Volstead Act (1919)
The Volstead Act is the common name given to the National Prohibition Act.
Senator Andrew Volstead had overseen its passage in Congress. The law set forth procedures for enforcing the 18 th Amendment. It defined “intoxicating liquors,” set forth exceptions for medicinal purposes, and established criminal penalties.
Emergency Quota Act (1921)
This legislation represented the backlash of Americans against the huge immigration wave of the early 20 th century. It set forth a quota system that clearly favored immigrant groups from northern and western Europe, areas that no longer had large groups wanting to come. It discriminated against immigrants from southern and eastern Europe, areas that had represented the largest sources of immigration since
1890. Each nation was given a quota based on 3% of the number of people from that nation living in the United States in 1910, based on census data. It immediately reduced immigration from southern and eastern Europe. Its discriminatory policies reflected theories of the day that argued that certain national groups were innately superior to others.
Washington Naval Treaty (1922)
Motivated by the belief that the naval race of the early 20 th century had helped lead to World War I, this treaty signed by the major powers of the world limited national navies to a proportional formula representing hundreds of thousands of tons of shipping. Noted simply as 5:5:3:1:1, it gave the U.S. and Britain the right to the world’s largest navies. Japan agreed to restrict its navy to 60% of that size, and Italy and France agreed to restrict their navies to 20% of that figure. In the 1930s, Japan would scrap the treaty and refuse to abide by any limitations.
Immigration Act of 1924
This act replaced the Emergency Quota Act of 1921 and restricted even further the immigration to America of groups not favored by the majority of Americans. It based new quotas on 2% of the number of people from a nation living in the United
States in 1890, tilting quotas even further in the favor of people from northern and western Europe. It also prohibited immigration of Asians.

Kellogg-Briand Pact (1928)
Named for U.S. Secretary of State Frank Kellogg and French Foreign Minister
Aristide Briand, this international treaty attempted to make war illegal. All 62 nations that signed the treaty agreed to renounce “war as an instrument of national policy.” Kellogg and Briand won the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts. Signatories included Germany, Italy, and Japan.
Smoot-Hawley Tariff (1930)
Many historians see this measure as the biggest economic blunder of the Hoover
Administration. It raised tariff rates to historically high levels in an attempt to protect American workers and farmers from foreign competition. Instead, it led to retaliatory measures by other foreign governments, severely damaging trade, and hurting the economy even more.
Lindbergh Law (1932)
Formally known as the Federal Kidnapping Act, this bill authorized federal authorities, particularly the F.B.I., to take charge of kidnapping cases once suspects crossed state lines. This law was based on the belief that federal authorities could better handle and solve such cases than could state and local police. The law was passed in direct response to the abduction and murder of Charles A. Lindbergh, Jr. in March of 1932, a crime that shocked the nation.