U.S. Post W.W. I Return to normalcy (Harding) Economic concerns: –Conversion to peacetime –Returning vets –Inflation –Strikes Red Scare ( Huh? ) Racial tension( Explain! )
We want STUFF!!! What about the immigrants? When is the cocktail hour? Racial tensions Monkeys, Apes, OR Men Gimmee!!!
1914 to % 1914 to % –Workers promised pay increases after the war ended Union membership increased Demands increased Lots of strikes!!!
Coal Miners Strike 1919 November 1: 394,000 UMW strike Atty. Gen. Palmer ordered UMW president John L. Lewis to order UMW back to work Workers refused!!!! President Wilson forced arbitration Workers given 2% raise Nothing about shorter hours or unsafe conditions
Steel Strike 1919 Workers: 7 days x 12 hours per day 343,000 struck Chicago/Gary (US Steel) Role of strikebreakers & federal troops communist plot ????????? American public sick of strikes, violence, plots Workers back to work – no gains
Boston Police Strike 1919 Governor Coolidge: …no right to strike against the public safety.
The Republican White House
Warren G. Harding –Nervous breakdown at age 24 –Boys Night Out! –RED SCARE –Teapot Dome scandal –Attorney General Daugherty selling pardons –Secretary of the Interior - Albert Fall
Were Starting to Roar! Life expectancy up Medical advances Stock market get rich quick Unemployment < 4% Real wages up 40% since 1914 –Its all about the P.P.
Red Scare I (1920s) Communist Revolution in Russia 1917 Vladimir Lenin U.S. government: concern about radicals Mail bombs sent to noteworthy Americans Bomb on Wall Street 9/16/20 38 killed Time to enforce Espionage and Sedition Acts
The working class and the employing class have nothing in common. There can be no peace so long as hunger and want are found among millions of the working people and the few, who make up the employing class, have all the good things of life. Between these two classes a struggle must go on until the workers of the world organize as a class, take possession of the means of production, abolish the wage system, and live in harmony with the Earth.
Palmer raids J. Edgar Hoover (General Intelligence Div.) Subversives need to be deported or imprisoned Raids in 33 cities arrested - 3 guns!! Violation of civil rights in name of American security Lots of laws passed to punish radicals Led to formation of ACLU (1920)
Immigration Laws Anti-immigrant feelings (legacy of CPI) Suspicions about (and fear of) foreigners Emergency Quota Act (1921) –Allowed 3% of ethnic pop. in 1910 to enter National Origins Act (1924) –Allowed 2% of ethnic pop. in 1890 to enter
Sacco and Vanzetti Arrested in May 1920 for murder in Massachusetts Flimsy evidence Confessed anarchists Judge openly prejudiced GUILTY! Executed in 1927 Posthumously exonerated by MA Gov. Dukakis
Rebirth of KKK In million members Anti: Catholics, Jews, foreigners, immoral people (bootleggers) In 1925 parade in WDC 50,000 members Scandal about leader of Indiana (sexual assault/rape) By 1930, membership down to 9,000
Cool Cal COOLIDGE Sickly, slickly and shy Sworn in as Pres. middle of night This job interferes with my naps Four-fifths of our troubles in this world would disappear if we would only sit down and keep still
The Butler Act 1925 Unlawful to teach any theory that denies the Divine Creation of man as taught in the Bible, and to teach instead that man has descended from a lower order of animals any teacher found guilty of the violation of this Act,... shall be fined not less than One Hundred $ (100.00) Dollars nor more than Five Hundred ($ ) Dollars for each offense.
Scopes trial
Marcus Garvey (a.k.a. Black Moses ) Born in Jamaica Founded UNIA black is beautiful Back to Africa movement (Liberia) Started Black Star Line Indicted and sent to prison for fraud Returned to Jamaica
GANGST ERS
Entertainment Talking pictures The Jazz Singer starring Al Jolson Dancing the Charleston dance marathons Listen to the radio (KDKA) Play board games (mah-jong) Crossword puzzles Trends
Famous athletes
Famous writers
The Lost Generation Intellectuals, poets, artists and writers who rejected values of American materialism Fled to France (Paris) Idealistic youth Sought meaning of life Drank excessively Created some of our greatest literature F.Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway
AUTOMOBILES (by assembly line)
Americans tired of... Causes Responsibility Worrying about others problems Lets do something for us (U.S.)!!!! It aint no picnic for everybody
Is everybody happy? Returning vets Most Americans (in general) Farmers Immigrants Minorities
HERBERT HOOVER Hardworking and self-reliant Tough childhood RUGGED INDIVIDUALISM Head of Food Administration in WWI noble experiment Refused to meet with Bonus Army