Following the October Revolution in the Russian Empire , many in the United States feared the possibility of a Communist-inspired revolution in the United States . These fears were inflamed by the 1919 United States anarchist bombings , which were conducted by the anarchist Luigi Galleani and his followers . Fears over left-wing subversion , combined with a patriotic national mood , led to the outbreak of the so-called " First Red Scare . " Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer convinced Wilson to delay amnesty for those who had been convicted of war-time sedition , and he launched the Palmer Raids to suppress radical organizations . Palmer 's activities met resistance from the courts and from some senior officials in the Wilson administration , but Wilson , who was physically incapacitated by late 1919 , did not move to stop the raids . Palmer warned of a massive 1920 May Day uprising , but after the day passed by without incident , the Red Scare largely dissipated
1919 United States anarchist bombings
1919 United States anarchist bombings
Woodrow Wilson