threats.

Legacy of Intolerance

While radical violence was a real concern prejudice and hysteria exaggerated the threats

  • Civil rights violations resulted as thousands were detained without due process.
  • Entire ethnic groups were condemned based on the actions of a few.
  • Racism and xenophobia drove exclusion more than genuine risks.

The residual effects of this isolationist stance influenced immigration debates for decades. “Put them out and keep them out” encapsulated how fear drives extreme reactions when social foundations are threatened.

As we reflect on this complex history, we see the dangers of letting prejudice arise amid times of change. This slogan remains a cautionary tale of how easily hostility can disguise itself as vigilance when societies feel fearful and unstable. Examining this distressing phrase prompts us to pursue inclusion, empathy and due process instead.

put them out and keep them out

♫ “Keep Them Out” – A Minecraft Parody of Taylor Swift’s Shake It Off (Music Video)

FAQ

What does the cartoon put them out and keep them out mean?

Titled “Put Them Out and Keep Them Out” it depicts a bearded Bolshevik, symbolizing the threat of communism, sneaking under the American flag. The artist’s intention is clear – to instill fear and suspicion towards anyone associated with radical political movements.

What does “come unto me ye opprest” mean?

The caption ironically reads “COME UNTO ME YE OPPREST”, a welcoming slogan to immigrants from less free nations. Anti-anarchist sentiment was high during the turn of the century, and was legislated into US law as the Anarchist Exclusion Act in 1901 and again in 1918.

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