Politics of the Roaring Twenties

Chapter 12

CHAPTER 12 Section 1Americans Struggle with Postwar Issues

MAIN IDEA: A desire for normality after the

war and a fear of communism and “foreigners” led to postwar isolationism

Post War Issues

Post War Trends: Nativism- prejudice against foreign-born

people Isolationism- policy of pulling away from

involvement in world affairsFear of Communism Communism- economic and political

system based on a single-party government ruled by a dictatorship

Public exhausted Debate over League of Nations divided

America Returning soldiers faced unemployment

or took their old jobs from women and minorities

Cost of living doubled Farmers and factory workers suffered as

wartime orders diminished

POSTWAR TRENDS

Post War Trends Palmer Raids Bombs mailed to government U.S. Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer

& J. Edgar Hoover hunted for communists, socialists and anarchists

ANARCHIST- People who opposed any form of government

Trampled people’s rights, invaded homes, jailed without legal counsel

Post War Trends

Sacco and Vanzetti Italian immigrants Anarchists Evaded draft during WWI Arrested and charged with robbery and

murder of a factory paymaster Found guilty and sentenced to die 1961 ballistic tests showed the pistol

found on Sacco was the one used in the murder but no proof that Sacco pulled the trigger

Limiting Immigration “Keep America for Americans” The Klan Rises Again: 100% Americans and

liked no one else. 1924 the Klan had 4.5 Million members. Klan dominated state Politics but decreased in power by 1930

The Quota System- B/t 1919-1921 the number of immigrants had grown 600%. The Emergency Quota Act of 1921: System

established a maximum number of people who could enter the US (max number 150,000 per year)

A Time of Labor Unrest During war strikes were limited b/c they

disrupt production Employers did not want to give raises 4 million walked off the job BOSTON POLICE STRIKE- police had not

been given a raise since beginning of WWI Denied right to unionize When asked for a raise=fired Coolidge declared no right to strike New officers were hired

The Steel Mill Strike Workers wanted shorter working hours,

better wages, the right to unionize, and collective bargaining rights.

September 29th 1919- Steel Corporation refused to meet with Union reps and 300,000 workers walked off.

Hired strike breakers but ended in a deadlock and Wilson made a written plea to negotiators.

Strike ended 1920 and steel companies agreed to an 8 hour work day but workers remained without a union.

The Coal Miners Strike John L Lewis- leader of United Mine

Workers (UMW) proposed higher wages and shorter work days and went on strike

Wilson appointed an judge to put an end to the dispute and the coal miners received a 27% increase in wages but not a shorter workday.

John L Lewis became a national hero!

Labor Movement Loses Appeal 1920s hurt the labor movement badly Union membership declined by 1.5 million

members Immigrant willing to work in harsh conditions Language barriers with in Unions and

organization Farmers used to relying on themselves when

moved to work in the factory in the city Most Unions excluded African Americans

Section 2:THE HARDING PRESIDENCY

MAIN IDEA: The Harding administration

appealed to America’s desire for calm and peace after the war, but resulted in scandal

Section 2: The Harding Presidency

Warren G Harding was described as a good-natured man who “looked like a president ought to look”.

Harding struggles for Peace: Problems surfaced relating to arms

control, war debts, and the reconstruction of war torn countries

Washington Naval Conference Charles Evans Hughes: Sectary of State

urged that no more warships be built for 10 years.

Russia was left out of conference because of Communist Government

The five major Naval Powers (Italy, United States, France, Great Britain, and Japan) scrap many of their largest warships

Kellogg Briand pact- pact renouncing war as a national policy 15 countries signed but it was futile and

provided no means of enforcement

High Tariffs and Reparations France and Britain owed US 10 Billion

dollars 1922- Fordney-McCumber Tariff-

raised taxes on imports to 60% (highest ever)

France turned to Germany to give them money and when that failed Charles Dawes sent out negotiation loans to avoid world conflicts

Scandal Hits Harding’s Administration

Hardings OHIO GANG (Poker-playing buddies) were in the cabinet

Harding did not understand the issues so his administration and friends were corrupt. Charles R Forbes (head of Veterans Bureau was caught

illegally selling government and hospital supplies to private companies

Colonel Thomas W Miller (head of Office of Alien Property) was caught taking a bribe

THE TEAPOT DOME SCANDAL: Oil-rich lands set aside for the US Navy. Albert B Fall (Secretary of Interior) secretly leased the land to private oil companies and received more that 400,000$.

Shortly after Harding died of a heart attack or stroke Aug 2nd 1923!

The Public lost respect for the Republican Party and the Presidency

Section 3: The Business of America

American Industries Flourish: New Inventions and Trends

Automobiles Airplanes Electrical appliances Alternating Electrical Currrent Modern Advertising Installment Plan

Chapter 13 Section 1Changing Ways of Life

MAIN IDEA Americans experienced cultural

conflicts as customs and values changed in the 1920s.

Rural and Urban Differences

Between 1922-1929, migration to the cities accelerated

“Cities were the place to be” New York topped the list of big

cities with a population of 5.6 million

Philadelphia nearly 2 million

CITY LIFE

Life was different in cities than rural towns

The city was a world of competition and change

City dwellers tolerated drinking, gambling, and casual dating

Life was fast paced

THE PROHIBTION EXPERIMENT 18th Amendment: the manufacture, sale,

and transportation of alcoholic beverages were legally prohibited

Reformers believed liquor to be: 1. the cause of corruption & crime 2. social problems 3. wife and child abuse 4. accidents on the job Support for amendment came from the

rural South and West

SPEAKEASIES Speakeasies-to obtain liquor illegally,

drinkers went underground to hidden saloons and nightclubs

So called because when inside, one spoke quietly, or “easily” to avoid detection

Could be found in penthouses, offices, hardware stores, and tearooms

To get in you had to present a card or use a password

BOOTLEGGERS Bootleggers-smuggled liquor in from Canada,

Cuba and the West Indies People distilled their own alcohol in the home Legally alcohol only allowed for medical

purposes or religious purposes Prohibition led to organized crime Chicago/home of Al Capone

Bootlegging empire created over 60 million a year

Mid 1920’s 19% of Americans supported prohibition

18th Amendment remained until 1933; then overturned by the 21st Amendment

Science and Religion Clash

Fundamentalism- protestant movement grounded in literal (nonsymbolic) interpretation of the Bible

Fundamentalists believed that the Bible was inspired by God, therefore true

They rejected the theory of Evolution-Charles Darwin (humans evolved from apes)

They believed in the biblical creation that God made the world and all its forms in 6 days

SCOPES TRIAL

1925 Tennessee passed the nation’s first law that made it a crime to teach evolution

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) promised to defend any teacher who broke the law

John T. Scopes-young biology teacher challenged the law and was arrested

SCOPES TRIAL ACLU hired Clarence Darrow (the

most famous trial lawyer) to defend Scopes

William Jennings Bryan served as special prosecutor in the case

Scopes Trial was a fight over evolution and the role of science and religion in public schools

Scopes was found guilty Fined $100

Section 2: The Twenties Woman

MAIN IDEA: American women pursued new

lifestyles and assumed new jobs and different roles in society during the 1920s.

Young Women Change the Rules In the rebellious, pleasure loving atmosphere

of the 1920s, many women began to assert their independence Demanded the same freedoms as men Rejected the values of the 19th century FLAPPER- young women who embraced the

new fashions and urban attitudes of the day

Close fitting felt hats, bright waistless dresses, skin toned stockings, sleek pumps, strings of beads, boyish bob haircuts

DOUBLE STANDARD

Women became more assertive Magazines & advertisements promoted the

flapper Flapper became more of an image of

rebellious youth than reality 1920s morals loosened only so far “Double Standard”-set of principles

granting greater sexual freedom to men than to women; required women to observe stricter standards of behavior than men did

Women Shed Old Roles at Home and at Work Booming industrial economy opened new

work opportunities for women in offices, factories, & stores

Women were often replaced with men returning from war

College graduates returned to “women’s professions”; teachers, nurses, and librarians

By 1930 10 million women were earning wages but few rose to managerial jobs & still earned less than men

The Changing Family Birthrate dropped slightly in the

1920s Birth control was more widely

available First birth control clinic 1916 Social and technological innovations

simplified household chores Stores had ready made clothes,

sliced bread, and canned foods

Changing Family

Innovations freed housewives from traditional family responsibilities

Women were granted greater equality in marriage, based more on romance

Children spent time in school Women adjusted to the changing

roles but struggled with rebellious teens

Section 3: Education and Popular Culture MAIN IDEA: The mass media, movies, and

spectator sports played important roles is creating the popular culture of the 1920s-a culture that many artists and writers criticized

EDUCATION BEFORE THE 1920s

1. Enrollments- 1 million high school students

2. Types of Courses-high school courses centered to college bound students

3. Immigrants- Many immigrant students spoke some English (English and Irish)

4. Financing- costs doubled from 1913-1920

EDUCATION DURING THE 1920s

1. Enrollments- 4 million high school students

2. Types of Courses-Catered to broad range of students including those interested in vocational training and home economics

3. Immigrants- Many spoke no English4. Financing- Costs doubled again totaling

$2.7 billion a year between 1926

MAGAZINES TIME (1923) READERS DIGEST (1922) Circulation of 2 million each

RADIO

Most powerful form of communication to emerge

KOKA-Pittsburgh-first commercial radio station, listeners tuned in for news, entertainment, and advertisements

MOVIES The Jazz Singer-1927 the first

major movie with sound Steamboat Willie- Walt

Disney’s first animated film with sound (1928)

Movies called “talkies”

SPORTS Babe Ruth-record 60 homeruns in

1927 Jack Dempsey-heavyweight

champ Gertrude Ederle-at 19 became

first woman to swim the English Channel

Andrew Foster-1920 founded the Negro National League; “The Father of Black Baseball”

Theater, Music and Art Eugene O’Neill- Famous play The

Hairy Ape; forced Americans to reflect upon modern isolationism, confusion and family conflict

George Gershwin-Concert Music Composer; influenced by Louis Armstrong and traditional music

Georgia O’Keeffe-produced intensely colored canvases that captured New York

Literature

Sinclair Lewis-first American to win a Nobel Prize in literature; novel Babbitt

F. Scott Fitzgerald-coined the term “Jazz Age”; The Great Gatsby (revealed the negative side of the period’s freedom, portraying wealthy and attractive people leading imperiled lives

Edith Whatton-clash between traditional and modern values

Literature Edna St. Vincent Millay-wrote

poems celebrating youth and life Ernest Hemingway-wounded in

WWI; most well-known author; criticized the glorification of war Introduced a simplified style of

writing T.S. Elliot-poem The Waste Land

CHARLES LINDBERGH

1st non-stop flight across the Atlantic Ocean

Section 4: The Harlem Renaissance

Main Idea African-American ideas, politics, art,

literature, and music flourished in Harlem and elsewhere in the United States.

Organizations NAACP- National Association for the Advancement

of Colored People led by James Weldon Johnson and W.E. B. DuBoise fought for legislation to protect African American Rights (Antilynching organizations)

UNIA-Marcus Garvey- immigrant from Jamaica felt African Americans should build a separate society. He founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) 1 mil followers by 1920. Left behind powerful legacy

 Marcus Garvey=Back to Africa Movement

 New York Harlem Renaissance Harlem Renaissance- a literary and artistic

movement celebrating African American culture

-Claude McKay- Novelist poet, Jamaican Immigrant, verses urged

African American to resist prejudice and discrimination

-Langston Hughes- Best known African American Poet

Harlem Renaissance

-Paul Robeson-dramatic actor (Othello)

-Louis Armstrong- Jazz musician (Henderson’s band of NY)

-Edward Kennedy “duke” Ellington- Jazz Pianist/composer

-Bessie Smith- female blues singer