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