The Roaring Twenties

American Society of the 1920s

Age of Excess Increased standard of living Consumerism and mass advertising Entertainment – radio, phonograph, movies

End of the Progressive Era Last two amendments 18th amendment – prohibited the manufacture, sale, transportation, or importation of intoxicating liquors. Passed into law by the Volstead Act – effective January 1, 1920

Life during Prohibition Speakeasies Drinking Dancing Jazz

The American Economy Inflation Prices were 105% higher in 1920 than prior to WW I 2,655 strikes in the US in 1919 4 million workers, 20% of work force

Boston Police Strike 1919 Massachusetts Governor Calvin Coolidge called the National Guard to end the strike “no right to strike against the public safety by anybody, anywhere, anytime!”

Race Riots in 1919 Why ? Summer 1919 Unemployed WW I veterans blamed job losses on the Great Migration Summer 1919 Riots in 20+ US cities

“Treat ‘em rough”

THE RED SCARE

The Red Scare Fear of Communist revolution among working class Strikes “caused” by Communists

Renewed Fear of Unions Change in attitude toward unions after the large number of strikes Americans feared a “people’s revolution” COMMUNISM

Bombings – April to June 1919 At least 36 dynamite filled packages were mailed to prominent Americans (Rockefeller, JP Morgan, Chief Justice Holmes, Attorney General Mitchell Palmer)

Seattle General Strike 35,000 shipyard workers strike Within 5 days – 60,000 on strike all over Seattle

Palmer Raids US Attorney General – A.Mitchell Palmer Created special division of Justice Dept General Intelligence Division Led by J. Edgar Hoover

Nativism Returns Immigration limitations Emergency Quota Act (1921) Immigration Quota Act (1924) Both focused on reducing immigration, especially from Southern and Eastern Europe, Asia

Sacco and Vanzetti Italian born anarchists Sentenced to death with little evidence

Rebirth of the KKK – targeted Catholics, Jews, immigrants, blacks, and other “non-Americans”

Warren Harding “Return to normalcy” Isolationism Laissez-faire economics Lowered taxes Fortney McCumber Tariff Purpose: protect American business and farming

Scandals Most scandalous administration since Grant Teapot Dome scandal

Calvin Coolidge The man who builds a factory builds a temple Four-fifths of all our troubles in this world would disappear if only we would sit down and keep still

The Business Civilization “The business of America is business” - Calvin Coolidge

Coolidge Continuation of laissez-faire economic policies Lowered taxes even more Reduced the power of the FTC and ICC Against unions

Economic boom (1922 – 1929) Electrification of industry Assembly line production Automobiles – ownership from 8.1 million to 26.7 million

Electricity 2/3 of all Americans had it Electrical appliances invented

Installment Plans Easy credit, more people used it Large purchases made with payment plans

Expansion of Branch Banking 25,568 banks by 1929 Increase in loans for real estate, stocks and bonds purchases

Tough times for Farmers European demand down Prices drop, costs go up (new machinery) Foreshadows an economic decline

Sexual Revolution

Influences on Independence Women’s suffrage Increased college attendance Advertising and consumerism Hollywood The Jazz Age

Margaret Sanger and Birth Control Promoted birth control for women in the US, Japan, and Europe

Education Free elementary education was available to most whites during the 1920s Longer school year Increased higher education

Creationism vs. Science Fundamentalism – strict interpretation of the Bible, conservative religious philosophy Aimee Semple McPherson Tennessee Law  the Butler Act (1925), cannot teach any evolution theory in public schools

Scopes Trial – “Monkey Trial” Clarence Darrow vs. William Jennings Bryan Science vs. Creationism/Fundamentalism

Harlem Renaissance

Causes Great Migration - Jim Crow laws and the KKK in the South WW I – jobs left open in northern industries Modernization of the cities “New Negro” Movement

Significance / Impact African American pride Intellectual identity, change in how they were viewed and accepted in America African Americans defined what it meant to be black – broke the stereotypes Began the integration of the races (whites were exposed to black culture) New art, literature, Jazz