Xenophobia




The Red Scare (1919-1920) – fear of the Communist
Revolution in Russia spreading leads to the jailing and
deportation of Anarchist, Communists and Socialists“Soviet Ark”
Labor Movement suffers.
Communism considered a foreign conspiracy- Ideas
were Un-American.
KKK – 1 million
Immigrants No Longer Welcome


Immigrations Act of 1921- established a quota; 10% of
the number of immigrants in 1910.
Immigrations Act of 1924- further restricted
immigration; 2% of the number of immigrants in 1890
“Silent Cal” Restores Credibility to the
Presidency
Calvin Coolidge- very honest; believer
in laissez-faire economics.
Andrew Mellon- Secretary of the
Treasury; introduces trickle-down
economics- tax cuts for the rich.
Trickle Down Economics Today
Between 1990 and
2004, the bottom
90% of the US
population saw its
average household
income increase by
2%.
 It went up 57% for
the top 1%.
 It went up 112%
for the top .01%.

90% of
Americans saw a
2% increase in income
New Forms of Art &
Entertainment
Mass Culture
 Jazz – American Art
 Sports: Baseball
 Radio- Vaudeville
 Movies- Silent Films
1. Spreads common
values, styles and
tastes.
2. Creates new national
heroes and stars.
1920’s Economic Boom –
Roaring 20’s
 Stock Market Booms –
Bull Market (Bear)
Buying Goods on Credit
 Installment plan: pay
for goods over extended
period with interest
 Some economists,
business owners think
installment buying
excessive – Why?
 Future? – Who cares live
for today!
Revolution in Automobile
Production – Assembly Line
Henry Ford
 Model T – Assembly
Line and installment
plan make the car
available to most.
 “When you build a
factory, you build a
temple.”
 Materialism is the new
trend.
The Lost Generation (US)
- The Da Da Movement (Europe)
 Main Theme: Disillusionment
 F. Scott Fitzgerald: called the era the
“Jazz Age”
 Great Gatsby: Showed the negative side of
1920s wealth
 Sinclair Lewis: Babbit; Against
materialism
 Ernest Hemingway: A Farewell to Arms
– questions glorification of war
The Roaring 20’s
The New Urban Scene
 1922–1929, nearly 2 million people leave
farms, towns each year
 Urban v. Rural - Clash of VALUES!
The Noble Experiment




18th Amendment (1919): supported by
religious groups, Rural South, West
Prohibition: production, sale, transportation
of alcohol is illegal!
Volstead Act (1919)
Problem: Government does not budget
enough money to enforce the law.
Prohibition Ignored



Speakeasies: hidden
saloons, nightclubs –
The “corner cop”
People distill liquor, buy
prescription alcohol,
“sacramental” wine
Bootlegging: illegal
sale, manufacturing
Rise of Organized Crime



Al Capone: controls
Chicago liquor business
by killing competitors –
St Valentines Day
Massacre
Corruption at EVERY
level!
Mid-1920s: only 19%
support Prohibition
The Election of 1928
• Herbert Hoover (R) • Al Smith (D)
•
•
•
•
Rural- from Iowa
W.A.S.P.
Dry
Pro Big Business –
Laissez Faire
•
•
•
•
Urban- from NYC
Irish-Catholic
Wet
Progressive- Gov’t
Regulation