The document summarizes key events and trends during the 1920s in the United States. The decade saw a return to "normalcy" through isolationism, nativism, and political conservatism under President Harding. However, scandals damaged his administration. The period was also marked by labor unrest, the rise of the Ku Klux Klan, Prohibition, the Scopes Trial, the Harlem Renaissance, and mass media and consumer culture. Ultimately, an economic boom fueled by speculation and easy credit ended with the 1929 stock market crash, plunging the nation into the Great Depression.
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Goal 9 the twenties
1. Harding
―Return to Normalcy‖ meant a return to
three political trends:
Isolationism
Nativism
Political
Conservatism
Warren G Harding
29th US President
1865 - 1923
2. Peacetime in America
War leaves Americans exhausted
Cost of living doubles; farm, factory
orders down
soldiers take jobs from
women, minorities
farmers, factory workers suffer
3.
4. The Red Scare
Fear of Communism
after the Russian Rev.
Communism—
economic, political
system, single-party
government
ruled by dictator
no private property
5. Fear of Communism
Vladimir I.
Lenin, Bolsheviks, set up
Communist state in Russia
U.S. Communist Party forms;
some Industrial Workers of
the World join
Bombs mailed to
government, businesses;
people fear Red conspiracy
Vladimir Lenin
1870 – 1924
6. The Palmer Raids
Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer
takes action
Hunt down
Communists, socialists, anarchists
Raids trample civil rights, fail to find
evidence of conspiracy
7. Sacco and Vanzetti
Red Scare feeds fear of foreigners, ruins
reputations, wrecks lives
Sacco and Vanzetti, Italian
immigrants, anarchists, arrested
charged with robbery, murder
trial does not prove guilt
Jury finds them guilty; widespread
protests in U.S., abroad
Sacco, Vanzetti executed 1927
9. The Klan Rises Again
Bigots use anti-communism to harass
groups unlike themselves
KKK opposes
blacks, Catholics, Jews, immigrants, unio
ns, saloons
1924, 4.5 million members
Klan controls many states’ politics;
violence leads to less power
10.
11. A Time of Labor Unrest
Government doesn’t allow strikes in
wartime; 1919 over 3,000 strikes
Employers against raises, unions;
label strikers as Communists
12. Boston Police Strike
Boston police strike over
raises, right to unionize
Calvin Coolidge ends
strike, replaces strikers
with new policemen
13. The Steel Mill Strike
Steel workers strike; companies use
force, later negotiate
Talks deadlock; Wilson appeals; strike ends
report on conditions leads to 8-hour day
14. The Coal Miners’ Strike
John L. Lewis becomes head
of United Mine Workers of
America
Leads strike; defies court
order to work; accepts
arbitration
Miners receive 27%
wage increase; Lewis
becomes national hero
John L.
Lewis
15. Labor Movement Loses Appeal
Union membership drops from over 5
million to 3.5 million
Less than 1% of African
Americans, just over 3% whites in
unions
16. The Harding Presidency
Appeals to America’s desire for calm
and peace after the war, but results in
scandal.
Hosts Washington Naval Conference;
invites major powers, not Russia
Secretary of State proposes
disarmament, others agree
17. High Tariffs and Reparations
Fordney-McCumberTariff raises taxes
on U.S. imports to 60%
Britain, France cannot repay U.S.
Germany defaults on reparations
Dawes Plan—U.S. investors lend
reparations money
Britain, France repay; resentment
on all sides
19. The Quota System
1919 - 1921, number of immigrants grows
almost 600%
Quota system sets maximum number can
enter U.S. from each country
sharply reduces European immigration
20. National Origins Act
European arrivals cut to 2% of number
of residents in 1890
Discriminates against southern, eastern
Europeans
Prohibits Japanese immigration; causes
ill will between U.S. & Japan
Does not apply to Western Hemisphere;
many Canadians, Mexicans enter
21. Country of Origin
Year
Total Entering
U.S. Great Britain
Eastern
Europe* Italy
1920 430,001 38,471 3,913 95,145
1921 805,228 51,142 32,793 222,260
1922 309,556 25,153 12,244 40,319
1923 522,919 45,759 16,082 46,674
1924 706,896 59,490 13,173 56,246
1925 294,314 27,172 1,566 6,203
1926 304,488 25,528 1,596 8,253
*Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey.
22. Scandal Hits Administration
Has capable men in cabinet
Also appoints Ohio gang—corrupt
friends who cause embarrassment
Harding does not understand all
issues facing nation
Corrupt friends use their positions to
become wealthy through graft
23. The Teapot Dome Scandal
Teapot Dome scandal—naval oil
reserves used for personal gain
Interior Secretary Albert B. Fall leases
land to private companies
Takes bribes; is first person convicted
of felony while in cabinet
25. Calvin Coolidge
August 1923, Harding dies
suddenly
VP Calvin Coolidge assumes
presidency, restores faith in
government
Consumer goods fuel the business
boom of the 1920s as America’s
standard of living soars
Average annual income rises
over 35%, from $522 to $705
Calvin Coolidge
30th US President
1872 - 1933
26. Coolidge’s Policies
Coolidge favors minimal government
interference in business (laissez-faire)
―The business of America is business‖
Kellogg-Briand Pact -- nations
renounce war as national policy
28. Leisure Time and Spectator
Sports
Many people have extra
money, leisure time to enjoy it
Crowds attend sports events; athletes
glorified by mass media
Boxing: Jack Dempsey
Baseball: Babe Ruth
Tennis, Golf: Babe Zaharias
Football: Red Grange
31. Mass Media
Mass media shapes mass culture;
takes advantage of greater literacy
Expanding News Coverage
Local newspapers replaced by
national chains
Mass-market magazines thrive;
Reader’s Digest, Time founded
33. Radio Entertains
Radio is most powerful communications
medium of 1920s
Provides shared national experience
Programming paid for by advertisers
90% of households have a radio;
families listen together every day
Dramas, variety shows, soap
operas, children’s shows, immediate
news coverage
35. Movies
Silent movies already a national
pastime
Silent movies give way to ―talkies‖
Introduction of sound leads millions
to attend every week
First ―talking film‖ was the Jazz
Singer
37. Jazz
Jazz born in New Orleans, spreads across
U.S.
Trumpeter Louis Armstrong - most
influential musician in jazz history
Edward Kennedy ―Duke‖ Ellington—jazz
pianist, orchestra leader
one of America’s greatest composers
Cab Calloway & Armstrong popularize scat
(improvised jazz singing)
Bessie Smith—blues singer, perhaps best
vocalist of decade
39. Lost Generation Writers
Soured by American culture, society of
greed & corruption, and war
settle in Europe (esp. Paris)
Sinclair Lewis --criticizes
conformity, materialism
F. Scott Fitzgerald (The Great Gatsby)
reveals negative side of era’s
gaiety, freedom
Ernest Hemingway (The Sun Also Rises)
introduces simple, tough, American style
40.
41. Transportation
Airplane industry starts as mail service
for U.S. Post Office
Weather forecasting begins; planes
carry radios, navigation tools
Charles A. Lindbergh makes first solo
nonstop flight across Atlantic
Amelia Earhart – disappeared trying to
fly around the world
43. The Impact of the
Automobile
Cars change life—create new jobs and
new industries: paved roads, gas
stations, motels, shopping centers, etc.
Give mobility to rural
families, women, young people
Workers live far from jobs, leads to
urban sprawl (spread of cities)
By late 1920s, 1 car for every 5
Americans
45. Electricity
Factories use electricity to run machines
Development of alternating current gives
electricity to suburbs
More homes begin to have electrical
appliances
Appliances make housework easier, free
women for other activities
Appliances coincide with trend of
women working outside home
47. Rural and Urban
Differences
In 1920s, people caught between
rural, urban cultures
close ties, hard work, strict morals
of small towns
anonymous
crowds, moneymaking, pleasure
seeking of cities
48. The Harlem Renaissance
The New Negro -- express pride in African-
American experience
Rebirth of African-American
art, literature, and music
Claude McKay’s poems urge blacks to
resist prejudice, discrimination
Langston Hughes’s poems describe difficult
lives of working class
Zora Neale Hurston shows
folkways, values of poor, Southern blacks
51. Prohibition
18th Amendment launches Prohibition
era
Prohibition—
production, sale, transportation of
alcohol illegal
Volstead Act – law to enforce
Prohibition.
Government does not budget enough
money to enforce the law
52.
53.
54. Organized Crime
Prohibition contributes to organized crime
in major cities
Rise in violence and corruption
Al Capone – Chicago (most violent city)
18th Amendment -- repealed by 21st
Amendment in 1933
55.
56. Speakeasies and
Bootleggers
Speakeasies - hidden
saloons, nightclubs
People distill liquor, buy prescription
alcohol, sacramental wine
Bootleggers smuggle alcohol from
surrounding countries
59. Flappers
American women
pursue new lifestyles
and assume new jobs
and different roles in
society during the
1920s.
Flapper—emancipated
young woman, adopts
new fashions, attitudes
60. The Double Standard
Elders disapprove new behavior and
its promotion by periodicals, ads
Casual dating begins to replace
formal courtship
Women subject to double standard
(less sexual freedom than men)
61. New Work Opportunities
After war, employers replace female
workers with men
Female college graduates become
teachers, nurses, librarians
Many women become clerical workers as
demand rises
Some become sales clerks, factory
workers
Few become managers; always paid less
than men
62. The Changing Family
Birthrate drops partly due to
more birth-control information
(Margaret Sanger)
Manufactured products, public
services give homemakers
freedom
Working-class, college-educated
women juggle family, work
Margaret Sanger
63. Science and Religion Clash
Fundamentalism—movement based
on literal interpretation of Bible
reject theory of evolution
believe all important knowledge can
be found in Bible
Fundamentalist preachers -- Billy
Sunday and Aimee Semple
McPherson
65. The Scopes Trial
Against the law to teach evolution in Tenn.
Biology teacher, John T.
Scopes, challenges law
Clarence Darrow defends Scopes
Fundamentalist William Jennings Bryan is
special prosecutor
Scopes trial—debates evolution, role of
science, religion in school
Scopes found guilty, given a fine – later
overturned
66. 1925 NY Times Cartoon ―Evolution
Trial‖
Clarence Darrow &
William Jennings Bryan
67. Marcus Garvey and the
UNIA
Marcus Garvey founds
Universal Negro
Improvement Association
(UNIA)
believes African Americans
should build separate society
Garvey promotes black
pride, black businesses,
return to Africa
Marcus Garvey
1887 - 1940
68. NAACP
Important Founder: W.E.B. DuBois
Protests racial violence
NAACP leader James Weldon
Johnson fights for civil rights
legislation
NAACP anti-lynching campaign leads
to drop in number of lynchings
72. Modern Advertising
Tells us what to buy and why we should buy
it.
Makes brand names familiar nationwide;
pushes luxuries as necessities
73. Consumer Spending
Buying Goods on Credit
Installment plan—pay for goods over
extended period with interest
Banks provide money at low interest
rates
Problems: Debt -- don’t really own
items, layoffs, pay cuts, etc. affect ability
to pay debts
74. A Superficial Prosperity
Producing Great Quantities of Goods
Most Americans believe prosperity will
last forever
Productivity increasing, businesses
expanding
Chain stores develop; national banks
allowed to create branches
Income gap between
workers, managers grows
76. Difficulties of Farmers
Demand for U.S. grain declines after
war
prices drop
Farmers boost production to sell more
prices drop further
Farm income declines; farmers default
on loans; rural banks fail
Farms lost through foreclosure
many become tenant farmers
78. The Dust Bowl
Farmers in Great Plains exhaust land
through overproduction
1930s, drought, windstorms hit; soil
scattered for hundreds of miles
Many farm families migrate to Pacific
Coast states
79.
80.
81. Causes of Stock Market and
Depression
Dow Jones Industrial Average tracks
state of stock market
1920s, stock prices rise steadily; people
rush to buy stocks, bonds
Speculation, buy on chance of a quick
profit
Buying on margin—pay small percent of
price, borrow rest
82. Causes (cont.)
Overproduction – both consumer and
agricultural
Living on Credit:
buy now, pay later
Businesses give easy credit;
consumers pile up large debts
Consumers have trouble paying off
debt, cut back on spending
83. Causes (cont.)
Uneven Distribution of Income
rich get richer, poor get poorer
Unfavorable Balance of Trade
Weak Banking System
84.
85. The Stock Market Crashes
September 1929 stock prices peak, then
fall; investors begin selling
October 29 or Black
Tuesday, market, nation’s confidence
plummet
Shareholders sell frantically; millions of
shares have no buyers
People who bought on credit left with
huge debts
Others lose most of their savings
86.
87. Depression Hits
Bank and Business Failures
Unemployment skyrockets -- 25% of
workers jobless; those with jobs get
cuts in hours, pay
After crash, people panic, withdraw
money from banks
Banks that invested in stocks fail;
people lose their money
88.
89. Depression (cont.)
Homelessness
Hoovervilles
Shantytowns, consisting of
shacks, arise in cities
Hunger
Soup kitchens offer free or low-cost
food
Bread lines—people line up for food
from charities, public agencies
90.
91.
92. Worldwide Shock Waves
Great Depression limits U.S. ability to
import European goods
Hawley-Smoot Tariff Act sets highest
protective tariff ever in U.S.
Other countries cannot earn American
currency to buy U.S. goods
International trade drops; unemployment
soars around world
93. Social and Psychological
Effects
Suicide rate rises
People give up health care, college, put off
marriage, children
Stigma of poverty doesn’t disappear;
financial security becomes goal
Develop habit of saving and thriftiness
94. Psychological Impact
Family is source of strength for
most Americans
Some families break apart under
strain of making ends meet
95. • Men in the Streets
• Many men used to working &
supporting families have difficulty
coping
• cannot find jobs
• About 300,000 hoboes wander
country on railroad box cars
• No federal system of direct relief
(cash or food from government)
Psychological Impact
1930’s Hobos
96. Psychological (cont)
Women Struggle to Survive
Homemakers budget
carefully, can food, sew
clothes
Women work outside home;
resented by unemployed
men
Many women suffer in
silence, ashamed to stand in
bread lines
97. Psychological (cont)
Children Suffer Hardships
Poor diets, health care lead to
serious health problems in
children
Lack of tax revenue leads to
shortened school year, school
closings
Teenagers leave home, ride
trains in search of
work, adventure
98. Hoover: Rugged
Individualism
Hoover’s conservative
response to the Depression
draws criticism from many
Americans.
Tells Americans the economy
is sound
believes depression is a normal
part of business cycle
People should take care of
own families, not depend on
government (no direct relief)
Herbert Hoover
31st President of the US
1874 - 1964
99. Hoover (cont)
Reconstruction Finance Corporation—
emergency funds for businesses
Hoover’s measures don’t improve economy
before presidential election (too little, too
late)
100.
101. The Bonus Army March
Veterans go to D.C. to ask
Congress to pay bonus now not
later.
Hoover opposes bill; Senate
votes it down
Hoover fears violence, calls on
U.S. Army to disband Bonus
Army
Infantry tear gas over 1,000
people, including children; many
injured
Public is stunned, outraged by
government’s actions
102.
103.
104.
105. Roosevelt’s New Deal
Franklin Delano Roosevelt uses gov’t
programs to combat the Depression.
―The only thing we have to fear is fear
itself‖
New Deal Goals—relief for
unemployed, recovery of the
economy, reform conditions that
caused the Depression
106. Franklin D. Roosevelt’s First
Inauguration 1933
―The only thing we have to
fear is fear itself‖
107. The First Hundred Days
―Brain Trust‖ -- experts in their
fields, called upon to give advice
Frances Perkins – 1st female cabinet
member – Sec. of Labor
Bank Holiday -- Emergency
Banking Relief Act closes banks
until they are inspected
FDR gives fireside chats—radio
talks explaining New Deal
measures
Frances
Perkins
110. New Deal Programs
Glass-Steagall Act establishes
Federal Deposit Insurance
Corporation
insures individual bank accounts
Securities and Exchange Commission
created to regulate stock market
21st Amendment repeals prohibition
by end of 1933
111. New Deal (cont.)
Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA)
pays farmers not to grow crops
raises food prices, lowers supply
Tennessee Valley Authority creates
jobs building dams
cheap hydro-electric power
most controversial – seems like socialism to
some critics
Civilian Conservation Corps
jobs for young men
outdoor, conservation, parks,
114. Programs (cont.)
Works Progress Administration—
construction
jobs, roads, bridges, libraries, airport
s, etc.
NIRA establishes codes of fair
practice for industries
NRA sets standards, prices, limits
production
Federal Housing Administration
gives loans for mortgages, repairs
Federal Emergency Relief
Administration—direct relief to needy
115. Programs (cont.)
Social Security Act – money for retirees
65 or older, unemployment
compensation, aid to disabled, families
with children
Is funded from payroll deductions
Longest-lasting program, has affected most
# of people
116. Programs (cont.)
National Labor Relations Act (Wagner
Act) – legalizes unions and collective
bargaining
Fair Labor Standards Act – minimum
wage and maximum hrs.
Rural Electrification Administration
(REA) – brings electricity to the farms
117.
118. Opposition to the New Deal
Deficit spending—spending more
money than government takes in
Liberals: New Deal does not do
enough to help poor, fix economy
Conservatives: New Deal used to
control business, socialize economy
119. Court Packing Scheme
Supreme Court strikes down some
programs as unconstitutional
FDR proposes ―Court-packing bill‖
wants to add judges to Supreme
Court that favor New Deal
Congress, press protest
120.
121.
122. Demagogues
Father Charles Coughlin -- wants
guaranteed income, banks
nationalized
Dr. Francis Townsend devises
pension plan for elderly
Presidential hopeful, Senator Huey
Long has popular social program –
Share Our Wealth
123. Senator Huey Long of
Louisiana
Father Charles
Coughlin
Dr. Francis
Townsend
124. Reelecting FDR
1936, Democrats win
presidency, large
majorities in both houses
First time most African
Americans vote
Democratic
First time labor unions
support presidential
candidate
125. The New Deal Coalition
New Deal Coalition - different groups that
support Democratic Party
126. FDR Wins in 1936
Political organizations in
large Northern cities
support FDR
Urban, religious, ethnic
groups also support FDR
FDR appoints officials
of urban-immigrant
background
127.
128. Labor Unions Flourish
Pro-labor legislation leads unions to
donate money for FDR re-election
Union membership grows from 3 million
to over 10 million
American Federation of Labor
traditionally craft unions only
Congress of Industrial Organizations
(CIO) – organizes industrial unions
129.
130. Labor Disputes
Sit-down strike important bargaining
tactic of 1930s
prevents owners from hiring
strikebreakers
Some labor disputes violent
132. Native Americans
1924, Native Americans receive full
citizenship
John Collier, commissioner of Indian
affairs, changes policies
Indian Reorganization Act favors native
autonomy, mandates changes:
lands belong to entire tribe; government
can’t sell unclaimed areas
children can attend schools on reservations
tribes elect tribal councils to govern
reservations
John
Collier
134. Motion Pictures and Radio
About 65% of population goes to movies
once a week
Films offer escape from reality; show
wealth, romance, fun
Gone With the Wind—perhaps most
famous film of era
Musicals—live action or animated—way to
forget problems
Comedies, realistic gangster movies
especially popular
135.
136. Artists Decorate America
Federal Art Project pays artists to make
art, teach in schools
Aim to promote art appreciation, positive image
of America
Murals typically portray dignity of ordinary
people at work
Many outstanding works painted by
artists, including Grant Wood
Federal Theater Project hires actors, artists
Woody Guthrie Sings of America
Singer, songwriter Woody Guthrie sings of plight
of poor
139. Diverse Writers Depict
American Life
Federal Writers’ Project supports many
who become major writers
Richard Wright, African-American
author, writes Native Son
John Steinbeck writes The Grapes of
Wrath about Dust Bowl migrants
Some writers examine difficulty of life in
1930s
Others show dignity of ordinary
people, values of small-town life
142. The New Deal Ends
By 1937, economic improvement
convinces many Depression is ending
Congress wants to cut back programs;
by 1939, New Deal over
143. Supporters and Critics
of the New Deal
Conservatives think FDR made
federal government too large
stifled free enterprise, individual
initiative
Liberals: didn’t do enough to socialize
economy, end inequalities
Supporters: did help country recover
from economic difficulties
144.
145.
146. Expanding Government’s
Role in the Economy
FDR expands power of federal
government, president
New Deal does not end Depression;
does reduce suffering, give hope
Federal government goes deeply into
debt to create jobs, give aid
Massive spending on
equipment, supplies for WW II end
Depression