The Politics of the Twenties
US History
Learning Targets
• We will take notes on the key elements that
made the 1920’s roaring…
– Politics
– People
Return to Normalcy
• After the War-American’s wanted to return to a
state of “normalcy”
• The 1920’s there were three trends in American
society that led to the state of ‘normalcy’
1. Renewed isolationism
2. A resurgence of nativism (suspicion of people
who are not born in the United States)
3. Political Conservatism- opposite of the
progressive area
THE RED SCARE IN THE UNITED
STATES
• Red Scare is a result
of Russian’s turning
into communists
• U.S. citizens want to
be LONERS again
• U.S citizens are
nativists-???
• 70,000 radicals
joined the American
Communist Party
-less than 1/10th
of Americans
So, how many Americans
turned into communists?
About 6,000
Americans were
sympathetic to the
Communists
So Palmer arrested
them
AMERICA RULES &
so does this
History Class
The Palmer Raids
Uncle Sam says “You might be
considered a communist if
you are a free thinker OR
radical”
Justice
Palmer and Hoover
-working for Division of
-later becomes FBI
They hunted down anarchists,
socialists, and communists
– they were searching for weapons
(explosives) and radicals
– deported/jailed radicals
you think3
thisguns
– they What
onlydofound
cartoon means?
Does this look like anyone’s
bedroom???
Sacco & Vanzetti
-Sacco(a shoemaker) &
Vanzetti (a fish
peddler)
-April 1920, height of the
red
scare
the
two
WHY? They were
Italian immigrants,
Italian,
Draft and
draft dodgers
Dodgers
&
anarchists
Anarchists!
-accused of killing a
factory paymaster and
-Sacco
and Vanzetti
his guard
were
charged
-The court
wereand
prejudice to the
sentenced
Electric
-Sacco & Chair
Vanzetti had
“struck out” before
they even went to
court
Prohibition
• January 1920-the
18th Amendment
goes into effect
With a partner, what do
• Prohibition-bans the
you think this picture
sale or
means? What was the
th
Let
me
tell
you
about
life
before
the
18
transportation of
purpose
of
it?
amendment
passed…Men drank too much!
alcoholicwasbeverages
They would come home mad & if the ladies
were behaving…well that’s a depressing story!
Some called Prohibition…the
“NOBLE EXPERIMENT”
I often serve the Cops so I
don’t get into trouble
Speakeasies and Bootleggers
• Speakeasies- were
hidden
Police
Officersaloons and
underground night
clubs
• You had to speak
quietly “easy”
• Found everywhere
– Office buildings,
stores, tearooms,
apartment buildings,
homes
• Bootleggerssmuggling alcohol in
your boots
• Stores sold
pamphlets on who to
distill liquor from fruits
and vegetables
• Liquor was hid in
water bottles, high
boots
I hope I don’t get
busted with my
moonshine!
Organized
Crime
Put down the booze &
nobody gets hurt!
• Because cops andWe will get
those
judges were easilygangstas!
bribed with alcohol
during this time
organized crime
became huge
• Every city had gangs
In many big cities..the cops were selling
Tommy Guns!
Al Capone
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Gangster
From ChicagoDoesn’t he look like a nice guy?
Bootlegging empire made over $60 million a year
Legal system could never get him for killing or bootlegging
He was arrested in 1931 for tax evasion
He did not serve much time in jail
He died from syphilis at the age of 48
Cool Down…
• What do you think this picture means?