Part I. Normalcy
America was Weary in the Year 1920
• We Had Come Through a Lot
– Progressive Era- government attempted to
‘tame’ business
– WWI
– Influenza
• There were some troubling issues just
surfacing, too
– Radicalism/Communism/ Anarchism
Brief Tangent- Communism
• America was founded based on the ideal of a certain kind of
equality --- ‘equality of opportunity’
– In other words, everyone deserves the same chance to have
success
• Communism was/is a fundamental challenge to this ideal
– Communism argues that everyone should have a different kind of
equality- ‘equality of condition’
– In other words, everyone should share equally in the product of
society
• This is an incredibly troubling idea to many Americans,
especially those in positions of ______________________
– Why? ________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
• In 1917, the first country in history adopted the Communist
ideal
– Russia (aka the Soviet Union)
– Many communists believe that their ideology should be spread
around the world  thus, communism was a threat to all countries
Brief Tangent- Radicalism/Anarchism
• Communism is a radical ideology
– In other words, it demands large and difficult
change (revolution!)
• Some people were even more radical than
the communists. Anarchists believed that
all governments, of any kind, should be
attacked and destroyed, to free people
from tyranny.
With Both Their Weariness and New Threats on
the Horizon (radicalism) Americans Were
(Naturally) Anxious About Their Future
• Desire for calm, stability and ‘normalcy’
• America turned to a pro-business,
conservative government (Republicans)
• Turned away from the rest of the world
and its radicalism
A Quick Skim Through
these Political Leaders
• Republican President elected in 1920
• Most famous for three scandals:
- “Ohio Gang” (president’s
advisors caught using power of the
presidency to get rich)
- Teapot Dome Scandal (extreme
example- gov. claimed some land oilrich land for supplying the navy, but
the secretary of the navy secretly let
private companies get and use the oil
in return for $)
- Mysterious death in S.F at the
Palace Hotel in 1923
• Harding’s Vice President
• Became President in 1923 (after Harding’s
death)
• Elected in 1924 with slogan “Coolidge or
Chaos”
Anecdotes- ‘Silent Cal’ (you don’t have to write
this stuff…)
•in private he was a man of few words and was therefore
commonly referred to as "Silent Cal." A possibly apocryphal
story has it that Dorothy Parker, seated next to him at a
dinner, said to him, "Mr. Coolidge, I've made a bet against a
fellow who said it was impossible to get more than two
words out of you." His famous reply: "You lose.“
•It was also Parker who, upon learning that Coolidge had
died, reportedly remarked, "How can they tell?"
• Conservative pro-business Republican elected in 1928
• Believed in the individual & a small federal government
The American Government, and a Large
Part of the American Population, Demanded
Conservative, Stabilizing Government Action
• Anti-Immigrant Movement
• Prohibition
• Anti-Strike Actions
• Isolationism
•“Immigrants are taking our jobs, they talk funny, and they are
bringing in radical European ideologies (like Communism and
Anarchism)”. Let’s get rid of them.
•Mitchell Palmer (U.S. Attorney General- see pic), seeing a
political future in harnessing this anti-immigrant feeling
started the “First Red Scare”
•Red= Communism
• He deported immigrants suspected of having radical ideas
during the “Palmer Raids”
•Quota system was set up to limit immigration from
undesirable places (Italy, Russia, and Slavic nations)
Anti- Immigrant Movement (cont.)
• Anti immigrant fear exploded in a number of
ways
– Ex: Sacco & Vanzetti Trial
– A bank robbery occurred and witnesses claimed that
the burglars looked like Italians
– Sacco & Vanzetti, two Italians who were active in
radical politics were arrested, tried, convicted, and
executed
– Many felt that there was little evidence against them
and that they were found guilty as a result of the
hysteria
• Interesting afterward…
Brief Tangent- Rebirth of the KKK
• The KKK seized on the tensions in the
early ’20s to stage a comeback
• They were anti-immigrant and also
encouraged white people’s fears of blacks
who were ‘uppity’ after their contribution to
the war
• The 18th Amendment “Volstead Act” prohibited the
manufacturing or sale of alcohol (1919)
• It was hard to enforce – smuggled and bootleg liquor
was common – led to a rise in organized crime (mob)
• The 21st Amendment ended Prohibition in 1933
•More on this later…
Government Put Down Strikes
• In Boston, police went on strike for better
pay
• Governor of Massachusetts (Calvin
Coolidge) called in the National Guard
• All police fired and new police rehired.
• Do we see how this matches the
‘normalcy’ theme?
Isolationism
• U.S. raised tariffs
– Up to 60% at one point highest in the
history of the U.S.!
• Navy decreased
Part II. Economic Boom!
In Spite of All of the Tension of the early
20s Business DID Flourish
• By the end of the 1920s, the U.S. had 80%
of the world’s cars!
• We had 40% of the world’s total wealth!
• Productivity per worker in factories
increased 50% from 1920 to 1929!)
• Car ownership grew 18 million from
1920 to 1930
• New roads = more mobility, causing
urban sprawl
• Charles Lindbergh’s 1927
transatlantic flight – could fly across
the Atlantic Ocean
• Companies focused on inventing & producing consumer goods
Examples: radios, automobiles, icebox, washing machine, vacuum cleaner
• People buying goods using “credit”
• mass production of goods = cheaper products
• increased use of advertising
to sell products
• Era of Babe Ruth & Yankee Stadium
• Sports figures were heroes and big business (1927
Dempsey fight made $2.6 million)
• Negro National Baseball League started in the 1920s
• Rise of movie stars (Rudolph Valentino & Charlie Chaplin)
became popular in the 1920s
• Talking movies started October 6th, 1927 with “The Jazz
Singer”
• Harlem Renaissance – rebirth of black culture in New York
City
Hansen
U.S. History
Name ____________________
Period _________
The 1920s
Part I. Normalcy
•
America was Weary in the Year 1920
–
________________________________
• Progressive Era- government attempted to
_____________________________
• WWI
• ______________________________
–
There were some troubling issues just surfacing, too
• __________________________________
•
Brief Tangent- Communism
–
America was founded based on the ideal of a certain kind
of equality --- ___________________________
• In other words, everyone deserves the same
__________________________________
–
Communism was/is a fundamental challenge to this ideal
• Communism argues that everyone should have a
different kind of equality- _____________
__________________________________
• In other words, everyone should _________
_____________________________________
–
This is an incredibly troubling idea to many Americans,
especially those in positions of ______________________
• Why?
__________________________________________
________________________________
–
In 1917, the first country in history adopted the Communist
ideal
• Russia (aka _______________________)
• Many communists believe that their ideology
___________________________________ thus,
communism was a threat to all countries
•
Brief Tangent- ________________________________
–
Communism is a radical ideology
• In other words, it demands _____________ change
(revolution!)
Note-Taking Guide
–
•
•
Some people were even more radical than the
communists. Anarchists believed that all _________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
With Both Their Weariness and New Threats on the Horizon
(radicalism) Americans Were (Naturally) ______________
_______________________________________________
– Desire for calm, stability and ‘normalcy’
– America turned to ___________________,
conservative government (Republicans)
– Turned away from the rest of the world _________
_______________________________________
A Quick Skim Through these Political Leaders
– President Harding
• Republican President elected in 1920
•
Most famous for ___________________:
– “Ohio Gang” (president’s advisors
caught _________________________
_______________________________)
– Teapot Dome Scandal (extreme
example- gov. claimed some ______
____________________________
__________, but the secretary of the
navy secretly let private companies get
and use the oil in return for $)
– ____________ in S.F at the Palace
Hotel in 1923
– Calvin Coolidge
• Harding’s Vice President
• Became President in 1923 (after Harding’s
death)
•
Elected in 1924 with slogan “_____________
_____________”
–
•
•
•
•
Herbert Hoover
• Conservative pro-business Republican elected in
1928
•
______________________________________
_______________________________________
The American Government, and a Large Part of the American
Population, Demanded Conservative, __________________
________________________________________________
– Anti-Immigrant Movement
– _______________________
– _______________________
– Isolationism
Anti Immigrant Movement
– “Immigrants are _____________________, they talk
funny, and they are bringing in _________________
______________________________ (like Communism
and Anarchism)”. Let’s get rid of them.
– Mitchell Palmer (U.S. Attorney General- see pic), seeing
________________________ in harnessing this antiimmigrant feeling started ________________________
• Red= _________________________
•
________________________ suspected of
having radical ideas during the _____________
• __________________ was set up to limit
immigration from undesirable places (Italy,
Russia, and ______________________)
Anti immigrant fear exploded in a number of ways
–
Ex: _________________________________
–
A bank robbery occurred and witnesses claimed that the
burglars ____________________________
–
Sacco & Vanzetti, two Italians who were __________
________ were arrested, tried, convicted, and executed
–
Many felt that there was _________against them and
that they were found guilty as a result _____________
• Interesting afterward…
Brief Tangent- Rebirth of ________________
– ______________________________________ in the
early ’20s to stage a comeback
•
They were anti-immigrant and also encouraged white
people’s fears of blacks who were ________________
__________________________________________
•
Prohibition
•
The 18th Amendment ____________________
prohibited the manufacturing or sale of alcohol _______
•
It was hard to enforce – _____________________was
common – led to a rise in _______________________
•
The 21st Amendment ended Prohibition in _______
•
More on this later…
•
Government Put _________________________
•
In Boston, police went on strike for _______________
•
Governor of Massachusetts (Calvin Coolidge) called in
the National Guard
•
____________________________________________
•
Do we see how this matches the ‘normalcy’ theme?
•
Isolationism
•
U.S. _____________________________
•
Up to _____________________ highest in the history
of the U.S.!
•
________________________________
Part II. Economic Boom
•
In Spite of All of the Tension of the early 20s Business _____
_______________________________________
•
By the end of the 1920s, the U.S. had ____________
________________________________!
•
________________________of the world’s total wealth!
•
Productivity per worker in factories ________________
___________________________________ !
•
Transportation
•
Car ownership grew 18 million from 1920 to 1930
•
New roads = _________________________________
•
Charles Lindbergh’s 1927 ___________________ –
could fly across the Atlantic Ocean
•
Changing Consumer Habit
•
Companies focused on inventing & producing ________
________________ (continue on a separate sheet!)