CHAPTER 24
“THE NEW ERA”
Chapter Summary
Through the mid-1920s, America enjoyed unparalleled prosperity fueled by a great boom in automobile
production and related businesses. Many people believed that the progressive ideal of an efficient, ordered
society was at hand. The boom, however, masked problems. The prosperity was not equitably distributed
through society; many workers and farmers, including most minorities, were excluded. The new ways
forged by economic and technological advancement brought an unprecedented cultural nationalism, but
they also aroused serious conflicts as both intellectuals and traditionalists attacked elements of the New Era
culture. Presidents Harding and Coolidge, despite their contrasting styles, personified the pro-business
policies of the Republican Party, which dominated American politics throughout the 1920s.
Objectives
A thorough study of Chapter 24 should enable the student to understand
1.
The reasons for the industrial boom in the 1920s after the initial period of economic
readjustment following World War I.
2.
The nature and extent of labor's problems.
3.
The plight of the American farmer.
4.
The changes in the American way of life and American values in the 1920s in the areas of
consumerism, communications, religion, and the role of women.
5.
The reflection of these changed values in American literature and art.
6.
The effects of prohibition on American politics and society.
7.
The reasons for xenophobia and racial unrest in the 1920s.
8.
The debacle of the Harding administration.
9.
The pro-business tendencies of the Republican administration in the 1920s.
Main Themes
1.
How the automobile boom and new technology led to the economic expansion of the 1920s.
2.
That most workers and farmers failed to share equitably in the decade's prosperity.
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3.
How a nationwide consumer-oriented culture began to shape society and how the "new
woman" emerged.
4.
How the changing society disenchanted some artists and intellectuals and led to broad cultural
conflict over ethnic and religious concerns.
5.
That Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge, despite their dissimilar personalities, presided over
ardently pro-business administrations.
Points for Discussion
1.
Why did contemporaries refer to the 1920s as the "New Era"? Explain whether that was an
appropriate label.
2.
Many people gained from the boom of the New Era, and others fell through the economic
cracks. But the prosperity was widespread enough to usher in a modern consumer society.
Who gained? Who did not? What were the main elements of the national consumer-based
society?
3.
Analyze the forces that contributed to the emergence of a modern secular American culture in
the 1920s.
4.
One of the questions that has troubled historians concerns the legacy of progressivism.
Looking at the 1920s, would you argue that progressive thought had died or triumphed? Why?
5.
How and why did the role of women change in American society during the 1920s?
6.
Impressions of the 1920s vary, according to which vision one acceptsthat of members of the
ruling elite, such as Andrew Mellon and Herbert Hoover; of self-made men, such as Charles
Lindbergh; of the disenchanted, such as H. L. Mencken and Ernest Hemingway; of provincial
traditionalists, such as William Jennings Bryan; or of the blacks in the Harlem Renaissance.
Briefly describe each of those visions and tell how one or several capture the real significance
of the decade. (See the document in the Study Guide.)
7.
Why was the "New Era" a Republican era in general and one in which Warren G. Harding and
Calvin Coolidge, in particular, were elected as presidents? Discuss the ways in which their
personalities and policies reflected the times. (See the document in the Study Guide.)
8.
Why were the forces of prohibition, religious fundamentalism, and nativism so strong in the
1920s?
9.
How did the urban dance halls reflect challenges to the proprieties and inhibitions of
traditional public culture in America?
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Interpretive Questions Based on Maps and Text
1.
What forces caused farmers to go from ownership to tenancy?
2.
Compare the map of farm tenancy here to earlier ones in the text. What persistent pattern of
tenancy is evident in the South?
3.
Compare and contrast the railroad hinterland of Oregon, Illinois, with the automobile
hinterland. What implications did the change have for rural economic and social
developments?
4.
What technological and social forces were at work in the 1920s to break down regional
differences?
5.
What conflicts between the modern secular, mainly urban, culture and the traditional culture
manifested themselves in the 1920s?
6.
What states did Hoover carry that would normally have been regarded as safely Democratic?
Why did he make those inroads?
7.
Why did Smith carry Rhode Island and Massachusetts despite losing other states where
Democrats normally had a good chance for victory? Where did Smith make significant gains
for the Democrats even though losing statewide totals?
Essay Questions
These essays are based on the map exercises. They are designed to test students' knowledge of the
geography of the area discussed in this chapter and to test their knowledge of its historical development.
Careful reading of the text will help them answer these questions.
1.
Consult a map of Europe and the charts on immigration in this and earlier chapters. What
attitudes and legislation in the 1920s accounted for the change in national origins of
immigrants? What significance did the change have for the nation's cultural development?
2.
To what extent did urban and rural culture become blended in the 1920s? How did they
remain distinct?
Internet Resources
For Internet quizzes, resources, references to additional books and films, and more, consult the
text's Online Learning Center at www.mhhe.com/brinkley12.
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