standard 6: roaring 20s and the great depression
TRANSCRIPT
STANDARD 6: ROARING 20S AND THE
GREAT DEPRESSION
SCIENTIFIC INNOVATIONS AND CULTURAL TRANSFORMATION
6.1
The 1920sThe 1920s proved to be a period
of significant transformationThe economy boomedThere was new machinery and
new inventionsThere were new social ideas
New Scientific Ideas and DiscoveriesCharles Darwin’s theories about
evolution (the idea that all life on earth, including humans life, evolved over time) challenged the Bible’s account of creation
Scholars introduced “higher criticism” (proposed that the Bible should be studied as any other literary work to determine its legitimacy)
These were considered radical ideas and alarmed traditionalists
The “Monkey Trial”The debate between fundamentalism (the
Bible is true and because it is from God, it cannot contained contradictions or errors) and scientific theory gained national attention during the Scope Trial (monkey trial) in 1925
A science teacher named John Scopes was arrested for violating a Tennessee law that forbade teaching Darwin’s theory of evolution instead of the Bible
William Jennings Bryan (a fundamentalist & former presidential candidate) volunteered to prosecute scopes
Clarence Darrow (attorney for Eugene Debts) volunteered to represent Scopes
The “Monkey Trial”Scopes was found
guiltyThe law against
teaching evolution remained in effect
New TechnologyHenry Ford was the
first to perfect and successfully market the automobile
He was not the first to invent it
In 1907, Ford sold over 30,000 of his first, mass produced car (the Model T)
New TechnologyMass production is what set Henry Ford
apartHe wanted to be able to sell vehicles so
that “ordinary people” could afford themTo achieve this goal, Ford relied on the
assembly lineHe had employees stay in one spot while
the assembly line brought the parts to them (unlike assembly lines before)
For saw workers as consumers. He wanted those who made them to be able to buy them, so he paid his workers $5 per day (unheard of)
New TechnologyFrom 1907-1926, Ford built the most
automobiles in the world (16, 75, 000 cars)
His cars helped give rise to the new middle class and the U.S. suburbs
The airline industry grew at this as wellIn 1903, brothers Orville and Wilbur
Wright successfully conducted the first flight at Kitty hawk, NC.
Soon after airplanes were used for military service and to carry U.S. mail
In 1926, the U.S. started commercial air travel for business and pleasure
New Appliances and Forms of EntertainmentBecause there was an increase in the
availability of electronics in the home, new appliances started to develop
Refrigerators- more food could be bought at one time and stored for longer periods of time
Sewing machines, vacuum cleaners, and washing machines- reduced time needed to do traditional chores
New Appliances and Forms of EntertainmentAdvances in transportation and the use
of electric power gave birth to night life (when people go into the city after dark to attend shows, have dinner, or take part in a social event)
Mass media formedNational magazines allowed news
stories and businesses to reach people across the nation
Radio became an important medium for entertainment and communication
The movie industry boomed alsoThere were first silent films, then
movies with sound, then the big screen
The New Consumerism Installment plan-
producers and businesses offered easy credit that allowed consumers to pay a little at a time rather than all at once.
Installment plans allowed people to purchase more expensive items
The U.S. had become a consumer society (people began to save less and spend more)
This caused people’s debt to increase
Women in the 20sThe role and expectations of women in
society continued to change drasticallyThere was an increasing number of women
going into the workforceEmployers only hired single women (the
believed that married women would eventually have children and quit)
Women also started changing their dress and behavior
Their hair got shorter and they wore clothes that were more comfortable
Women started going out on dates instead of suitors coming to their homes and being chaperoned
The new women were sometimes called flappers and challenged the traditional gender roles in society
Intellectual ResponsesSinclair Lewis critiqued
society through stories like Main Street, Babbit, and Elmer Gantry
In 1930, Lewis became the 1st U.S. citizen to win the Nobel Prize for literature
One group of writers became known as “the Lost Generation”- they felt lost in the greed and moral corruption of American society
F. Scott Fitzgerald belonged to this group and wrote pieces like the Great Gatsby
Intellectual Responses Jazz became popular after WWIBlack musical artists from
Mississippi and Louisiana brought their talents to the northern cities
Black racial pride and awareness led many black intellectual to write works portraying the daily lives of working Blacks
Langton Hughes wrote poems and short stories
Zora Neal Hurston wrote the famous novel Their Eyes Were Watching God
This cultural movement became known as the Harlem Renaissance
Class WorkImagine you are a ford assembly
line worker in the 1920s. As we read the following excerpt as a class, highlight parts that affect your feelings, (good and bad) about your job.
When we are finished reading, you will write a 1page letter to a friend who is considering coming to work at their plant. You will express your feelings about your job.
SOCIAL CONFLICTS OF THE 1920S6.2
The “Red Scare” and ImmigrationInitially the Russian Revolution
encouraged people in the U.S.Citizens were glad to see a monarch
replaced with a republican form of government.
When communism (a political and economic view in which the government owns all property and individual rights mean little compared to the welfare of the state) was instituted in Russia, Americans became concerned
The “Red Scare” and ImmigrationAmericans feared that a revolution like
the one in Russia could occur in the U.S.This led to the period known as the
“Red Scare”Anarchists (those who wanted to bring
down any form of government) attempted to assassinate Attorney General A, Mitchel Palmer and John D. Rockefeller
Many believed the attacks were associated with communism
The “Red Scare” and ImmigrationIn response, Palmer authorized
the Palmer Raids- suspected communists and other subversives (people who believed to pose a threat to the U.S. government) were arrested and jailed
The raids arrested/targeted many who were immigrants and who had not committed crimes
More than 500 immigrants were deported back to their countries of birth as a result of Palmer’s actions
Sacco and VanzettiThe association of
immigrants with communism and anarchy resulted in one of the most controversial trials in the U.S.
In 1920, two Italians immigrants believed to be anarchists were accused of murder in Massachusetts
There was little evidence
They were convicted and executed in 1927
Immigration RestrictionsThere was a new rise in
nativism (opposition to immigration) after WWI
The government placed quotas (limitations) on the number of immigrants that could enter the U.S. yearly from different parts of the world.
Congress passed a temporary limit on who could come to the U.S. in 1924 and permanent bans in 1929
Immigration RestrictionsMany laws were designated to allow
more immigrants from Western Europe than Eastern Europe or Asia
Because few laws addressed immigration from nations in the Western Hemisphere, the number of Hispanic Catholic immigrants increased drastically
Some were legal and some were illegal
Resurgence of the Ku Klux KlanThe KKK resurfaced because
of fear of communism and mistrust of immigrants
Originally, the KKK only targeted Blacks
It expanded to attack Jews, Catholics, and immigrants
They burned crosses outside of people’s homes, sent hate letters, and put pressure on employers to fire black or immigrant workers
Klansmen also resorted to lynchings and other forms of violence
ProhibitionIn 1919, the 18th amendment was ratifiedIt outlawed alcoholic beveragesCongress then passed the Volstead Act which
defined intoxicating and enforced the 18th Amendment
The ban on alcohol became known as Prohibition
ProhibitionProhibition caused bootleggers (criminals who
sold illegal alcohol)The name bootlegger comes from the old practice
of drinkers hiding their alcoholic drinks in the leg of their boot
Many people wanted their alcohol despite the law and turned to bootleggers to get it
Some would go to illegal bars called speakeasiesOrganized crime crew as gangsters, like Al
Capone, used violence and intimation to dominate bootlegging
Many realized that Prohibition was a failureThe 21st Amendment repealed (ended)
Prohibition in 1933
THE GREAT DEPRESSION (PART 1)6.3
Prosperous BeginningsPresident Harding died in
1923Vice President Calvin
Coolidge became presidentThe following year, Coolidge
won a full presidential termHe supported big businesses
and believed in laissez-fairOne of his famous quotes was
“The business of the American people is business”
What do you think this means?
Prosperous BeginningsFor most of the 1920s, Coolidge was
right about his belief that the government should not interfere with the growth of business and that the natural business cycle would fix any problems in the economy
The stock market did very well as prices reached new heights
People started buying stock on speculation (making high risk investments in hopes of making high returns on their money)
Prosperous BeginningsMany investors also engaged in
something called “buying on margin” (investors purchase stocks for only a portion of they cost and then they borrow the difference and paid interest on the loan
Technology also helped the booming economy
Thanks to Henry Ford, the idea of mechanization (increased use of machinery for production) boomed
Farmers in the 1920sFarmers did not enjoy the same
prosperity as businessesBecause of new machinery producing
more, there was overproduction and this caused agricultural prices to drop
Congress attempted to pass bills to increase farm prices, but President Coolidge vetoed them
He saw them as price fixingMany farmers went into foreclosure
Farmers in the 1920sOverproduction also
effected the landMidwest farmers
stripped much of the land and left it damaged by poor farming techniques
The Dust Bowl (a series of storms that hit the Midwest) displaced thousands of farmers forcing them to become homeless
Black TuesdayRepublican Herbert Hoover
became President in 1929He opposed government
interference in businessHe took office, however, when the
economy was about to collapseOn October 29, 1929 the stock
market crashed This is known as Black TuesdayPrices dropped drasticallyMany lost everything
Hard TimesThe disaster marked the beginning of
the Great DepressionFollowing the crash of 1929, the U.S
economy fell apartPeople rushed to withdraw their
money from banks causing them to close
The country became unemployedPeople became homelessPeople had to rely on soup kitchens
and breadlines to provide their families food.
THE GREAT DEPRESSION (PART II)6.4
FDR
In 1932, Franklin Delano Roosevelt (knows as FDR) was elected as President
Seemed to be an image of hope for the nation while it was in the Great Depression
He was the first president to use the radio to his advantage. He spoke to the nation in “fireside chats”
FDRHe was unlike Coolidge and believed in the government stepping into to deal with the Great Depression
FDR believed that the nation needed direct relief (federal help to those hurting from the financial crisis)
Some disagreed with the government stepping in to save the economy.
FDRHe also believed in deficit spending (the government spending of borrowed money) to help the U.S. economy move in the right direction
He introduced new legislation and many programs known as the New Deal to help the economy during the Great Depression
Roosevelt’s First New DealCivilian
Conservation Cops (CC)
• 1993• Provided employment for unmarried men
between the ages of 17 and 23. • They worked in national parks.
Agricultural Adjustment Act
(AAA)
• 1993• Approved government loans to farmers and paid
farmers not to grow certain crops in order to increase the price of agricultural products.
Federal Deposit Insurance
Corporation (FDIC)
• 1933• Passed under the Federal Reserve Act to insure
bank deposits of up to $100,000 in case of bank failure
• This prevented people from withdrawing their money out of panic.
National Industrial
Recovery Act (NIRA)
• 1933• Authorized the President to regulate industry and
permit associations and monopolies in an attempt to stimulate economic recovery.
• Established a national public works program to help those who desperately needed a job.
Roosevelt’s First New DealTennessee Valley Authority (TVA)
• 1933• Built hydroelectric dams to create jobs and bring
cheap electricity to parts of the South that had previously been without power
National Labor Relations Act
(NLRA)
• 1935• Also known as the Wagner Act• Created a board to monitor unfair management
practices such as firing workers who joined unions
Social Security Act (SSA)
• 1935• Established retirement income for all workers
once they reached the age of 65• It was originally passed to help those who were
old or disabled to work• Today, it is the one program left from the New
Deal
Revenue Act of 1935
• Raised taxes on those making above $50,000 a year
• Won the favor of many on the left and was nicknamed “the soak the rich tax”
Effects of the New DealThe New Deal failed to end the Great Depression
Some believe it made the Depression last longer
Before WWII started, much of the nation was still unemployed and the economy was hurting
Effects of the New DealThe New Deal helped the labor
movement1. NIRA required industries to
recognize workers'’ rights to join unions
2. Businesses had to comply with federal guidelines on unions
Women did not benefit from the New Deal as much as white males
1. Federal programs tended to show favoritism towards men
2. It allowed business to pay women less
Effects of the New DealMinorities still worked as farmers
and migrant workers1. Lack of government payroll
records often excluded them from programs like Social Security
2. Helped maintain the idea that is was acceptable to treat minorities and white differently
3. Some African-Americans felt that FDR helped them get jobs though