Normalcy and the Jazz Age, The 1920s
Clash of Values
Red Scare in 1919 brought on by the Russian Revolution
Lenin-Marxism is contrary to American values.
A. Mitchell Palmer targeted groups that posed a “clear danger.”
Nativism Resurges
Fear of losing our historic political, ethnic, cultural and religious identity.
Sacco-Vanzetti
Their conviction may have been influenced by being Italian
immigrants who held radical (anarchist) ideas.
Pseudo-Scientific Racism
Eugenics
Return of the Ku Klux Klan
Targeting Blacks, Catholics, Jews, and immigrants, it actively
recruited in Churches across America with an impressive
advertising campaign. Scandals involving the leaders led to its
decline.
Controlling Immigration
Emergency Quota Act
Admission based on ethnicity and country of origin.
National Origins Act, 1924
Exempted Canadians and Mexicans
Hispanic Immigration
The New Morality emphasized personal freedom.
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Women in the 1920s
Now have the right to vote, but will they exercise it?
Their status at the workplace does not improve.
Women are freer to experiment with bolder styles and manners.
Flappers are unconventional and actively seek to break from the past.
The Fundamentalist Movement
Fundamentalism: involves the literal interpretation of the Bible.
The Scopes Trial: John Scopes was prosecuted for violating the Butler
Act. He was defended by Clarence Darrow while William Jennings Bryan
represented the state of Tennessee.
Prohibition: The 18th Amendment will increase federal police power with the rise
of organized crime.
Volstead Act: To enforce prohibition and stop racketeering.
Speak easies: Illegal bars
Cultural Innovations
Art and Literature
Greenwich Village and the South Side
Modern American Art
Poets and Writers
Sinclair Lewis: Babbitt dealt with themes of hypocrisy, dishonesty,
and corruption in small town America.
Carl Sandburg
Eugene O’Neil
Ernest Hemingway: Farewell to Arms *
F. Scott Fitzgerald: The Great Gatsby *
* Writers identified with the “Lost Generation.”
Popular Culture
Heroes symbolize traditional American values of honesty, courage,
Baseball, Boxing and Other Sports
Rise of Hollywood
“The Golden Age” began in 1927 with the Jazz Singer, first movie
with sound.
Movie Stars become important to Americans
Popular Radio Shows and Music
Mass Media promoted the creation of a national culture.
African American Culture
The Great Migration
The result of an industrial boom
The Harlem Renaissance
Harlem became the cultural center of African Americans.
The Writers
James Weldon Johnson
Claude McKay
Langston Hughes
Zora Neale Hurston
Jazz, Blues and Theater
Jazz
Cotton Club: Harlem night spot where Black artists got their start and
frequented by White patrons.
Blues
African American Politics
Race Riots
The race riot in Chicago was due to housing overcrowding
neighborhoods.
The Black Vote in the North
NAACP Battles Lynching
NAACP lobbies the House of Representatives in 1922 to pass
legislation to make this practice illegal.
Black Nationalism and Marcus Garvey
Self respect, economic power, return to Africa
Presidential Politics
The Harding Administration
A Self-Doubter in the White House
Normalcy: Harding expressed Americans desire to return to normal
life after the war.
The Ohio Gang: Harding brought his friends from Ohio. They would play
poker in the White House.
Harry Daugherty resigned in disgrace for taking bribes in exchange
for the drilling of public land, and will narrowly escape conviction.
Teapot Dome Scandal
Albert Fall, Secretary of the Interior, went to jail for leasing
government oil reserves, one in Teapot Dome, Wyoming to oil
men for a $400,000 bribe.
The Coolidge Administration
“Silent Cal” believed in not interfering with business.
The policies of Secretary of the Treasury Mellon
The Election of 1924
Progressive Party
A Growing Economy
The Rise of New Industries
Mass Production
The Assembly Line simple tasks divided among the workforce;
increased efficiency; workers wages were doubled
but his sociological department could place
demands on employees private life.
Model T
Ford makes his car more affordable through vertical
consolidation.
The Social Impact of the Automobile
Tourist industry grows; new roads built; motels;
service stations
The Consumer Goods Industry
Installment plans and easy credit
The Airline Industry
Charles Lindbergh was the first to fly solo across the Atlantic.
Commercial flight gains popularity.
The Radio Industry takes off with the reporting of Harding winning the
election of 1920.
NBC
CBS
The Consumer Society is built on consumer spending.
Easy Credit
Installment plans fueled the growth of the consumer
economy.
Mass Advertising
Emphasis shifted from product quality to consumer
image.
Managerial Revolution
Welfare Capitalism National Harvester offered two week annual paid
vacation. Ford offered pensions.
Open shop
The Farm Crisis Returns
Changing Market Conditions
Buying on margin; speculation
Rise in stock market benefitted the
wealthy.
Helping Farmers
McNary Haugen Bill: government to buy crop surpluses and sell
abroad. Farmers were hit hard in the 1920s.
The Policies of Prosperity
Promoting Prosperity (Republican Party Plan)
Isolationism and laissez fair business policy
Mellon Program
Supply Side Economics
Cut corporate taxes to lower prices and individual tax
burden to increase consumer spending
Hoover’s Cooperative Individualism
Reduce corporate costs if trade organizations share
information with the government
Isolationism
After WWI Americans wanted to avoid involvement in
world affairs
The Dawes Plan
The US funds German debt; European debt deepens.
The Washington Conference
International agreement to reduce the size of the Naval
forces.
Abolishing War
Kellogg-Briand Pact
15 nations agreed not to use war in resolving conflict with
one another.
Signs of Economic Trouble
Uneven prosperity: farmers and laborers did not enjoy the
prosperity. 60% had difficulty making ends meet.
Personal debt
Over production
Stock Market Speculation