Monday 4/1/13
Goal: to introduce the 1920s.
Warm-up: List at least 5 ways in which American lives
were disrupted by WWI.
Homework:
• Read pages 718-722 (academic) 369-373 (honors)
• Write an essay (3 paragraphs)
comparing/contrasting the presidential terms of
Harding vs. Coolidge. Be sure to write about their
campaign promises and any accomplishments,
scandal or other events that happened.
Due on Thursday!.
Presidential Leadership in the 1920’s
President Warren G. Harding
– Harding wins landslide election
promising a return to “normal”
Return to isolationism
Pro-business policies
Make economy grow and create
jobs
Americans were war weary &
wanted a return to pre-war days
How did Harding Disappoint the People?
Political Scandals
– Harding’s political
appointees were corrupt
– Cabinet secretary was
bribed and secretly
leased land to oil
companies at Teapot
Dome, Wyoming
– First time a cabinet
secretary was sent to
prison
– Harding dies in office of
a heart attack before
scandals are connected
directly to him
Calvin Coolidge Takes Office
“Silent Cal”
– Sworn in after
Harding’s death
– Coolidge was
different from
Harding
Not a big speech
maker or party
thrower
Coolidge repaired
damage caused by
scandals
Coolidge Prosperity
“The business of America is
business. The man who
builds a factory builds a
temple. The man who works
there worships there”
Calvin Coolidge
What was Coolidge’s priority
as president?
– Pro big business
– Business was the most important
part in creating the American
way of life
– Began a period of rapid
economic growth
Coolidge Prosperity
Industry Booms
– Quantity of goods made by industry doubled
– More jobs were made and incomes rose
– People spent money on new products
Refrigerators, radios, phonographs, vacuum
cleaners
– Installment buying (credit) allowed people to
spend more money than they could afford
– Overspending became a serious economic
problem
Coolidge Prosperity
A Soaring Stock Market
– More people invested in the stock market
than ever before. (Bull Market)
– Stocks were bought on margin
For 10% down payment, buyers held stocks until
the price rose and sold it for a profit
Margin buying works as long as stock prices rise
– Margin buying became a cause for The Great
Depression of the 1930’s
Foreign Affairs
Presidents Harding and Coolidge kept the
U.S. out of European affairs (Isolation)
US remained out of the League of Nations
The US intervened in Latin America when
American business interests were
threatened
US signed the Kellogg-Briand Pact
– This treaty outlawed war, but had no means of
keeping the peace
Conclusion
How did presidential leadership
influence US policy during the
1920’s?
–Presidential leadership:
Created a strong economy
Created a bull market
Returned the nation to pre-WW1 isolation
Increased jobs and family income
Created an era of peace & prosperity
Video
While viewing the video, create a list of at
least 10 things that were happening in the
20s.
Share your list with a partner.
Create an individual essay answering the
following:
– Do you think 1920s was a decade filled with
fun and prosperity? Or was it a warning sign
for bad times ahead?
Homework reminder: Write a campaign speech for Warren G. Harding for
the 1920 election.
Do now
1. Read pages 724-729
2. Create a list of 5 generalizations
about ways in which Americans lives
changed in the 1920s.
3. Cite as many supporting facts as you
can for each generalization.
Social Changes/1920’s
A ban on alcohol
– Prohibition
New rights for women
– Women’s suffrage
New inventions that bring social change
– Automobile
– Radio
– Moving pictures (The movies)
Repeal of Prohibition
– Ban never stopped use of alcohol, respect for the law
was undermined, amendment was repealed
New Inventions/Automobile
Economic Effects
– Growth in jobs (auto
industry & related
industries)
Steel, rubber, and oil
industries
– Roads and highways
are built (more new jobs!)
– Gas stations, hotels,
and restaurants
sprang up across the
country (more new jobs!)
– New industries create
new jobs
Social Effects
– Growth of suburbs
People could live
outside the city and
drive to work
(commute)
– Driving gave women
more freedom
– Easier to travel and
communicate with
other cities & towns
SUSPENSE
SHOWS
POPULAR
SONGS
SPORTS
How did radio change US society?
•Created a new lifestyle
•Families gathered around the radio for entertainment &
information
•News traveled faster, revolutionized advertising,
entertainment, politics
NEWS
CONCLUSION
How did cultural changes influence
American society during the 1920’s?
– Prohibition caused an increase in organized
crime (organized crime remained after repeal)
– Women’s right to vote forever changed
American politics
– Women’s role in society begins to change
New roles/professions outside the home
– New inventions created new industries and put
more people to work/radio changed
communication
1920’s Life & Times
Fun times & Fads
 Flappers




Young women who
rebelled against tradition
Short hair, short dresses,
smoking, and bootleg
alcohol
Other fads include:

Flagpole sitting, dance
marathons, the Charleston
(dance)

Fear of Communism &
Anarchy (people who
oppose the government)



Communist leaders
(Lenin/USSR) called for
workers everywhere to
overthrow their
governments
Americans saw strikes
across the nation as the
start of a communist
revolution (Red Scare)
During the Red Scare,
thousands were arrested
1920’s Art & Social Attitudes

Jazz blends W. African
rhythm, African American
Spirituals, European
Harmony


new brand of music is
appreciated by all




Harlem Renaissance



Rebirth of African American
culture
Langston Hughes was the
best known poet of the era
Writes about the experiences
of African Americans
African Americans face
widespread prejudice

Rebirth of KKK
Racial tensions cause rioting in
big cities
Return of nativism (antiforeign feeling)
Quota system limits the
amount of immigrants that
can enter the U.S.

System favored immigrants
from N. Europe over W. Europe

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1.
2.
Do Now
Groups of 4
Read poem
Choose a reader to read
aloud to class.
Keep a journal of the
readings.
In your journal answer
the following:
What were the authors
intentions?
In what ways did the
selected poems reflect
the history of the
period?
3. What was the central
message of each poem?
4. Which of the poems
imparted a desire to
remedy inequality?
5. Are there any
universal messages in
the selected works?
Notable Events

Sacco and Vanzetti Trial




Trial symbolized the anti-foreign feeling of the 1920’s
(Nativism)
Sacco & Vanzetti were Italian immigrants who were
arrested for robbery and murder with limited evidence
After a trial that many thought was unfair, they were
executed
Scopes Trial
The trial centered on the debate between the Biblical
Creation Theory versus Darwin’s Theory of Evolution
 John Scopes taught evolution in class and was arrested
 Scopes was convicted and fined and the laws against
teaching evolution remained but were rarely enforced

Heroes of the 1920’s
 Charles
 Crosses
Louis
 Babe
A. Lindbergh
the Atlantic in the Spirit of St.
Ruth
 Helped
 Helen
the Yankees win 7 World Series
Wills
 Becomes
tennis champ and a role model
for women
Chicago, 1922. Female Beach Goers
Arrested for Indecent Exposure
I, too sing America.
I am the darker brother.
They send me to eat in the kitchen
When company comes,
But I laugh,
And eat well,
And grow strong.
Tomorrow,
I’ll be at the table
When company comes.
Nobody’ll dare
Say to me,
Eat in the kitchen,
Then.
Besides, they’ll see how beautiful I am
And be ashamed—
I, too, am America.
Anything Goes
Words & Music by Cole Porter 1927
In olden days a glimpse of stocking
Was looked on as something shocking
Now heaven knows, anything goes
Good authors too who once knew better words
Now only use four letter words writing prose
Anything goes
“America must be kept American”
Calvin Coolidge
“The business of America is business.
The man who builds a factory builds a temple.
The man who works there worships there”
Calvin Coolidge