The Roaring Twenties
And its Seminal
Issues
The Politics
Of Frustration
And
The Politics of
Prohibition
Not All is Well in Gotham
• Not everyone benefited
from the “Politics of
Prosperity.”
• Ex-Servicemen had
difficulty finding jobs;
• Huge upswing in Racism
and Xenophobia;
• Many desired a return to
“The Good Ol days.”
Gotham is troubled
• Warren G. Harding
promoted a “Return to
Normalcy.”
• What sort of normalcy?
Did America return to
normalcy?
• Distinguish between
cultural fundamentalism
and religious
fundamentalism.
• Define “invisible empire”
and “Americanism.”
“Good Ol’ Days”
• People began to write and yearn for a “Bygone
America.”
• Free of labor and racial strife
• Fewer “Foreigners.”
• No radical ideologies (ostensibly there was a time everyone got
along).
• A return to the small town America atmosphere
• A more devout citizenry, Christianity.
• Less government interference in their daily lives
Return to Normalcy
• Associated with the notion of returning to the
good old days … Harding run on the normalcy
platform; Return to Normalcy included three
major trends not really intended:
• 1) Redefinition of “Americanism”
• 2) Resumption of racial antagonism.
• Resurrection of “Old Time Religion.”
Cultural Fundamentalism
• H. L. Mencken was the
spearhead of this
movement:
• Be more European; forget
the Puritanism of
American society, stamp
out anti-intellectualism,
we must have some
Conformity. Liberalism is
needed for this backwards
dull-witted American
population.
Henry Louis Mencken
• Journalist and Editor and
Social Critic (Jewish).
• He hated all things
American—assumed they
were dull-witted;
• Abhorred the South and the
West; He coined the term
“Bible Belt” and “Monkey
Trial”
• “No one ever went broke
underestimating the
intelligence of the American
People.”
Culture of Fundamentalism
• Many people seemed to believe that all the
consumerism and cultural decadence was a
scourge from God—needed to get back to the
fundamentals of Christian tenets. A certain pattern
of thought:
• Quest for certainty and predictability in social
relationships.
• An order in human affairs that was at once
familiar, comfortable, and unthreatening.
• Nostalgia for the idealized, non-industrialized
society of their parents.
Politics of Frustration
• Begins with suspicion of anything foreign—
driving force behind some notorious events; We
will focus on four (4):
The Red Scare
Sacco and Vanzetti Trial
The New Ku Klux Klan
The Scopes “Monkey” Trial
Red Scare
• WWI saw the fall of the
Kaiser, the rise of the
Communist in Russia; the
fall of older more
nationalist empires and the
rise of influence of
communism all across
Europe.
• The Bolshevik or October
Revolution of Nov 1917
saw the rise of Lenin and
the Communist
International.
The Red Scare
• The U.S. and other European countries were
facing labor unrest—the Communist League was
gaining adherents—such as Eugene V. Debbs of
the American Communist/socialist league in
America—
• The real issue Russia was embroiled in a civil war
and the Communist party neither had the material
nor the resources to fight or influence World labor
unions. Few people knew lenin, and even fewer
had heard of Karl Marx.
The Red Scare
• Did however, fear the corruption of the Labor Unions—
seem to instigate mob violence and labor unrest.
• Huge increase in labor strikes and unrest in 1919 fueled
this fear.
• Seattle was on general strike, Boston police force and a
nationwide steel strike was on going.
• Many were recent immigrants from eastern and southern
Europe, semi and unskilled—many labeled these strikes
un-American and were filled with radical anarchists.
The Red Scare
• Coincidentally, there were
bomb threats to US
Senator Thomas
Hartwick—exploding
mail, which killed his
unsuspecting maid.
• Others were caught and
headed off—going to JP
Morgan, JD Rockefeller,
Justice Oliver Wendell
Holmes—no real evidence
that the Bolsheviks were
responsible
Palmer Raids
• Attorney General A. Mitchell
Palmer was also threatened—
he suspended the writ of
habeas corpus, organized a
crime fighting unit, which was
headed by a young lawyer—J.
Edgar Hoover.
• Began to round up communists
and anarchists and place them
in jail—began deporting many,
used the Sedition Acts to make
it legal.
• By 1920, he had arrested about
3000 people—many were
innocent, even Jane Addams of
Hull House was suspected of
Communist sympathizing
Palmer Raids
• Denounced the League of Women Voters as
anarchists;
• Even began to offend many conservatives;
• Palmer used his raids as proof he was tough on
communism and ran for the Presidency—but did
not get the nomination.
• Hoover, under Harding, became Director of the
Bureau of Investigation later the FBI
Sacco and Vanzetti
• Public distrusted Foreigners;
especially anarchists;
• Arrested for robbery and
murder;
• Travesty of Justice—selfproclaimed radicals—
essentially were considered
guilty before trial—true test of
democracy was to protect
rights of those who hold
separate beliefs
Sacco and Vanzetti
• Delicate and sensitive trial—went on for 6 years;
• Found guilty and were executed—Vanzetti
claimed he was on trial for his beliefs not the act
of murder.
• “I am suffering because I am a radical. Indeed I
am radical. I have suffered because I am an
Italian. Indeed, I am an Italian … But I am so
convinced to be right … you could execute me
twice … I would live again to do what I have
already done …”
Rise of the New KKK
• After Sacco and Vanzetti, many became
disillusioned with Cultural Fundamentalism and
began to join more radical sects.
• The Ku Klux Klan first emerged during
reconstruction. 1915, Col. William Joseph
Simmons revived the organization—the KKK
received a charter from the Georgia legislature;
• However, it remained insignificant until 1920.
KKK
• Two NY con men started a
southern chapter and publicly
promoted the Klan’s views;
• The GA legislature began to
investigate in 1921—
unfortunately the investigation
gave much free publicity;
• Membership grew from
100,000 to 1 million in 1922—
by 1925, 2 million members.
• Promoted 100% Americanism
100% Americanism
• Protestantism
• Charity
• Motherhood
• Morality
• Temperance
• Education
KKK
• Officially denied all
hatreds, but qualifications
for membership embraced
all hatreds.
• Catholics—Pope a
political autocrat—world
dominion;
• Jews—internationalists
who could never truly
love America—they killed
Jesus;
• African Americans—
militantly anti-Black
KKK
• Not relegated to the Deep South; greatest public
support was Texas, Indiana, and Ohio.
• Many served on city councils, state legislatures.
• Chicago, Indianapolis, Denver and Dallas had
Klan mayors;
• 6 Governors including Indiana, Oregon and
Colorado.
Demise of the KKK
• By 1925, membership began to
fall off.
• Leaders promised too much;
• Never had a true systemic
organization to influence
public opinion;
• Never could truly force
docility on the African
Americans—they fought back.
• It relied too much on passion
and not enough on reason
Scopes Monkey Trial
• On the surface, it was about academic freedom.
• It really pitted two societal views;
• The urban, modern intellectual rationalism and
secularism vs. the religious conservative rural
traditional values.
• Tennessee Legislature passed a law forbidding
the teaching of evolution or any theory
conflicting with the Biblical World View.
• John T. Scopes, 25, Dayton Tenn High school
Scopes Monkey Trial
• Clarence Darrow, secularist
lawyer, defended Scopes
(ACLU);
• Prosecutor was William
Jennings Bryan—Cross of
Gold Speech and Populist and
self-proclaimed leader of the
fundamentalist movement;
• Scopes lost, charged 100 fine,
Bryan died 5 days after the
trial—very sensational—pitted
evolution and rationalism Vs.
Bible.
Fundamentalism
• The name comes from a series of pamphlets
entitled: The Fundamentals: A Testament of Truth
• Authors were Milton and Lyman Stewart between
1909 and 1912. Principles are as follows:
• The Virgin Birth of Jesus Christ
• Jesus’ Physical Resurrection
• The second Coming was imminent and physical
• The Bible is literally and figuratively true—there
are no allegories, not open to interpretation.
Prohibition
• 1920s a decade of conflicts and contrasts— sexual
freedom, behaviors and dress clashed with a new
Puritanism. (Decline of Anglo-Saxon Class)
• Old traditional values clashed with new urban
modernity—Freud and his Libido and love of self;
• Termed a glorious orgy: songs-”Hot Lips” “I Need
Lovin” to movies “Up in Mabels Room” and “Her
Purchase Price.” Much scandal.
Prohibition
• To maintain some Puritan control on social
America, the 18th amendment was passed and
ratified by ¾ of the state legislatures forbidding
the manufacture or sale of alcoholic beverages in
America.
• Called the Volstead Act of 1919 (National
Prohibition Enforcement Act) gave the 18th
amendment some teeth—by defining an alcoholic
drink as any with a content of 0.5%.
Define Anglo-Saxon Class
• 1) True Americans descended from early Western
European settlers (English, German, Irish,
•
•
•
•
•
•
Scandinavian);
2) The most respectable and responsible of the
community;
3) Small-town dwellers
4) Educated people
5) Protestants
6) Republicans
7) Wanted less government in society and economy
Anglo-Saxon Grip
• Immigration restriction—Harding and Coolidge
both passed laws limiting immigration to
America.
• Anti-Semitism—considered the Jews the most
responsible for world unrest (Henry Ford) very
anti-Semitic.
• KKK—to help combat immigration, Jews,
Catholics and Blacks.
• Economic Control—wanted to maintain its hold
on corporate America—community clubs.
Country clubs, high end segregation and control
of colleges and many charities.
Melting Pot Bubbles
• However, demographics were changing.
• Birth rate of immigrants and native born
increasing.
• 1911, 2 of every 3 school children had immigrant
parents.
• Newbies settled in high states with many
electoral votes—became politically significant.
• Republicans ignored the needs of the growing
immigrant class—found themselves on the wrong
end of the birth rate—many turned to the
democratic party.
Election of 1928
• Very significant—we see the great divide in American
demographics.
• 1) Immigration had been restricted, but 6.5
million(internal immigration) rural people moved to the
cities—cities very powerful politically.
• 2) democrats catering to these new arrivals and old
immigrants broke the power of the republican party on
national politics.
• 3) Presidential candidates represented the transformation
under way (Rep: Herbert Hoover [aristocrat]) Alfred E.
Smith, lower class Catholic and a self-made man through
the political machinery of New York politics. Smith
disavowed prohibition.
Back to Prohibition
• Not a new phenomenon. Remember the
Temperance League—The Women’s temperance
Chriatin Union—tried to prove scientifically how
bad alcohol was the country.
• They utilized Eugenics suggesting heredity was a
cause for alcoholism—needed to selectively breed
this illicit gene out of the gene pool;
• Immigrants and Blacks were inferior therefore
susceptible to profusive drink.
Anti-Saloon League
• Est. 1896, focused on the
legal prohibition of drink;
developed a powerful
congressional Lobby;
• By 1918, 28 states had
state laws against drinking
(Dry States);
• Use prohibition to also
attack political bosses and
political machines
Typical Prohibitionist
• Rural or small Town
Person;
• Middle Class;
• Anglo-Saxon;
• Evangelical Protestant;
• Embraced Eugenics,
fearful of
• African Americans, Jews,
• Immigrants and Catholics
WWI and Prohibition
• War time hysteria against all things foreign linked
prohibition to Patriotism.
• Centralization of government power—many saw the
government as the upholder of American morality,
temperance and sobriety—in other words abridge some
liberties in the name of mmoral social responsibilities.
• The end result was failure—trying to impose a unique
brand of social morality backfired—many Americans
enjoy drink and were quite willing to break the law to
obtain it—created a whole industry of Syndicated and
organized crime.
Organized Crime
Organized Crime
Alfonse Capone