2.  After World War I, American industry took a major hit › Goods for the war effort were no longer needed › Thousands of returning troops needed work  Prices fell and unemployment skyrocketed, causing a major recession  As European farming improved, the need for American farm goods fell, causing problems for farmers  Overall, the years after the Great War was a dire time for Americans

3.  As a result of demobilization, many workers were angry, leading to many strikes › Seattle General Strike: shipbuilders in Seattle struck in 1919; peaceful strike, but led many to believe it was the beginning of a Bolshevik revolution › Boston police strike: cops in Boston demanded better pay and working conditions and struck after 19 cops were fired for joining a union (1919)  Riots erupted in the street with no police to control the city  State militia was called in to restore order  Police reluctantly returned to work, but Gov. Calvin Coolidge stated that it was illegal for them to strike and threaten public welfare › Steel strikes: PA steel workers calling for better pay and conditions (1919)  Workers were replaced with new workers when the union wasn’t recognized  Strikers were beaten and jailed for the strike, returned to work shortly thereafter › United Mine Workers Strike: demanded better pay, working conditions, and a six hour day (1919)

4.  The Bolshevik Revolution in 1917 scared many Americans  The strikes of 1919 fueled the idea that Communism could become a reality in the United States › Eugene Debs ran for president 5 times as a Socialist Party member, a precursor to the Communist Party › Many, especially immigrants, came under suspicion as Communists  A series of bomb scares through the mail to various government officials also fueled the Scare › Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer’s home was damaged when a bomb did explode › Palmer ordered raids on suspected radicals from November 1919 to January 1920 › As a result, hundreds of immigrants were deported, even though very little evidence was found against people  By the summer of 1920, Communist hysteria had died down

5.  Hostility towards immigrants and radicals persisted after the Red Scare  A very prominent trial of the 1920s involved Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti › The two Italian immigrants with radical political views were charged with murder during a 1920 robbery in Boston › Witness testimony proved their innocence, but the trial judge dismissed it › A guilty verdict sentenced the two to death › They were executed on August 23, 1927  Many were enraged over the violation of civil liberties, but others rejoiced the punishment of their radical beliefs  In recent years, evidence has turned up that at least one of them were involved, but a fair trial was not granted at the time

7.  The Election of 1920 ushered in a decade of Republican policy sandwiched between the presidencies of Democrats Wilson and Franklin Roosevelt › Harding was a senator from Ohio that ran a pro-business platform and a “return to normalcy” › He wanted to eliminate government from business, slash spending, lower taxes and promote economic growth › By 1923, his policies appeared to work, with low unemployment and great growth in most of the economy  Businesses boomed, and many mergers took place, but not everybody enjoyed this success › Workers wages were stagnant › Farmers suffered from low prices and high debts › Unions were weakened when the government repealed many of the Progressive policies › The American Plan supported union-free open shops, shrinking membership drastically

9.  Women had achieved the right to vote in 1920 as a result of the 19 th Amendment  Feminists pointed out that it did not give women equal rights with men  In 1923, an Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) was proposed to Congress › Proposed by Alice Paul of the National Women’s Party › Many, including women, opposed the amendment › It was thought that it would actually hurt women more than help  The amendment failed to win support, but was reintroduced in the 1960s, only to be defeated

10.  Harding’s presidency was full of scandals and corruption › Charles Forbes, a friend of Harding’s, had pocketed millions in gov’t money through corrupt schemes › Attorney General Harry Daugherty was accused of taking bribes to ignore corruption › The Teapot Dome scandal was the most notorious  Secretary of the Interior Albert Fall gained control of the Navy’s oil reserves in CA and WY  He leased the reserves to his friends in exchange for cash, loans and cattle  President Harding died in August 1923 › He is not thought of participating in any of the scandals › However, he is seen as the worst president in our history for not keeping better tabs on his gov’t appointments

11.  When Vice President Calvin Coolidge took over after Harding’s death, he had to restore the reputation of the presidency › He fired the people involved in the scandals › However, “Silent Cal” as he was called, was vastly different than Harding’s outgoing personality › He continued to support the Republican pro-business platform because of the booming economy  Coolidge was more conservative than Harding › He supported tax cuts for the rich and business › He cut spending and vetoed many bills that would have increased spending or “interfered” with the economy › He easily won reelection in 1924, and probably would have again in 1928 › However, he refused to run again in 1928, choosing to retire and relax for the rest of his days

13.  After Coolidge declined the nomination of the Republican Party, Herbert Hoover was nominated  He ran against Democrat Alfred E. Smith › His reputation was harmed because he was Catholic and he was connected to the corrupt Tammany Hall  Hoover ran on a pro-business platform that had carried Harding and Coolidge  He also had a strong reputation as Secretary of Commerce  Hoover won the presidency, but Democrats were hopeful for the future based on Smith’s showing in the election

15.  Many southern blacks moved from the South to Northern cities during the 1920s › People left for jobs and a hope of less discrimination › However, violence erupted in many cities as blacks came to cities looking for work  The Ku Klux Klan made a revival in the 1920s after it had disappeared in the 1870s › The group was very similar in its message › They carried out violence and killings against blacks and supporters of equal rights › Membership was in the millions in the early 1920s, but quickly dwindled to a few thousand by 1929

17.  The NAACP worked to end violence against blacks › An Antilynching Committee was formed in protest to the Klan lynchings  The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters formed in 1925 to fight discrimination in the workplace  Universal Negro Improvement Association (1914) › Formed by Marcus Garvey › Hoped to unite blacks around the nation and world › Also hoped to form separate black businesses that segregated whites and a African-American nation in Africa › This upset leaders like W.E.B. du Bois, who preached integration › However, Garvey was jailed in 1925 for mail fraud and his movement died

18.  Many feared the nation was being taken over by immigrants in the 1920s › Immigration Act of 1924: limited how many immigrants could enter the US in a year › Asians were barred, set the rest of the world to about 153,000 people/year  Mexicans poured into the Southwest, taking farm jobs and other jobs › Greatly increased the size of cities like Los Angeles and El Paso  Native Americans continued to fight for rights and their lands › The Dawes Act previously had taken much tribal land away › The government finally granted citizenship to Natives in 1924 › However, this did not eliminate the extreme poverty that Native Americans continue to live in today