Roaring twenties
RACISM/RED SCARE
red scare
-Russian Revolution 1917
-people afraid communism would spread
-strike leaders accused of plotting a revolution, others accused of being communist
-was a communist party in U.S., of 70,000 members
-after several bombs went off there was a fear of a communist plot to take over country
-Palmer raids 1919
-attorney General (Mitchell Palmer) appointed J. Edgar Hoover to round up 4000
suspects without a warrant
-found no evidence of communist plot
-Sacco and Vanzetti-Nicola Sacco, Bartolomeo Vanzetti
-1920- arrested and charged with robbery and murder of a factory paymaster
-italians and anarchists
-convicted, executed even though there was insufficient evidence
-protests, outrage across the country
-Quotas
-“keep America for Americans”
-growth of nativism
-Ku Klux Klan
-by 1924 membership was 4.5 million
-opposed catholics, jews, blacks, foreigners
-1919-1921 immigrants grew %600%
-Emergency quota act 1921 established quotas
-quota was 2% of number of nationals in the U.S. in 1890 (year later changed to 1920)
-“new immigrants” from eastern/southern Europe had smallest number
-did not apply to Canadians, Mexicans, so LOTS came from there
-Eugenics
-arose from racism, believed blond hair blue eyes, light skin better
-belief that race could be improved by breeding
-Charles Davenport believed preventing mentally ill from reproducing would reduce mental
illness
-related to social Darwinism
-survival of the fittest
IMPORTANT PEOPLE
SCOPES TRIAL
-1925-John Scope arrested for teaching evolution
-William Jennings Bryan-prosecuting attorney
-Clarence Darrow defended scopes
-drew international attention, first trial broadcast on radio
-convicted, fined $100 but overturned on technicality
Roaring twenties
GLENN CURTISS
-early aviation pioneer
-1911 designed plane that could take off and land on water
-it convinced Secretary of Navy to purchase navy’s first aircraft
-1919 constructed first airplane to cross Atlantic for U.S navy
MARCUS GARVEY
-Jamaican born activist for black rights
-came to U.S. 1916
-goal was to liberate blacks all over world
-blacks in Europe in WWI saw tolerance for blacks, but came back to racism of U.S.
-Back to Africa movement, said they should return to Africa, especially Liberia
FRANCES WILLARD
-1879 elected president of National Women’s Temperance Union
-advocated women’s rights, suffrage, improving working conditions, prohibition
-one of most outspoken voices for prohibition
PROHIBITION
-18th amendment passed 1920 banned manufacture, sale, transportation of alcohol
-considered alcohol cause of corruption
-SPEAKEASIES-when inside spoke quietly or easily so not discovered
-would being penthouses, cellars, office buildings, hardware stores etc.
-use password, ID to get in
-BOOTLEGGERS- Al Capone, Gangsters
-by mid 1920s 19% approved of prohibition
-rural protestants approved of law
-21 amendment repealed prohibition- 1933
THREE REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTS: WARREN HARDING,CALVIN COOLIDGE,HERBERT HOOVER
1-Warren Harding 1921-1923
-“return to normalcy”-policy with smaller foreign policy, emphasis on peacetime production,
and prosperity at home
-lowered taxes, increased tariffs, restricted immigration
-pursued arms reduction around world
-appointed his friends “Ohio Gang” who were dishonest
-one illegally sold hospital supplies to private companies, another caught taking bribe
-Teapot Dome scandal
-gov. set aside oil rich lands for use by Navy
-Albert B. Fall, got oil reserves transferred from Navy to dept. of interior and he leased it
to private oil companies in exchange for $400,000
Roaring twenties
2- Calvin Coolidge 1923-1929
-continued Harding’s pro business policy
-“the business of America is business”
-spoke infrequently in public, called silent cal
-known for doing nothing which businesses liked (laissez-faire)
3- Herbert Hoover 1929-1933
-“rugged individualism”- believed America’s rising living standards because individuals given
equal opportunities, free education, and a will to succeed
-felt too much gov. interference would undermine america’s prosperity
Factors Underlying Prosperity of 1920s
Automobile
-most important factor for 1920s boom
-automobile ownership grew from 8 to 24 million
-stimulated steel, glass, rubber industries
-by 1929 one in nine worked in auto related industry
-Henry Ford
-model T introduced 1908
-assembly line introduced 1914
-by 1925 car came off assembly line every 20 seconds
-by late 1920s one car for every 5 people
-more paved roads
-route 66 went from Chicago to California
-gave people newfound independence, created suburbs, allowed people to go on vacation
-launched rapid construction of gas stations, repair shops, motels, shopping centers, tourist
camps etc
Rise of new industries
-electrical improvements, improved motors, new appliances: vacuum, fridge, toaster, radios
and movies became more widespread.
-chemical industry expanded, use of oil, gas increased
-created new jobs and changed the way Americans lived
More efficient production methods
Assembly line- six times faster
-more productivity which means lower prices
-skilled workers no longer needed
Age of mass consumption
-buy on credit
-percent of products bought on credit= furniture-85, cars-75, vacuum-65
Roaring twenties
America’s prosperity
-had 40% of world’s wealth
-average income rose 35%
-development of alternating electrical current allowed electricity to power more efficiently over
long distances
-houses in suburbs have electricity, electrical appliances:fridge, stove, toaster
-advertisement grew
-“say it with flowers” doubled flower sales from 1912 to 1924
-urbanization increased
-between 1922 and 1929 2 million people moved to cities annually
-New York grew to 5.6 million, Chicago-3 million, Philadelphia-2 million
-Harlem Renaissance
-sought to bring recognition to blacks, and have pride in all things black
-widespread music and the other arts (ex. Poets, authors etc.)
-when Jazz became popular
-well known jazz artists like Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington
LANGSTGON HUGHES
-black writer/poet
-part of Harlem Renaissance
-one of america’s best poets
-Tin Pan Alley
-demand for sheet music increased
-1910 New York emerged as capital of popular music publishing
-this was section of of New York where song writing, and music ideas mixed
together to form American popular music
-Women
-new appliances reduced house work so more woman went to college and got jobs
-this caused them to be more independent, assertive
-flapper
-broke out of stereotypical gender role
-wear short dresses that revealed body shape, legs, arms
-more assertive, drank and smoked in public
-sexuality treated more openly (would date more freely)
-mass media
-newspapers, radios grew
-whole nation could follow events together
-created national heroes (Charles Lindberg, Babe Ruth)
-CHARLES LINDBERG
-first person to fly across Atlantic in 1927
-flew from Long Island to Paris, France-took 33 hours
-huge hero to American people