| Lesson 8: The 1920s I Changing America (Decade of changing brings AMerica into the Modern Age A. Tradition vs Modernity-different aspects and components of modern age 1. Old America vs New America 2. Increasing cultural pluralism and changing values (immigrant restrictive) B. Tensions in the 1920s 1. Social Tension (in Prohibition Era) Wets vs Drys Wets: wanted to continue to drinks; Drys wanted it illegal 2. Religious Tension--Modernists vs Fundamentalists Modernists-try to reconcile conflicting ideas of science & religion; Fundamentalists-take literal interpretation of the Bible 3. Racial Tension--Nativists vs Immigrants (European) & Whites vs Blacks C. Influences of the 1920s 1. Post War Psyche--"eat, drink, and be merry"--face to face w/mortality, more materialistic, living it up 2. New status of women (right to vote--new position--rights on the FED level!) flappers, smoking in public 3. Automobile--now working class can afford it--Henry Ford mass producing Model-T cars 4. Prohibition--many for, many against--did not create organized crime, but did make it very wealthy --Capone put away for taxes* --tears America apart--you cannot legislate something that alot of America is against 5. Urban Influence--ppl become "citified"--more progressive, less traditional II 1920s Politics A. Swing to the right 1. The war had exhausted the national zeal to right the wrongs (Progressive Mvmt) 2. Republicans: Less govt. regulation, stood for high tariffs, lower taxes, voluntary reform & private charity 3. Republicans dominate: White House 1921-1933; Majority in Congress 1919-1931. 4. Return to isolationism B. Warren G. Harding's Presidency (1920) 1. Election of 1920: Harding (404) Rep vs James Cox (127) Dem (Cox's running mate = FDR) 2. Harding's Campaign: "return to normalcy"--get out of foreign affairs, yes progressives 3. Harding's Good Men (honest): Charles Hughs-Sec of State; Herbert Hoover-Sec of Commerce (served Wilson Food Admin); Andrew Mellon-Sec of State under all 3 presidents in 20s 4. Harding's Bad Men (go to jail): Harry Daughtery-Attourney General (resigned in disgrace); Jesse Smith-Justice Dept under Daughtery (committed suicide); Charles Forbes-Director of Veterans Board (prison); Albert B. Fall-Sec of Interior--Tea Pot Dome Scandal-Federally owned oil land into hands of private businesses (prison). *Practiced Corrupt Illegal Activities!!! 5. Crimes of the Ohio Gang (#4): Graft (payoff), Bribery, Conspircay 6. August 1923 Harding died (stroke) in San Fran., CA; Coolidge becomes President C. Calvin Coolidge--"do nothing govt"--b/c he and the other Republicans didn't want to start new programs--less govt regulation D. Election of 1924 1. Democratic Party divided by the element of the KKK--represented Rural sector of the party 50/50! (urban sector was growing) 2. Coolidge (R) 15.7m popular; 382 electoral votes John Davis (D) 8.3m popular, 136 electoral votes LaFollette (Progressives) 4.8m; 13 III 1920s Economy Why was it so prosperous? A. American Consumerism--buying goods @ an enormous rate 1. Developments in transportation (autos, paved hwys, airline), advertising, communications, entertainment (radios, motion pictures, football-NFL) 2. Chain Department Stores, payment plans (buying on credit), Consumer Durables Revolution (high priced, long lasting items such as refrigerator, sewing/washing machines, radios) 3. 1920s: Unemployment--3%; Income--Up 33%; GNP (Gross National Product,health of economy)--Up 40% 4. Automobiles: 1900--8,000; 1920--23m registered automobiles in US. Model T: $300 B. Business and Labor 1. Republican Motto--"What's good for business is good for the American people" 2. Coolidge--"the man who builds a factory, builds a temple and the man who works there, worships there." 3. 1925: Bruce Burton's novel: "The Man Nobody Knows" depciting Jesus Christ as a businessman 4. Decade reflects a very uncritical attitude of and public support for big buisess hurt organized labor 1930--Union membership down 30% 5. 1921--NAM (National Association of Manufacturers (pro business) tried to implement but didn't accomplish a uniform open shop (anyone can work there) policy C. Farm Problems (not everyone prospered!) 1. 1920s: 25% of the farms went under 2. 1919-1921: Farm prices dropped 50% (farmers' income) 3. Reasons down prices: decline in exports, overproduction 4. 1.5m Southern Blacks left the South, migrated to the North to find jobs and get out of bad economic situation 5. President Hoover vetoed 2 farm relief bills (1927, 1928) Bills by Congress to aide farmers' plight D. Danger Signs by 1927 and 1928 1. Agriculture profits far behind Industrial profits 2. Price of goods increased faster than the wage increase 3. Production exceeds consumption (investments continue) 4. Private debts very high, easy credit IV 1920s Society (Old vs New; Religion, Race, Values) A. Prohibition 1. Major cultural battleground of the 1920s 2. 1915: 15 states w/prohibition laws in play (before National Amendment) 3. WCTU (Womens Christian Temperence Union) Prohibition Party (1869) 4. WWI aided the Prohibition Movement 5. 18th Amendment: Passed Dec 1917, Ratified Jan 1919, went into Effect Jan 1920 6. Volstead Act 1919 Prohibition Bureau in the Treasury Dept 7. Difficult if not impossible to uniformly enforce: Opposed vigerously in urban areas, internal corruption, lack of cooperation between local and federal authorities 8. Organized Crime: not caused by prohibition, but became wealthy b/c of it B. Nativism--ppl born in America resisting immigration. Ex: 1. The First Red Scare (1919-1921) led by Attourney General Mitchell Palmer--try to restrict immigration from E Europe (b/c of the rise of Marxism in Russia) 2. Round-up by the Justice Dept in 33 cities, 26 states. 5,000 ethics held w/o formal charges; 250 deported 3. Immigration Quotas: Natrional Origins Plan, aka Emergency Immigration Act 1921: 3% from 1910 census would be allowed into country 1924: 2% from 1890 census (targeting E Europeans) 1929: 150,000 maximum immigrants, period. (and complete Asia ban) 4. 1921 Sacco-Vanzetti Trial (Trial w/a national focus) Italian men arrested, convicted of robbery & murder * mediocre criminal record * political radicals * both electricuted in 1927 * |
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