The Return to NormalcyAmerica in the 1920s

Focus Question

In a short reply of one to three sentences, respond to the following prompt:

• Identify some ways your life will change in the next five years. How do you suppose others will react to those changes?

Objectives

After today’s lesson, you will:• Describe some of the issues and concerns facing

the U.S. in 1920

How Ya Gonna Keep Em Down on the Farm

• Reuben, Reuben, I've been thinking• Said his wifey dear• Now that all is peaceful and calm• The boys will soon be back on the farm• Mister Reuben started winking and slowly rubbed his chin• He pulled his chair up close to mother• And he asked her with a grin

• Chorus (sung twice after each verse):• How ya gonna keep 'em down on the farm• After they've seen Paree'• How ya gonna keep 'em away from Broadway• Jazzin around and paintin' the town• How ya gonna keep 'em away from harm, that's a mystery• They'll never want to see a rake or plow• And who the deuce can parleyvous a cow?• How ya gonna keep 'em down on the farm• After they've seen Paree'

• Rueben, Rueben, you're mistaken• Said his wifey dear• Once a farmer, always a jay• And farmers always stick to the hay• Mother Reuben, I'm not fakin• Tho you may think it strange• But wine and women play the mischief• With a boy who's loose with change

The U.S. Population

Rural Urban

1900 60.4% 39.6%

1910 54.4% 45.6%

1920 48.8% 51.2%

1930 43.9% 56.1%

Make two conclusions about the U.S. from this table.Identify two questions about the U.S. from this table.

1920s Census

• The U.S. became an urban nation• Majority lived in cities• Major shift in the U.S.

• Old prejudice against cities• Countryside holds virtue, wholesome values• Cities are dens of iniquity

• What direction will the U.S. take?

Reaction!

• The 1920s were a decade of reaction• America felt exhausted by the war• Many felt that progressive reforms were too fast

and too furious• Many wanted a breathing space• Return the U.S. to the way it was

before the war.

Postwar Fears

• Immediate fears led to high anxiety• Red Scare• Labor Unrest• Spanish Flu

Red Scare

• Communists seized power in Russia• Executed leading businessmen• Established Comintern• Sponsored revolution abroad

• Fear of revolt in the U.S.

Palmer Raids

• Raids by the Bureau of Investigations• Sponsored by the Attorney General• Rounded up and jailed suspected Communists• Targeted labor leaders and socialists

• Many deported for viewpoints, not actions

Labor Unrest

• Wages had not kept up with inflation• Strikes erupted in key areas• 3,000 strikes launched in 1919• Steel workers gained an 8-hour day• Boston Police went on strike

Public Opinion

• Public soon turned on the strikers• Violated public safety• Fear of Communist control

• Gains soon overturned• Steel workers resumed 12-hour days• Boston police fired en masse

The Spanish Flu

• Unusually deadly flu virus surfaced• Worldwide epidemic• Struck the U.S. in September 1918

• 50 million to 100 million died worldwide• More than 675,000 Americans died

• Led to mass concerns in the U.S.

Summary

In a short reply of one to two sentences, respond to the following prompt:

• Describe the most important thing you learned in class today