Name: ___________________________________________________ Due Date: _________________ Period: _________________
Chapter 8—Society and Politics in the 1920s—(pp. 364-393)
Section 1—Intolerance and Conflict Marked Postwar Society-- ID’s and Questions: (pp364-373)
1. John L. Lewis (366) the acting president of the United Mine Workers (UMW) who tried to negotiate for
better hours and a 60% increase in base pay—when talks broke down, he called for a strike—U.S. Atty
General A. Mitchell Palmer called it a “communist plot” a declared the strike illegal—Lewis secretly
negotiated with the government and got a 31% pay hike and later became the president of the UMW—
the 2nd most powerful person in union politics
2. A. Mitchell Palmer (366) U.S. Attorney General who was obsessed with the idea of a communist
conspiracy to overthrow the government (red scare).
3. welfare capitalism (366) to keep workers productive and happy (and to keep them from joining unions),
many companies started introducing pensions, cafeterias, paid vacations, profit-sharing plans, and other
company-sponsored programs
4. red scare (367) the idea of a government takeover by communists (following WWI—due to Bolsheviks
takeover of the government in Russia)
5. J. Edgar Hoover (367) chief of the General Intelligence Division within the Department of Justice—who
would later become the director of the FBI—given the task of collecting information about politically
dangerous people and activities (appointed to the position by Palmer)
6. American Civil Liberties Union (368) (ACLU) a group formed in 1920 to challenge the constitutionality
of laws that violated the Bill of Rights
7. barrio (369) urban Hispanic communites
8. Sacco-Vanzetti case (369) 2 Italian immigrants were charged, tried, convicted and executed for robbing
a shoe factory outside of Boston and killing the paymaster and a guard—many people believed that the
only reason that they were charged was because they were immigrants and poor (part of the “red scare”).
9. ghetto (372) a segregated slum—which started appearing in some cities around World War I
10. Marcus Garvey (373) A Jamaican immigrant who founded the Universal Negro Improvement
Association in Harlem in 1914—urged African Americans to look within their own culture for dignity
and pride—he eventually formed a transportation company that was to return African Americans to
Africa—this was never realized after Garvey was convicted of defraud some of his followers and
deported.
11. What New York City neighborhood was a center for African American life in the 1920s? Harlem
12. How did the labor strikes of 1919 affect most workers’ lives? The 1919 strikes were mostly unsuccessful,
increased the fear and anger that the American public felt toward unions and contributed to a decline in
union membership.
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13. What tactics did A. Mitchell Palmer use to fight communists and radicals? He created the General
Intelligence Division which collected information about politically suspect people and activities, raided
the meeting places of alleged radicals, and arrested or deported thousands of aliens
14. How did anti-immigrant attitudes affect the Sacco-Vanzetti case? Despite a weak case against Sacco and
Vanzetti, the two Italian immigrants were found guilty of murder and executed. Many people believed
that they had been convicted because of their anarchist political views and their immigrant status
15. How did the expectations of African Americans after the war compare with their experiences? African
American veterans expected a share of the prosperity of the 1920s after serving the U.S. at war.
However, they returned to a country that was experiencing intense race riots and racial intolerance.
Section 2—Social Change Threatened Traditionalists-- ID’s and Questions: (pp. 374-378)
1. 18th Amendment (375) banned the sale, manufacture, and transportation of “intoxicating liquor” but
did nothing to forbid buying or drinking it
2. Prohibition (375) the era in which restrictions on alcohol were in effect
3. Volstead Act (375) passed by Congress to enforce the 18th Amendment (which listed exceptions to the
law: allowances for religious and medicinal uses of alcohol)—the Treasury Department was assigned the
task of enforcing the law—but very little money was given to help. (Elliott Ness—and “the
Untouchables” were Treasury agents given the task of enforcing the Volstead Act).
4. speakeasies (375) secret clubs that sold alcohol illegally
5. Al Capone (376) headed one of the country’s most infamous crime syndicates in Chicago which was
involved with the illegal sale, transportation, etc. of alcohol during Prohibition
6. fundamentalism (376) referred to the belief of the literal interpretation of the Bible
7. Clarence Darrow (377) a famous trial lawyer and self-proclaimed agnostic who defended John Scopes in
the Scopes “Monkey” Trial
8. Scopes Trial (378) 1925 trial in which a Tennessee science teacher was tried for teaching evolution—
found guilty and fined—later his fine was cancelled on appeal—the trial became a national struggle
between those who believed in teaching evolution and those who believed in teaching the Biblical
explanation of creation in public schools
9. Which state passed the law that led to the Scopes trial? Tennessee
10. In what ways was the Ku Klux Klan of the 1920s different from the Klan of post-Civil War times?
The new Klan spread its influence beyond the “old” south of the old Klan into the Midwest, Southeast,
and Far West. It also broadened its attacks to include not only African Americans but Jews, Roman
Catholics, foreigners, and others.
11. What arguments were used to support the need for Prohibition? Supporters of Prohibition cited the
physical and emotional dangers of alcohol use and linked alcohol with corrupt politicians and
immigrants.
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12. How did Prohibition contribute to the rise of organized crime? The leaders of organized crime saw profit
in the open rebellion of Americans to the Volstead Act. They took control of the production and
distribution of illegal liquor.
13. Why did the Scopes trial attract widespread attention? It was an emotional and well-publicized battle
that highlighted the tensions of rural fundamentalists in a rapidly urbanizing society.
Section 3—Republicans Dominated 1920s Politics-- ID’s and Questions: (pp. 378-383)
1. Warren G. Harding (378) the Republican candidate for president in 1920 who campaigned on a promise
to return the U.S. to “normalcy”—represented people who were tired of Wilson’s talk of America’s duty
to humanity and just wanted a chance to pursue their lives without government interference—elected
president –was very handsome but not particularly bright—had difficulty answering questions of policy
and he constantly twisted the English language with inappropriate or nonexistent words—due to lack of
judgment in choosing government leaders—many scandals developed during his administration—he
collapsed and died on August 2, 1923.
2. Teapot Dome Scandal (380) after Harding’s death—this scandal was uncovered—Secretary of the
Interior had illegally leased government land in Teapot, Wyoming –land which had been specifically
reserved for the Navy --to private business interests netting him thousands of dollars
3. Calvin Coolidge (381) became president after Harding’s death (his VP)—ridded the administration of
its scoundrels and was nominated by Republicans in 1924 and won the presidency—as president, he used
hi influence to transform regulatory agencies into support systems for private business policies—the ICC
and the Federal Reserve Board became allies of private enterprise rather than as watchdogs—his slogan,
“the business of America is business.”
4. Alfred E. Smith (383) nominated by the Democrats for president in 1928—Irish-Catholic governor of
New York state –his opponent was Herbert Hoover (Republican)—lost the election in part because many
southern Democrats “could not” vote for a “Catholic” and voted instead for Hoover.
5. From what state did President Harding come? Ohio
6. What policies under Harding signaled the new conservative orientation of government? The Harding
administration dismantled Progressive era restraints on business and convinced Congress to lower taxes
for the wealthy. It also created the Bureau for the Budget which allowed the government to prioritize
and limit federal spending for the first time.
7. How did Harding’s management style lead to widespread scandal? Harding gave his appointed officials
free rein in terms of policy and conduct. His poor choices for government office eventually led to many
public scandals.
8. How did Calvin Coolidge restore the reputation of the Republican presidency? Coolidge undertook a
major house cleaning, ridding the Republican party of the Harding era scoundrels. His reputation for
law and order, as well as honesty, also helped restore faith in the presidency.
9. What were the primary campaign issues of the 1928 election? The 1928 election pitted Herert Hoover,
promoted as a rural success story, against Al Smith, an urban politician who spoke for ethnic Americans.
Smith, himself an Irish-Catholic, was the biggest issue in the campaign.
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Section 4—Women and Farmers Pushed For Change—ID’s and Questions: (pp. 334-387)
1. 19th Amendment (385) gave women the right to vote—became part of the Constitution on August 26,
1920.
2. McNary-Haugen Bill (387) This legislation proposed to raise farm prices by having the government
purchase farm surplus to sell in foreign markets. President Coolidge vetoed the bill twice—he felt that
price fixing—which is what the plan established—would encourage overproduction and at the same time
force consumers to pay higher prices.
3. Fighting on what continent contributed to America’s farm troubles? Europe (during WWI)
4. How did Carrie Chapman Catt’s new strategy help her secure women’s right to vote? It convinced local
suffrage groups to band together to support a national suffrage amendment. It moved away from the
earlier state-by-state approach devised by NAWSA leaders.
5. What changes did professional women experience in the 1920s? From being secretaries –teachers---and
nurses….some college-educated women broke into new fields—such as law, medicine, architecture,
accounting—publishing, advertising, and real estate….but they were very rare exceptions.
6. In what fields were working-class and African American women mainly employed? Working class women
worked in factories or shops—African American women generally worked in three areas—domestic and
personal service, agriculture, and industries.
7. What situation was the McNary-Haugen Bill intended to improve? Low farm prices and high crop
surpluses
8. How did farm hardships affect the rest of the U.S. economy? As farmers lost income, their spending on
nonagricultural goods and services decline. As they failed to keep up payments on loans and mortgages,
banks also failed.
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