Chapter 21: Normalcy and Good Times (1921-1929)

Growing up Harding! 1920 campaign slogan “Return to

Normalcy” Appointed “Ohio Gang” as

members of cabinet

“…The air [would be] heavy with tobacco smoke, trays with bottles containing every imaginable brand of whiskey…cards and poker chips at hand-a general atmosphere of waistcoat unbuttoned, feet on desk, and spittoons alongside…”

The Teapot Dome Scandal

Albert B. Fall- leased lands containing U.S. Navy oil reserves in Teapot Dome, Wyoming, and Elk Hills, California.

Bribes totaled more than $300,000 1st cabinet officer in history to go to prison

Harding Scandals, Cont’d.

Attorney General Harry Daugherty

Silent Cal Born July 4th 1872 Asked to run as

Harding’s VP “Silent in 5 languages” Prosperity= business

leadership; interfere as little as possible

1924-“Keep cool with Coolidge”

“The chief business of the American people is business” –Calvin Coolidge Speech in Washington, Jan. 17, 1925

A Growing Economy

Real per capita earnings soared 22% between 1923 and 1929

Work hours decreased shifts from 12 hrs -> 8 hrs

Henry Ford cuts work week from 6 -> 5 days

2 week paid vacation for employees

Ford Motor Company

1908 $8501914 $4901917 $3601924 $295

Consumer Goods in the 1920s

Credit-installment plans Americans bought 75% of their radios and 60% of

their automobiles on the installment plan throughout the 1920s.

Farm Crisis: 1920s

Earned less than 1/3 of average income for workers in rest of economyDue to fertilizers, pesticides, farm machineryLow prices of crops!

Supply side economics

Andrew Mellon-secretary of the treasury

Cut government spending Lower taxes = businesses and

consumers spending and investing their $$$

Believed this would cause the economy to grow

Foreign Affairs

Dawes Plan-Post WWI

Washington Conference

Kellogg-Briand Pact

Amelia Earhart 1897-1937

Flew solo across the Atlantic 1937 attempted to fly world with her

navigator 2/3 of trip covered when plane

disappeared