after world war i, american industry took a major hit › goods for the war effort were no longer...
TRANSCRIPT
Postwar Troubles
After World War I, American industry took a major hit› Goods for the war effort were no longer needed› Thousands of returning troops needed work
Prices fell and unemployment skyrocketed, causing a major recession
As European farming improved, the need for American farm goods fell, causing problems for farmers
Overall, the years after the Great War was a dire time for Americans
Labor Strikes
As a result of demobilization, many workers were angry, leading to many strikes› Seattle General Strike: shipbuilders in Seattle struck in 1919; peaceful
strike, but led many to believe it was the beginning of a Bolshevik revolution› Boston police strike: cops in Boston demanded better pay and working
conditions and struck after 19 cops were fired for joining a union (1919) Riots erupted in the street with no police to control the city State militia was called in to restore order Police reluctantly returned to work, but Gov. Calvin Coolidge stated that it was
illegal for them to strike and threaten public welfare› Steel strikes: PA steel workers calling for better pay and conditions (1919)
Workers were replaced with new workers when the union wasn’t recognized Strikers were beaten and jailed for the strike, returned to work shortly
thereafter› United Mine Workers Strike: demanded better pay, working conditions, and a
six hour day (1919)
Red Scare
The Bolshevik Revolution in 1917 scared many Americans The strikes of 1919 fueled the idea that Communism could
become a reality in the United States› Eugene Debs ran for president 5 times as a Socialist Party member,
a precursor to the Communist Party› Many, especially immigrants, came under suspicion as Communists
A series of bomb scares through the mail to various government officials also fueled the Scare› Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer’s home was damaged when a
bomb did explode› Palmer ordered raids on suspected radicals from November 1919 to
January 1920› As a result, hundreds of immigrants were deported, even though
very little evidence was found against people By the summer of 1920, Communist hysteria had died down
Sacco and Vanzetti
Hostility towards immigrants and radicals persisted after the Red Scare
A very prominent trial of the 1920s involved Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti› The two Italian immigrants with radical political views were
charged with murder during a 1920 robbery in Boston› Witness testimony proved their innocence, but the trial judge
dismissed it › A guilty verdict sentenced the two to death› They were executed on August 23, 1927
Many were enraged over the violation of civil liberties, but others rejoiced the punishment of their radical beliefs
In recent years, evidence has turned up that at least one of them were involved, but a fair trial was not granted at the time
A Republican Decade
The Election of 1920 ushered in a decade of Republican policy sandwiched between the presidencies of Democrats Wilson and Franklin Roosevelt› Harding was a senator from Ohio that ran a pro-business platform and a
“return to normalcy”› He wanted to eliminate government from business, slash spending,
lower taxes and promote economic growth› By 1923, his policies appeared to work, with low unemployment and
great growth in most of the economy Businesses boomed, and many mergers took place, but not
everybody enjoyed this success› Workers wages were stagnant› Farmers suffered from low prices and high debts› Unions were weakened when the government repealed many of the
Progressive policies› The American Plan supported union-free open shops, shrinking
membership drastically
Women’s Movement
Women had achieved the right to vote in 1920 as a result of the 19th Amendment
Feminists pointed out that it did not give women equal rights with men
In 1923, an Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) was proposed to Congress› Proposed by Alice Paul of the National Women’s Party› Many, including women, opposed the amendment› It was thought that it would actually hurt women more
than help The amendment failed to win support, but was
reintroduced in the 1960s, only to be defeated
Harding and Corruption
Harding’s presidency was full of scandals and corruption› Charles Forbes, a friend of Harding’s, had pocketed millions
in gov’t money through corrupt schemes › Attorney General Harry Daugherty was accused of taking
bribes to ignore corruption› The Teapot Dome scandal was the most notorious
Secretary of the Interior Albert Fall gained control of the Navy’s oil reserves in CA and WY
He leased the reserves to his friends in exchange for cash, loans and cattle
President Harding died in August 1923› He is not thought of participating in any of the scandals› However, he is seen as the worst president in our history for
not keeping better tabs on his gov’t appointments
Coolidge’s Presidency
When Vice President Calvin Coolidge took over after Harding’s death, he had to restore the reputation of the presidency› He fired the people involved in the scandals› However, “Silent Cal” as he was called, was vastly different than
Harding’s outgoing personality › He continued to support the Republican pro-business platform
because of the booming economy Coolidge was more conservative than Harding
› He supported tax cuts for the rich and business› He cut spending and vetoed many bills that would have increased
spending or “interfered” with the economy› He easily won reelection in 1924, and probably would have again
in 1928› However, he refused to run again in 1928, choosing to retire and
relax for the rest of his days
Election of 1928
After Coolidge declined the nomination of the Republican Party, Herbert Hoover was nominated
He ran against Democrat Alfred E. Smith› His reputation was harmed because he was Catholic
and he was connected to the corrupt Tammany Hall Hoover ran on a pro-business platform that had
carried Harding and Coolidge He also had a strong reputation as Secretary of
Commerce Hoover won the presidency, but Democrats were
hopeful for the future based on Smith’s showing in the election
Black Migration
Many southern blacks moved from the South to Northern cities during the 1920s› People left for jobs and a hope of less discrimination› However, violence erupted in many cities as blacks
came to cities looking for work The Ku Klux Klan made a revival in the 1920s
after it had disappeared in the 1870s› The group was very similar in its message› They carried out violence and killings against blacks
and supporters of equal rights› Membership was in the millions in the early 1920s,
but quickly dwindled to a few thousand by 1929
African American Movement
The NAACP worked to end violence against blacks› An Antilynching Committee was formed in protest to the
Klan lynchings The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters formed in
1925 to fight discrimination in the workplace Universal Negro Improvement Association (1914)
› Formed by Marcus Garvey› Hoped to unite blacks around the nation and world› Also hoped to form separate black businesses that
segregated whites and a African-American nation in Africa › This upset leaders like W.E.B. du Bois, who preached
integration› However, Garvey was jailed in 1925 for mail fraud and his
movement died
Immigration and Minority Groups
Many feared the nation was being taken over by immigrants in the 1920s› Immigration Act of 1924: limited how many immigrants could
enter the US in a year› Asians were barred, set the rest of the world to about 153,000
people/year Mexicans poured into the Southwest, taking farm jobs and
other jobs› Greatly increased the size of cities like Los Angeles and El Paso
Native Americans continued to fight for rights and their lands› The Dawes Act previously had taken much tribal land away› The government finally granted citizenship to Natives in 1924› However, this did not eliminate the extreme poverty that Native
Americans continue to live in today