The Roaring Twenties
U.S. in the 1920s

The 1920s was:

A turning point in the 20th
century

A time of conflicting
values

Traditional/rural &
Urban/modern

Aka: The Jazz Age

“The parties were bigger… the pace was
faster, the shows were broader, the buildings
were higher, the morals were looser…”
F. Scott Fitzgerald –
The Great Gatsby
Post World War I

Isolationism


The Lost Generation



U.S. withdrew from foreign events
Destruction & devastation of war > uncertainty,
fear, & doubt for the future
Big 3 authors: Stein, Fitzgerald, Hemingway
Distrust of Russia

Russian Revolution sparked fears of communism
in the U.S.
The Red Scare

Red Scare


Hatred of the “Hun”
(German) transferred to
Hatred of the “Reds”
Red Scare refers to the
widespread fear of
communism

Palmer Raids


Attorney General Palmer
led attacks against
suspected radicals
Aliens were deported
Palmer Raids
Immigration Issues

Limiting Immigration




Limited jobs & the Red Scare >
backlash against foreigners
“Nativists” re-emerge


1921 Quota

National Origins Act 1924
Established number of
immigrants allowed into U.S.
from each nation

Set quotas for each country at
2% of the number of people
from that country living in the
U.S. in 1890
Southern & Eastern European
countries reduced significantly
& Asian countries were nearly
eliminated
Sacco & Vanzetti



Italian immigrants accused of
robbery & murder
Anarchists
Results
Sacco & Vanzetti

At the trial…



Public support


Weak evidence against Sacco & Vanzetti
Judge biased against immigrants
Protests in Europe & South America broke out in
support of the two men
Results


Convicted & executed in 1927
Historians debate guilt or innocence but agree
political ideas played a key role
1920s Republican Presidents

Warren G. Harding


Less government in
business & more
business in government
“Normalcy”

Calvin Coolidge


Favored Big Business
Kellog-Briand Pact:
 1928 treaty that
rejected war as a
means to solve
problems
Teapot Dome Scandal



Oil reserves were taken
from the navy &
transferred to the
Secretary of Interior:
Albert Fall
Fall secretly leased oil
to companies (took
bribes)
Fall was the 1st cabinet
member to go to JAIL
1920s Economy

“Roaring ’20s” not so
roaring

Agriculture


Farmers suffering
Weather conditions
U.S. loans
money to Germany

Germany owes
Allies
Effects of WWI


Soldiers returning from
war can’t get jobs
Reparations system
leads to debt
Allies owe
U.S.
Labor Issues

1919
 One of the most
explosive times in
the history of the
labor movement

Strikes 1919
 Seattle




Workers
 Disappointed that
hard work in WWI
wasn’t rewarded
 Red Scare sentiment
weakened unions

Boston Police Strike



Nation’s 1st major general
strike
Shut down the city
Initially started in the
shipyards
Police protested low wages &
poor working conditions
Calvin Coolidge’s role
Steel strike

Leader John Lewis worked for
shorter hours & safer working
conditions
Police Strike

“There can be no right to strike against the
public safety by anybody, anywhere, anytime”
- Coolidge
Henry Ford

Known for the
Assembly Line

Paid workers well
because he realized
that workers were also
CONSUMERS

Robotic work > anyone
(all skill levels) could
work in factory
Working Women

Common jobs for
women included



Nurse, secretary, factory
job (overqualified)
Paid less than men
Gender Issues

*First time educated men
& women could meet in
the workplace …
Hmmmm 