On June 2, 1919, an anarchist's bomb exploded in front of the house of Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer. Other bombs had been set that day against different government officials. Palmer and the Department of Justice responded in January of 1920 with raids that arrested thousands of people who were suspected anarchists. It was soon questioned whether these "Palmer Raids" were constitutional, however, as a lack of communications and planning resulted in many innocent people being taken from their homes.
In which way were the Palmer Raids possibly unconstitutional?
A. There was no threat from anarchists in the U.S.
B. They were not authorized by the government.
C. Many people were arrested without evidence.
D. Most of the raids were unnecessarily violent.

Police raided locations like the Russian People’s House in New York City, where Russian immigrants often gathered for educational purposes. Department of Justice agents stormed a meeting room and beat the 200 occupants with clubs and blackjacks.

The questioning that followed revealed that only 39 of the people arrested had anything to do with the union.

Assistant Secretary of Labor Louis F. Post joined the criticism after reviewing deportation cases, claiming that innocent people were punished under Palmer’s efforts.