The Roaring ‘20s

1. The Roaring ‘20s American Studies

2. Practice Question This type of speech is intended to ruin someone’s reputation by lying and is not protected by the United States A. Libel and Slander B. Fighting Words C. Clear and Present Danger D. 1st Amendment.

3. After WWI • Minorities who worked during the war were reluctant to return to pre-war status of inferiority • Many blacks and women lost their jobs when soldiers came home • Women gain right to vote in 1920 with the 19th amendment • Increased confrontation between blacks and whites • 1920: Warren G. Harding elected • Promised to lead the nation back to “Normalcy” • Conservative idea to return to the “quieter times” before the war and Progressivism • Did very little to regulate business and followed laissez-faire • Failed to recognize changes necessary for modern life and new economy

4. Practice Question During WWI Charles Schenck was accused of discouraging Americans to enter the draft. Under the new Espionage Act he was found guilty. The government justified their ruling with which of the following? A. Libel and Slander. B. Fighting Words. C. Clear and Present Danger. D. 1st Amendment.

5. Teapot Dome Scandal • Name of federal land in Wyoming with huge oil reserves • Members of his cabinet took bribes from oil companies to lease them govt land • Secretary of the Interior Albert Fall • Harding knew nothing, but chose corrupt cabinet members • Before investigations were over, he died suddenly in 1923

6. Calvin Coolidge • President after Harding’s death, then elected to remain in office in 1924 • “The business of America is business”: Likes laissez-faire, don’t regulate big business • Secretary of Treasury Andrew Mellon: Banker and businessman • High tariffs and low taxes for American businesses • Farmers suffer due to low prices, low demand, and no help from the government • Called “Silent Cal”

8. America in the 1920s • After WWI: Americans are very suspicious of political radicals • 1917: The Bolshevik Revolution in Russia creates fear of a similar uprising in the US • Americans fear: • Communism: radical system of govt with command economy, opposite of US system of capitalism and democracy • Political violence: Overthrowing of govt or violence against govt officials • Labor unrest: Angry workers striking and making demands

10. The Red Scare The Red Scare: Time of widespread fear and dislike of Communism, radicals, and immigrants

11. The Palmer Raids • Wartime factories close: many lose their jobs, increasing labor union strikes • International Workers of the World: Socialist labor union that opposed WWI and the draft • Seen as unpatriotic and a threat to democracy • 1919: Strikes break out across the nation, IWW is blamed • Workers called communists and Attorney General Palmer arrests union members and deports many immigrants • Over 600 deported for being “Red” or radical

12. Practice Question In the United States, a citizen’s exercise of speech and expression may be legally restricted when that individual A. threatens public safety. B. opposes public opinion. C. criticizes public officials. D. condemns public institution

13. Sacco and Vanzetti • 1920: Most controversial Red Scare trial • Two Italian immigrant anarchists, Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, executed for robbery and murder • Little evidence, many believe the jury was prejudice • Many appeals are denied and both are executed in 1927 • Protests around the world because the verdict was motivated by discrimination against their ethnicity, class, and political views

15. Practice Question During the Red Scare in the United States after World War I, all of the following happened to immigrants except A. immigrants were deported without being charged or convicted of any crimes. B. immigration laws were passed allowing a larger number of immigrants to enter the country. C. two immigrants, Sacco and Vanzetti, were put to death on questionable charges. D. immigration laws were passed restricting the number of immigrants entering the country.

16. Nativism Nativism: Native-born people have fear and hatred for foreigners (immigrants) Causes increasingly restrictive immigration policies Before WWI: Immigration was open, businesses wanted cheap labor, plenty of jobs After WWI: Many factories close, troops want jobs and see immigrants as a threat AFL Union and Business owners support the troops and fear immigrants will cause more political unrest

17. Immigration • 1920s Quota Acts: Limits # of immigrants from each country • National Origins Act limits it further to only 2% of immigrants from each country that were here in 1890 • These laws decrease immigration, especially for Southern and Eastern Europe • Russia and Italy seen as breeding ground for radicals • Asian immigration is eliminated completely

19. The Great Migration • Migration of African Americans from rural south to cities of the north • Before WWI: Majority lived on farms in the south • Sharecroppers: Farmers who gave their landlords a share of crops in exchange for use of the land • Too poor to own their own land, system kept them poor • During and After WWI: • Many move north to escape racism and poverty • Get jobs in factories in the north

20. Practice Question • In the late 1800s, a population shift among African Americans began in the United States. Known as the “Great Migration,” this pattern of shifting population accelerated as a result of World War I and continued throughout the 1920s. (4 points) • • Describe the population shift involved in the “Great Migration.” Explain reasons why there was a Great Migration from the south to the north. • • Explain how this migration produced an important change in the domestic affairs of the United States during the first three decades of the twentieth century. Describe two ways life was affected in the North.

21. Racial Tension • Many whites saw them as rivals for jobs and housing • Some cities restricted where blacks could live • 1917: Supreme Court found residential segregation laws unconstitutional • Deeds restricted the sale of property to African Americans • They were forced to live in ghettos or segregated neighborhoods, like Harlem in New York

22. Race Riots • Race riots: White mobs attack blacks in their neighborhoods, happened in several US cities • Homes were destroyed, businesses burned, African Americans were beaten and killed • 1920-30: hundreds of blacks were lynched in US • Many never reported/recorded • Eventually public opposition leads to anti-lynching laws in 1920s • Numbers decreased in following decades (last: 1964)

24. Practice Question All of the following are true about Race Riots during the 1920’s except A. Blacks and whites fought and even killed each other B. A race riot in Chicago started by a black teen getting hit by a rock on the white part of the beach C. Race riots only occurred in the South D. Tension that caused riots was created because whites were afraid black would take their jobs

25. Ku Klux Klan KKK: Racist organization that dislikes change and anyone different from themselves 1920s Revival: Remerged in great strength in states like Indiana and Oklahoma and cities like Detroit, Atlanta and Chicago Height of power: Had over 5 million members nationally Included Senators, Representatives, and state/local govt officials, as well as regular citizens

27. Ku Klux Klan • Klansmen claimed they stood for Christian values and true Americanism, but in reality they fed upon hate and fear • Hated all who were not white and Protestant • Including African Americans, immigrants, Catholics, Jews, homosexuals, women, etc. • Sponsored elaborate cross-burning rallies and parades dressed in their white hoods/robes • Resorted to violence to intimidate enemies • Membership declines by 1930 after immigration decreases and many members are arrested for crimes • Down to 30,000

28. Practice Question • During the 1920’s KKK re-emerged with great numbers and had a huge influence on the average American. What ideas were they influencing people to believe in? • A. Women’s equality and voting rights. • B. Youth’s rebellion against society and rules. • C. Fear of rapid change with new cultures and immigration. • D. African American voting rights and freedoms.

29. 1920’s Popular Culture • Time of rebellion against traditional style and values • Older population was worried about the break down of traditional values and morals • Manners were more relaxed and less formal • Fashion became more revealing • Pastimes were silly and flamboyant • Artists, writers, and musicians experimented with new ideas • The Roaring ‘20s were a time of prosperity and outrageous behavior, both good and bad

30. The Flapper • 1920: 19th Amendment gives women suffrage • The Flapper: a modern woman who rejected strict values of the past and advocated more open attitudes toward lifestyle, fashion, and sex • Symbol of change in society and gender roles • Only a small % of women during 1920s, but image was reinforced by movies, books, and the press • Example in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby”

31. Before the 1920s

32. After

37. Practice Question During the 1920’s the group known as Flappers became popular for their rebellious nature. Explain who the flappers were and what they represented. Then briefly describe the changes they made to the 1920’s social behavior and or norms. (2 points)

38. The Economy • Time of Economic Prosperity: Fueled by growth of car industry • Henry Ford invents the assembly line to quickly and cheaply mass produce cars like his Model-T • By end of the decade the # of cars on the road had tripled and other US industries enjoyed higher productivity and profits

39. -Price in 1916: $400 (about $6000 today) -1.5 million sold in 1920 -4.7 million a year in 1929 -Model-T produced every 24 seconds -Public Transportation also increased

40. Mass Consumption • Quick, cheap production leads to lots of new goods • New business practices: marketing and advertising • Installment Buying: “Charge” goods on store credit and make payments over time • Honor system: Trusted to pay it back • Allows average man to afford cars, telephones, radios, refrigerators, toasters, phonographs, etc. • Changes the way we think about money: • Encourages spending of money people don’t have • Many accumulate a lot of debt • Nation appears wealthier than it really is

42. Practice Question Which of the following was NOT an element of the economic changes of the 1920’s? A. Recession B. Big Business gains power through Laissez-Faire re-emerging C. Moving Assembly Line D. Mass Production

43. Entertainment: The Radio • Mass communication changes US pop culture • Commercial radio originated in the 1920s with networks like CBS and NBC • Radio advertising funded shows and increased demand for consumer goods • 1922: Only about 60,000 homes had radios, by 1930 they were in more than 10 million homes

44. -1st time people across the nation shared a common culture -Anyone could listen to sporting events -Everyone could hear the news and stay informed -Major News Event: Aviator Charles Lindbergh made the first solo flight from the US to Europe

45. Moving Pictures Movies became popular: Films were silent with subtitles performed by actors like Charlie Chaplin Theaters appear in cities across US creating a mass entertainment sensation, Hollywood is born 1927: First “talkie” The Jazz Singer had synchronized soundtrack and made movies even more popular http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewNLCkA0oBk http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BSIe1BAp3Y&safe=active

46. Fads of the 1920s Betty Boop, Winnie the Pooh, Mickey Mouse Slinky, Swallowing Goldfish, Stamp Collecting Mini Golf, Dance Marathons, Magic 8 ball, pea shooters Flag Pole Sitting, Bubble Gum Blowing Contests Hokey Pokey, Jitterbug and the Charleston Pez, Reese’s, Penicillin, Kool Aid, Bright Red Lipstick Zoot Suits, Hair dryers, SATs, Crossword Puzzles Jazz, hats, 1st Miss America Pageant, smoking http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJC21zzkwoE

48. The Harlem Renaissance African Americans contributed to rich cultural and artistic life that marked the 1920s Harlem was the neighborhood that had an explosion of talent with black intellectuals, writers, musicians, artists, and scholars Movement was an expression of African American cultural identity and pride Writers like Langston Hughes put their mark on American cultural and literary history http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDQpZT3GhDg&list=PLC6ECC10E393A6F45 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IJzYAda1wA&list=PL8622884B913ED4B5

50. Practice Question In the early 20th century, many African-Americans moved from the South to cities in the North. This “Great Migration” helped stimulate a flowering of artistic talent by African-Americans in New York known as the Harlem Renaissance. One way in which the Harlem Renaissance was significant was that it A. reduced racial tensions in the northern cities. B. led to a decline in activity by the Ku Klux Klan. C. led to a relaxation of restrictions on African- Americans in the South. D. contributed to the recognition of African-American culture.