The Great American Mullet “Business in the Front ….. Party in the Back”

“Business in the Front” Election Warren J. Harding wins the election with a promise to return life in America back to how it was before WWI.

Teapot Dome Scandal In 1922, one of Harding’s Cabinet members, Albert B. Fall, secretly allowed private leasing of U.S. Navy oil reserves at Teapot Dome, accepting $300,000 in bribes. Fall was the first Cabinet member to ever be arrested and sent to prison.

The 1920s Red Scare After Vladimir Lenin and the Bolsheviks brought Communism to Russia, Americans feared that Communism would spread to the U.S. Americans were concerned that labor unions and workers would use strikes to start a revolution just like Russia. In April of 1919, the post office intercepted more than 30 packages containing bombs that were sent to prominent Americans.

Palmer Raids A bomb was delivered and went off at the house of U.S. Attorney General A. Mitchell. In response, Palmer created a special division within the Justice Department (later becomes the FBI) and sent out raids targeting immigrants. Palmer deported more than 600 immigrants that he associated with anarchy and communism. In September 1920, a bomb of 100 lbs of dynamite and 500 lbs of steel fragments exploded in New York City, killing 38 and injuring 100 others.

Sacco-Vanzetti Case Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were found guilty and executed for the murder of 2 employees during a robbery at a shoe factory in Massachusetts. Both were considered anarchists and convicted on very questionable evidence. Their convictions were a result of the Red Scare.

Immigration Quota/Citizenship Act of 1924 Due to violence and pressure from nativist groups, like the KKK, President Harding signed into law a restriction on immigration. The law established a 2% quota of each national group coming to the United States from Europe. Mexico was not included.

Business in the front…. The KKK After WWI, membership dramatically increased in the Klan as Americans began to view immigrants as dangerous to the U.S. and viewed the Klan as patriotic. Klan supported the traditional values of America that were in place before WWI. The KKK also increased their violent acts against minorities. violent acts against minorities The Birth of a Nation also led to increased membership.Birth of a Nation

Eugenics Idea of improving the quality of the human race by controlling reproduction Only humans with desirable traits should be allowed to have children. All others were forcibly sterilized in the U.S., including the mentally disabled. 30 states had compulsory sterilization laws, which resulted in 60,000 mentally disabled sterilized in the 1920s and early 1930s. Some states continued until the 1970s

Who Should Be Sterilized?? Mentally disabled/ill. (they were not allowed to marry) Orphans Homeless people Blind/deaf Epileptic Anyone with a physical deformity Criminals- includes “troublemakers” in school

The Great Migration After WWI, thousands of African Americans moved North looking for jobs and hoping to escape racial violence.

Henry Ford Using the assembly- line for mass production increased efficiency in the production of goods= lower prices. Ford perfected this when he created the Model T. Mass-production led to a car that was affordable to the common man.

Business in the front….. Laissez-faire – U.S. government does not get involved in the regulation of businesses. In the 1920s, all U.S. Presidents wanted to encourage consumerism and the growth of industry as the U.S. helped other countries rebuild after WWI. Buying on credit- Creation of new inventions led to the increase of consumerism and the use of credit for the first time.

Party in the back….. Charles Lindbergh – 1 st to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean from New York to Paris may 20-21, 1927 in the Spirit of St. Louis. It was a contest and he won $25,000. Glenn Curtiss – Created the large bi-wings and sea plane that enable the creation of larger planes for war.

Party in the back…… Flappers - a new 1920s woman who smoked, drank, danced, and voted. She cut her hair, wore make-up, and went against all traditional roles of women. Flappersdanced Flappers were the new, independent women that were a result of all of the hardships and changes endured during WWI and the 19 th amendment. “Flapper” was first used in Great Britain to describe a young girl in the awkward phase of becoming a woman. The 1920s Flapper was created from new motion picture actresses and writers of the time period, such as F. Scott Fitzgerald in “The Great Gatsby”.

Party in the back…. Prohibition – in 1919, the 18 th Amendment banned alcohol and began this era. The 21 st Amendment repealed it in Prohibition Organized Crime – Prohibition led to an increase in crime as bootleggers became millionaires. Crime organizations grew as a way to control and get rich off of bootlegging in major cities. Chicago gangster Al Capone earned $60 million/year from bootlegging activities.

Party in the back… Scopes Trial – John T. Scopes was arrested for challenging traditional values by teaching the theory of evolution in his science class in People from all over came to the trial in Tennessee. It was a turning point in history where traditional values were challenged.

Party in the back… Harlem Renaissance - a literary, artistic, and intellectual movement that kindled a new black cultural identity in Harlem. Is seen as the first civil rights movement that developed from black artists, writers and musicians. Marcus Garvey was seen as one of the leaders of this movement. Langston Hughes and Louie Armstrong were also a large part of it.

Party in the back… Tin Pan Alley – Part of New York City where music publishers and songwriters of ragtime music were located, beginning in the 1880s. It continued to promote racial stereotypes through the use of minstrel shows. Is responsible for the birth of modern music industry by leading to songwriters such as Cole Porter, Scott Joplin and Irving Berlin.