Roaring 20s. A Republican Decade Strikes, arrests, revolution overseas—such events frightened...
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Transcript of Roaring 20s. A Republican Decade Strikes, arrests, revolution overseas—such events frightened...
Roaring 20s
A Republican Decade Strikes, arrests, revolution overseas—such
events frightened Americans in the 1920s and they turned to Republican Party for stability and economic prosperity
What is happening in this picture?What concept is this political cartoon illustrating?
The Harding Presidency 1920-1923 1920 election, Republican Warren
G. Harding promised “return to normalcy”
1920 won presidency until death in 1923 Foreign policy reflect America’s
desire for isolationism—policy of avoiding political or economic alliances with foreign countries No attempt to join League of Nations
Yet President support efforts to prevent future wars Disarmament—nations voluntarily
give up their weapons
Economically, he favored:Lower taxesLess control over
businesses Support high
tariffs (taxes) on foreign, competitor goods to make them more expensive protect US businesses/workers
Culturally, as America became more isolationist, they also became more nativist—movement favoring native-born Americans over immigrants Nativist Reasons = Anti-
Immigrant Never loyal Blamed for urban city problems
—slums & corruption Fear for loss of jobs Pass on anarchist (violent
overthrow of government) + communist (opponent of democracy + capitalism) ideals
End of President Harding…Literally Start of 1923, economy bouncing
back + strong popularity for president Mid 1923 corruption scandals in
Harding’s cabinet Biggest scandal Teapot Dome
Scandal Harding’s Secretary of Interior
Albert Fall bribed by oil executives to sell government land in Teapot Dome, Wyoming—oil
Albert Fall became 1st cabinet member imprisoned for crime while in office
Harding died in 1923 during the scandal in office
The Coolidge Presidency 1923-1928 Vice President Calvin
Coolidge became president and cleaned up scandals
Elected president 1924-1928
Major View “The Business of the American people is business” Laissez-Faire limited to
no government interference in business
Election of 1928
When Coolidge decided not to run for a 2nd term, Republicans nominated Herbert Hoover
Hoover promised more pro-business, isolationism & small government = victory
A Business Boom...Mixed Success 1920s gave birth to
much of modern America Shopping centers,
fast-food, advertising, mass media, cars, radios, movies
Causes of Economic Growth Consumer Economy—depends on a large amount
of buying (consuming) by people who use products New & Improved products Model-T cars,
refrigerators, radios, vacuums, ovens, telephones Income tax cuts (% taken out of paycheck for
government) left people with more $$$ Higher wages gave people more money to spend
on movies, radio, sporting events Until 1920s, Americans generally paid cash for
things they bought Borrowing = unthrifty + immoral
1920s saw new ways to purchase goods as demand for them grew Credit—a way to delay paying for a
purchase (pay once you hit a certain amount)
Installment Buying—system allows customer to make partial payments (installments) over a few months
Installment + Credit plans encouraged people to buy things who otherwise would not even though they had to pay high interest rates
Economic Troubles Economy appeared to
be healthy but looks can be deceiving…uneven prosperity Huge gap between
rich and poor 50% in poverty
Many Americans did not prosper Farmers over
production Minorities—African
Americans
New Roles for Women During 1920s, women had more
freedom than ever before drove cars, sports, college, teachers, nurses, social workers
Some women in 1920s called themselves flappers – young, rebellious fun-loving, bold Stood for a longing to break with the
past Fashion Shorter dresses, short hair,
make-up Manners Smoked + drank in public
19th Amendment gave women right to vote
1920s women developed a new attitude toward marriage = partnership (men agreed)
Mass Media Before 1920s, the majority
of Americans did not travel much and was divided culturally
Mass Media communications that reach a large audience Film, Radio, Advertising
peaceful propaganda Created a national culture
(things that people had in common across the country) songs, dances, fashion,
slang, sports, news
Lost Generation For some, the decade after
WWI was not a time for celebration deep despair + resentment = Lost Generation Lost in a greedy, materialistic
world F Scott Fitzgerald The Great
Gatsby Focus on wealthy,
sophisticated Americans during Jazz Age
Rich self-centered and shallow
Prohibition 18th Amendment—ban
alcohol Most Americans disregard
law Bootleggers suppliers +
smugglers of illegal alcohol
Speakeasies illegal bars Rise of organized crime
Al Capone
Jazz Age 1920s—Jazz Age—was a
time celebrating new and modern things Jazz music—mix of
African rhythms, ragtime, blues free spirit of the times
Rebelled against values which led to WWI
Harlem Duke Ellington + Louis
Armstrong musicians
Issues of Religion Religious movement called fundamentalism
gained followers and political power Fundamentalists took the bible literally
(everything was true) Argued that public schools shouldn’t teach
evolution—theory that living things developed over millions of years from simpler life forms
Felt it contradicted the Bible pass laws made evolution teachings illegal
1925, John Scopes broke law & found guilty Guilty verdict over-turned by state Supreme Court **Clash between modern beliefs vs. traditional
values
The Harlem Renaissance
1920s brought changes to the lives of many African Americans
Great Migration North and Western cities for economic and social opportunities
Confronting Racism As blacks moved out of the South the KKK
eventually moved with them By 1924, the KKK claimed about 5 million
members ‘America for Americans’
KKK carried out many crimes against African-Americans, Catholics, Jews & immigrants
Increasing violence against African Americans rallied the efforts of the NAACP Worked in vain to pass anti-lynching laws +
protect voting rights
Many African-Americans were losing faith in the US dreamed of a place where they could live in peace
Marcus Garvey Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) sought to build up blacks’ self-respect + economic power Garvey urged ‘Back to
Africa’ solution since equality seemed hopeless Failed
Rise of Harlem Late 1800s wealthy white
community Build up too much and buildings
remained vacant real estate prices fall Black businessmen started buying
cheap buildings and selling them to African Americans
By 1920, New York, Harlem, became the unofficial capital of black America
Soon Harlem produced cultural activity called Harlem Renaissance Symbolized rebirth of hope and
culture for African Americans Writers, singers, painters,
sculptors, scholars move to Harlem
In Summary… New technologies led to social
transformations that improved the standard of living for many, while contributing to increased political and cultural conflicts. New technologies contributed to
improved standards of living, greater personal mobility, and better communications systems.
Technological change, modernization, and changing demographics led to increased political and cultural conflict on several fronts: Tradition vs. innovation Urban vs. rural Fundamentalist Christianity vs. scientific
modernism Management vs. labor Native born vs. new immigrants White vs. Black Idealism vs. disillusionment
The rise of an urban, industrial society encouraged the development of a variety of cultural expressions for migrant, regional, and African American artists (expressed most notably in the Harlem Renaissance movement); it also contributed to national culture by making shared experiences more possible through art, cinema, and the mass media.