1. 1920’s
Lecture Notes

2. Revolution Abroad and Reaction at Home
American Communist Party formed in 1919
communist ideas frightened much of the public
Palmer Raids (1919) resulted in the deportation and arrest of thousands
no evidence of revolutionary conspiracies uncovered

3. The “Red Scare” Communism:
The government owns all land & property
Single party controls the government
Country takes priority over the individual
Why would the United States see this as a threat?

4. The “Red Scare”
April 15, 1920 gunmen robbed and killed the guard and paymaster of a shoe factory in Massachusetts
Sacco and Vanzetti trial (1920) exposed fears and suspicions of immigrants
Both were found guilty and executed, despite lack of solid evidence and worldwide protests

5. Labor Unrest
Red Scare fears led to growing hostility toward labor unions
Boston police strike (1919) ended when Governor Calvin Coolidge called in National Guard, officers were replaced
U.S. Steel Corporation strike (1919) was met with violence against striking workers
John L. Lewis emerged as a leading labor figure during United Mine Workers strike (1919)
Union membership dropped during the 1920s

6. Labor vs. Capital Cartoons
A series of labor strikes from pitted workers demanding higher wages after the war vs. industrialists who viewed labor unions as the product of foreign-inspired anarchists and Communist agitators.
Majority of Americans sided with “capital”
Businesses

7. 1920’s Popular Culture
The 1920’s saw the birth and development of many aspects of American culture:
Consumerism
Transportation
Mass Media
Women’s Rights
“Sports Mania”
The Jazz Age
Literature and Art

8. Prohibition & Crime The 18th Amendment established prohibition
terms were defined by the Volstead Act
Americans had little regard for the new law
“speakeasies” and bootleggers supplied the public with alcohol
rise of organized crime (Al Capone)

9. Fundamentalism and the Scopes Trial
Clash between tradition and scientific progress
“fundamentalists” insisted on a literal interpretation of the Bible
Many states had banned the teaching of evolution
John T. Scopes was placed on trial, found guilty
Clarence Darrow vs. William Jennings Bryan

10. Ku Klux Klan Resurgence in 1915 Numbers
Colonel William J. Simmons –Methodist Preacher from Alabama
Use of fundraising and publicity methods
Numbers
Grew to 4 million followers in 1926
Not just a Southern organization
Attacks against African Americans, Jews, Catholics, immigrants, etc.

11. Harlem in the Twenties
African Americans experienced an increased racial consciousness
NAACP protested racial violence
James Weldon Johnson led an anti-lynching campaign
More radical messages emerged
Marcus Garvey’s “Back to Africa” movement

12. The Harlem Renaissance
Literary movement reflected pride in African-American culture
Langston Hughes, Claude McKay, Zora Neale Hurston
Phonograph ushered in the “Jazz Age”
Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Bessie Smith