Chapter 23

“Politics of the 1920”

3 trends common to America in 1920’s

O Renewed isolationism: U.S. began to pull away from involvement in foreign affairs. EX. Wouldn’t join League of Nations

O Resurgence of Nativism: suspicion of foreign-born people

O Political conservativism: return to laissez-faire philosophy. Opposite of active gov’t during Progressive Era

Postwar Problems in Am. 1919-1923

O Red Scare: 1919-1920. An intense fear of communism. Fear that “reds” or communists would take over America

O WHY did we have a Red Scare?

RED SCAREOBolshevik

RevolutionOLed by Vladimir

LeninOSeized power from

Czar NicholasOEstablished

communism in Russia

The Communist Manifesto

O Karl MarxO Class struggle

between “haves and have nots”

O Struggle between the owners and workers

O Workers would seize power and overthrow the Capitalists

O Communist party would control govt, land , property

O Then only one politcal party

O Individuals would have no rights

O Govt. would even out society (no rich or poor)

O Only 70,000 members of Communist Party in U.S. (1/10 of 1%)

What is a “manifesto”?

What Fueled the Red Scare?

OA. Mitchell PalmerODemagogueOSpread fear that

“reds” were going to take over America.

OWhat evidence did he have to convince people?

1919 Strikes in AmericaO3,000 strikesO4 million workersOHigh costs, low

wagesOMany believed

communists were behind numerous strikes

Three Famous Strikes

O Boston Police Strike 1919: no raise since 1914. $21.00 week. 75% of police force on strike. Gov. Coolidge called off the strike. Replaced all workers.

O Steel Strike 1919: 350,000 walked off job. Wanted shorter hours/higher wages. Company hired scabs. 18 killed. 100’s injured

O Coal Strike 1919: low wages/long hours. Ordered to return to work. Did get a raise.

FBI createdO J.Edgar Hoover

appointed to head FBI

O Hunt down suspected communists, socialists, anarchists

O Conducted “Palmer Raids” to rid Am. Of radicals

O Nov 1919-Jan.1920 6000 arrests; 500 deported

Palmer RaidsOEmma GoldmanOAnarchist, political

activist, well known for her writings/speeches

OCame to Am. 1885ODeported back to

Russia

Red ScareO Palmer Raids failed to turn up any

evidence to support a communist conspiracy in Am.

O Died out after May 1, 1920 --Why??O Palmer predicted a national strike to

occur on that day, signaling a communist plot to overthrow the government.

O What happened??

Effects of Red ScareO XenophobiaO NativismO Two most famous victims of the Red

Scare: Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo

VanzettiO Italian immigrants, anarchists, draft

dodgers, poor (represented everything Ams. Hated)

Sacco and VanzettiO Braintree, Mass. 1920O 2 men shot, killedO $15,000 payroll

stolenO Arrested Sacco and

Vanzetti 3 weeks later

O Had alibis; circumstantial evidence

O Found guilty; sentenced to death

Rising Racial TensionsO 1910-1930 Black population more

than doubled in the north (Great Migration)

O Job competition following WWI. O Led to renewal of KKKO 1924--4.5 million membersO Devoted to 100% Americanism

KKK March on Washington, D.C.

Racial ProblemsO Race riots common in Am. Cities in

1919O No longer limited to the southO 25 cities had riotsO Chicago Race Riot-6 days, 15 whites

and 23 blacks killed, 500 injuredO Gov’t. did nothing to stop activities of

hate groups like KKKO 70 reported lynchings in 1920

Lynching Photo

President Warren G. Harding

Election of 1920O Republicans had the advantage. Why?O Warren G. Harding: Senator Ohio, Rep.O VP Running mate: Calvin Coolidge,

Gov. Mass. Remember him?O Ran against James Cox, Gov. Ohio,

Demo. And Eugene Debs, Socialist, in prison

O Harding’s campaign slogan “Return to Normalcy”

Election of 1920

Women Vote in first national election

Harding’s CabinetO Appointed some wise, able menO Andrew Mellon (Sect. of Treasury)O Herbert Hoover (Sect. of Commerce)O Charles Evans Hughes (Sect. of

State)O Some positions filled by

incompetent, dishonest men from Ohio.

O What was their nickname??

Harding’s Presidential Highlights

O Isolationism: foreign policy reflected our desire to avoid political and economic alliances with foreign countries.

O Disarmament: give up our weapons and get other countries to do the same.Washington Naval Conference: got 5

nations to scrap many battleshipsKellogg-Briand Pact: 64 nations agreed to

outlaw war

Harding’s HighlightsO Fordney-McCumber Tariff: raised tax

on import to highest level ever (60%). Designed to protect Am. Businesses. Many European countries could not pay back war debts to U.S.

Harding’s HighlightsO Limiting Immigration: Nativism growing

in Am. (strikes, Red Scare, job competition)

O 1919-1920: 1 million immigrants came to Am.

O 1905-1907: peak years of immigration. 11,000 a day entering through Ellis Island

O 1920’s called for strict new immigration laws

Immigration Laws 1920’s

O Emergency Quota Act: yearly immigration set at 350,000 year and quotas set on immigrants from each country

O National Origins Act: 150,000 per year. No Asians, strongly discriminated against Southern and Eastern Europeans. Why?

O Quotas remained in place until 1960’s

Scandals under Harding

O 1923 country began to bounce back from recession. Economy growing.

O Multiple scandals broke out in 1923 involving bribery, fraud, stolen govt. funds.

O Harding died in office Aug. 2 while vacationing in Alaska; some suspected suicide

O Was Harding involved in the scandals??

ScandalsO Veteran Affairs Scandal: V.A. hospitals

overcharged govt. 250 million.O Att. Gen. Harry Daugherty used his

position to protect men who violated prohibition

O Teapot Dome Scandal: U.S. naval oil reserves in Wyoming and California leased to private oil companies by Sect. of Interior. Received $325,000

American Prosperity of 1920’s

O Calvin Coolidge becomes the new president following Harding’s death on Aug. 2, 1923.

O Coolidge ran in Election of 1924 and won by a landslide.

O “Keep Cool with Coolidge” -- campaign slogan

O Very conservative: “gov’t. works best when it governs the least”

Prosperity of the 1920’s

O Number of millionaires in Am. Rose from 4,500 in 1914 to 11,000 in 1926.

O Low interest rates for borrowing moneyO Construction boomingO Electricity reaching more AmericansO New inventions (technology boom)O Consumer goods replacing capital

goods

Prosperity of 1920’sO Consumer Goods:

O Electric refrigeratorwashing machineO Electric range electric

ironsO Toaster sliced breadO Vacuum Cleaner

canned/frozen foodO Air conditioner deodorantO Radio phonograph

Reasons for ProsperityO Emphasis on materialism:

O Rise in standard of living (indoor plumbing, central heat)

O Installment plan -- buying on credit. Allowed people to live beyond their means

O 40% of U.S. families had incomes under $1500 a year (poverty range)

O Advertising and marketing

Chief reason for prosperity:

O The automobile (nation’s biggest industry by the end of 1920’s)O Landscape, roads, driveways,

garages, steel, rubber, glass, gas stations

O Liberated rural familiesO Mass production (assembly line so

good, by 1925, made 9,000 cars a day)

Impact of the AutomobileO1922- 2million

autosO1929-5 million

autosO1910- $750.00O1914- $490.00O1915- $390.00O19290 Avg. 1 car

per every family

Clash of CulturesO Old Culture:

O Emphasized production

O CharacterO ScarcityO ReligionO Idealized the pastO Local cultureO substance

O New Culture:O Emphasized

consumptionO PersonalityO Abundance

O ScienceO Looked to the future

O Mass cultureO image

Clash of valuesO Scopes Monkey Trial (evolution vs.

creationism)O Women’s dress (rebellious vs.

conservative)O Jazz Music (new rhythm, beat vs. soft

tempo)O Prohibition (drinking is a sin; drinking

is part of one’s culture)