Lesson 4: The Roaring 20’s
1) The New President
a) As the 1920’s start, there is an election for the office of President of the United States.
b) Harding and his running mate, Calvin Coolidge, run with the theme of “normalcy.”
c) No one, not even Harding and Coolidge, knew exactly what “normalcy” was, but it did sound good. (Obama’s “Hope”)
d) 2 years after he is elected, while on a trip from Alaska to California, he has a heart attack and dies.
2) Calvin Coolidge
a) On the day that Harding dies, Coolidge is visiting his father’s farm in Vermont.
b) When they heard about Harding, Coolidge’s dad, who was a judge, swore him in on the family Bible.
c) Unlike the previous president, Coolidge was tight with money and with his words. (3 word bet, “You Lose”)
d) Coolidge was very much in favor of big business, he compared a factory to a temple of worship.
3) Teapot Dome Scandal
a) Right after Harding dies, one of the biggest scandals in American History is all over the news.
b) A White House official was getting bribe money for letting oil companies drill on government land illegally.
c) The oil was under the Teapot Dome in Wyoming, and it was set aside for navy ships to use in war.
d) He became the first White House official in history to be sent to prison. He was sentenced for one year.
4) The Stock Market
a) Big business in America was having a huge boost of growth, and companies were selling tons of stocks.
b) The stock market was so popular that some investors were making small fortunes overnight.
c) When the stock market is in a period of growth, then it is described as being a “Bull Market.”
d) Some experts warn that this rapid growth could be dangerous, but people liked making quick cash.
Homework: None, Quiz 1
Lesson 5: The New Way of Life
1) Synthetics and Processing
a) As America was getting richer, factories were finding ways to make things cheaper.
b) Synthetic (artificial) materials like plastic replaced more costly ones like wood and metal.
c) Processed foods from factories lasted longer at home and took less time to make.
2) Installment Buying
a) With factories making so much stuff to sell, people got into a habit of buying more than they needed.
b) When a family ran out of money, they could still buy items under the new “Installment Buying” method.
c) With installment buying, customers could “buy it now” and “pay for it later” for a monthly fee. (credit cards)
d) Once again, experts warned against using this method, but again people only thought of the short term.
3) Disarmament
a) Around the world, countries were sick of war and tired of competing for who has the biggest army.
b) In 1928, most major countries signed the Kellogg-Braind Pact, which banned all wars and fighting.
c) U.S. Secretary of State Frank Kellogg signed it with a one foot long pen made of gold.
d) There is one major problem though; there is no punishment or way to enforce this rule.
4) Communism
a) Right after they had quit fighting in W.W. I, Russia found itself in a bitter civil war.
b) The winner of that civil war was the Communists, and the U.S. wouldn’t acknowledge them.
c) In communism, the government owns ALL property and hands it out as necessary. (T.P. lines)
d) In 1924 Russia’s new leader, Vladimir Lenin, suffers three strokes and ends up mute and bed-ridden.
e) His successor, Joseph Stalin, takes over and purges anyone in the government who could oppose him.
Homework: In your opinion, how could the Kellogg-Braind Pact have enforced its ban? 6 Sentence Response.
Lesson 6: Drinkers and Drivers
1) Prohibition
a) In 1920, the 18th Amendment went into effect banning all alcoholic beverages.
b) Those who wanted the ban hoped that this would solve all of the nation’s problems.
c) They thought that slums would disappear, prisons would be empty, and people would be nicer.
d) During Prohibition, alcoholism declined, but not much else happened.
2) Getting around the Ban
a) People still tried to get alcohol any way they could. Both legally and illegally.
b) The Volstead Act let people have alcohol for religious and medicinal purposes.
c) People made their own alcohol at home, like moonshine and bathtub gin.
d) People hid flasks of alcohol in their boots and got the nickname “Bootleggers.”
e) Secret bars called speakeasies let men AND women drink together.
3) The Assembly Line
a) Since 1913, Henry Ford had been making money building and selling automobiles.
b) During the 1920’s he designs and refines the idea of the assembly line.
c) In an Assembly Line, a worker stands stays in one place doing the same job over and over.
d) By doing this, a worker get better at their one task and usually does it very quickly.
4) The Model T
a) Ford’s Assembly Line works so well, than he can sell a car at half of what others sell for. ($290)
b) While other cars took 14 hours to put together, the Model T takes about 90 minutes.
c) Model T’s only came in one color, black. Ford said, “You can have any color as long as it is black.”
Homework: Following the tradition of an assembly line, create detailed directions on how to draw a simple picture by going step by
step. You must have at least 5 steps, and try to illustrate how each step looks thorough out the process.
Lesson 7: Guys and Dolls
1) Organized Crime
a) During Prohibition, the demand for alcohol did not diminish. Smugglers were making huge profits.
b) Criminals began to act like businessmen. They planned their activities, and got “Organized.”
c) Gangsters like Al Capone fought with each other to control territories and keep their profits up.
d) The government responded by training “G-Men,” who were special anti-gangster police.
2) Women’s Suffrage
a) Since the very beginning of the U.S., women had been trying to get the right to vote but were told “No”.
b) The men in power thought women were too fragile and not intelligent enough to understand politics.
c) During World War I, women proved they were capable by doing men’s and women’s jobs at the same time.
d) After years of trails and defeat, Congress finally passes the 19th amendment giving women the right to vote.
3) The Equal Rights Amendment
a) Proud to have their new rights but not yet satisfied, women now tried to fight for equal treatment under the law.
b) Supporters of women’s rights wanted a Constitutional Amendment making equal treatment a law in the U.S.
c) Many groups are against the amendment including professionals and religions organizations.
d) Without the amendment, women must legally prove they were discriminated against and that it was wrong.
e) Women have been trying to get it passed since 1923, and they are still trying to this day.
4) The Flapper
a) During this time of change, the image of who women were and how they should act was changing.
b) Some young women started acting more like boyish by wearing pants, driving cars, and cutting their hair short.
c) Other young women acted overly girly by wearing short skirts, lots of jewelry, and lots of makeup.
d) In general, both types of women were known as a “Flapper” because they were just staring to flap their wings.
Homework: Create a Venn diagram comparing girly Flappers to boyish flappers, how are they alike and different? 8 – 5 – 8