Warm-up: pages 478-479
•
1. What impact did the Russian Revolution have on the
public’s perception of Communists in the U.S.?
• 2. What incident revealed the Harding administration’s
corruption?
• 3. What medical breakthrough occurred during this
decade?
Map:
• 4. Did airlines of this time serve people in all parts of the
country? Explain.
• 5. How do you think the achievements of Charles
Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart affected the airlines?
Politics of the 1920s
Lesson Concepts:
1) Analyze the evolution of American democracy, its ideas,
institutions, and political processes through the study of the 1920s
and the expanding role of government.
Harding
• Republicans wanted candidate they
could dominate and won by landslide
• “Return to Normalcy”—strong probusiness
• Teapot Dome Scandal (oil)
• Died of a heart attack 1923
Coolidge
• Vice president under Harding; took over
presidency when Harding died
• Personified moral rectitude
• Won election of 1924 with only 52 e.v.
• Democratic party divided over
Prohibition, immigration restriction and
power of KKK
Hoover
• Republican candidate in 1928 election
• Embodied the new managerial and
technological elite
• President when US was struck by
depression in 1929
• Claiming credit for prosperity of
1920s, Republicans would not escape
blame for depression
Government & Business
• High tariff policies
– Fordney-McCumber Act / Hawley-Smoot Act
• Andrew Mellon
– Reduced rates for corporate and personal income tax
– Created list of tax loopholes for businesses
• Cutbacks: Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
– Supposed to regulate big business but did less and less
• Herbert Hoover
– Price fixing/government responsible for helping businesses
profit
Activity:
• Teapot Dome Scandal