Chapter 23 The Twenties Chapter 23 The Twenties OUT OF MANY A HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc.

The Second Industrial Revolution Technological innovations made it possible to increase industrial output without expanding the labor force. Driven by electricity and automated machinery, industry concentrated on producing consumer goods. Chart: Consumer Debt 1920–31 2 © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc.

FIGURE 23.2 Consumer Debt, 1920–31 The expansion of consumer borrowing was a key component of the era’s prosperity. These figures do not include mortgages or money borrowed to purchase stocks. They reveal the great increase in “installment buying” for such consumer durable goods as automobiles and household appliances. 3 © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc.

The Modern Corporation A managerial revolution stressed scientific management and behavioral psychology. Successful corporations worked to: integrate production and distribution diversify products expand industrial research gain control of entire industries Increasingly, a class of salaried executives rather than stockholders made corporate policy. Chart: Stock Market Prices, 1921–32 4 © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc.

FIGURE 23.1 Stock Market Prices, 1921–32 Common stock prices rose steeply during the 1920s. Although only about 4 million Americans owned stocks during the period, “stock watching” became something of a national sport. 5 © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc.

The A&P grocery chain expanded from 400 stores in 1912 to more than 15,000 by the end of the 1920s, making it a familiar sight in communities across America. A&P advertisements, like this one from 1927, emphasized cleanliness, order, and the availability of name-brand goods at discount prices. 6 © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc.

Welfare Capitalism corporations employed “welfare capitalism.” To improve worker morale and reduce the challenge of unions, To undercut unions, businesses promoted an “open shop” non-union workers received the same benefits as union workers. Union membership rapidly declined. The AFL showed no interest in organizing workers in the new industries. 7 © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc.

The Auto Age The car symbolized the rise of the consumer economy. By 1925, the assembly line at Henry Ford’s Highland Park plant completed a car every 10 seconds. Ford paid his workers more than the going rate, reducing turnover enabling them to be both producers and consumers of his Model T. The auto industry spurred production of steel, rubber, glass, and petroleum. Road building triggered commercial development along highways, promoting new businesses and changed social habits. 8 © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc.

Finished automobiles roll off the moving assembly line at the Ford Motor Company, Highland Park, Michigan, ca During the 1920s, Henry Ford achieved the status of folk hero, as his name became synonymous with the techniques of mass production. Ford cultivated a public image of himself as the heroic genius of the auto industry, greatly exaggerating his personal achievements. 9 © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc.

Cities and Suburbs The automobile enabled people to move into suburbs. Cities also grew at a fast pace Horizontally but also vertically as new buildings reshaped the skyline. 10 © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc.

Until 1924, Henry Ford had disdained national advertising for his cars. But as General Motors gained a competitive edge by making yearly changes in style and technology, Ford was forced to pay more attention to advertising. This ad was directed at “Mrs. Consumer,” combining appeals to female independence and motherly duties. 11 © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc.

The State, the Economy, and Business 12© 2009 Pearson Education, Inc.

HardingCoolidge © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. 13

Harding and Coolidge “Ultimate Guide to the Presidents” video (notes) Warren G. Harding surrounded himself with his Ohio cronies “The Ohio Gang” an administration riddled with scandal. ` ҉ ҉ Led by Secretary of the Treasury Andrew Mellon his administration pursued policies that trimmed the budget and reduced the taxes paid by the wealthy. Harding’s death in 1923 brought stern, but honest, Calvin Coolidge to office. Coolidge continued the business-government partnership of Harding’s term reducing federal spending, cutting taxes, and blocking congressional initiatives. 14 © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc.

Herbert Hoover and the “Associative State” Herbert Hoover was the most influential figure during the period, Secretary of Commerce under Harding and Coolidge. promoted business cooperation by creating trade associations and coordinating conferences to promote business efficiency facilitated the growing concentration of corporate wealth. 15 © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc.

War Debts, Reparations, and Keeping the Peace The United States emerged from WWI as the strongest economic power and as the world’s most important creditor. American officials insisted that former allies pay back the money they had borrowed during the war. In the 1920s, the United States helped Germany refinance their reparations debt and reduced their payments. The United States participated in naval disarmament agreements. 16 © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc.

Weakened Agriculture, Ailing Industries Despite the boom in business, many workers and farmers suffered. Agricultural profits steadily declined the gap between farm and non-farm income widened. Coolidge vetoed efforts to aid farmers, suffering from debts incurred during wartime expansion. Other sick industries included: coal mining—which faced competition from oil and natural gas railroads—which faced competition from cars and trucks New England textiles—which faced competition from low- wage southern producers 17 © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc.

The future’s so Bright, I gotta wear shades?  1920’s were a prosperous decade to many,  but not all.  Trouble is just around the corner! Warning signs: - Industries struggling -Farmers accumulate massive debts - Consumers have less to spend.

Signs of Weakness: Industry  Railroads, mining, lumbering all hit hard: coal being replaced by new forms of energy ○ hydro-electric and natural gas.  Boom industries: automobiles and housing show signs of weakening.

Farmers need help!  The 20’s not good to farmers. Crop prices fall more than 40% after WWI. Banks forclose on farms. Loans, falling prices, and over supply of crops Rural banks close due to farmers’ inability to pay bank loans.  McNary-Haugen Bill? “price supports” for various crops. ○ Government buy the crops and sell worldwide. ○ President Coolidge vetoed the bill.

Consumer Issues: Over Spending and Uneven spread of wealth  Buying binge begins to fade. Why? Decline in wages and accumulation of debt. - many are living beyond their means - “installment plans”?  Uneven Distribution of wealth: - the wealthiest 1% get 75% wealthier. - average for rest of the pop. = 9%  70% earned $2,500 or less.

Radio Broadcasting Radio developed into the nation’s first comprehensive mass entertainment medium. Large companies formed national networks that aired a variety of programs to homes across the country. Building on blackface minstrelsy, “Amos ‘n’ Andy” was the first national radio hit show. Radio also helped to commercialize previously isolated forms of music and build a mass following for sports. 22 © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc.

A New Morality? For some people the 1920s saw a new morality symbolized by the flapper who danced to jazz, smoked cigarettes, drank bootleg liquor, and was sexually active. Writers had encouraged a greater degree of openness about sexuality. Surveys of sexual behavior showed that an increased number of women had sexual relations prior to marriage. The new morality was reflected in American popular culture. Cars and sex! 23 © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc.

Open books to p.440

Prohibition Many looked to prohibition as a way to restore public morality public demand for alcohol remained strong. As a result, illegal bootlegging proliferated. Bootlegging provided a great boost to organized crime became a permanent feature of American life. 27 © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc.

Immigration Restriction The movement to restrict immigration of southern and eastern Europeans accelerated in the twenties. Backed by recurring American beliefs in racial inferiority fueled by wartime patriotism the Red Scare, and nativist sentiment, legislation passed that set quotas on annual immigration. 28 © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc.

FIGURE 23.3 Immigration Trends to the United States by Continent/Region, SOURCE: Adapted from Historical Statistics of the United States, Millennial Edition(NY: Cambridge University Press, 2006). 29 © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc.

The Ku Klux Klan The Ku Klux Klan was the most effective nativist organization. Hiram W. Evans transformed the Klan into a mass movement by using modern promotional techniques. The Klan attacked not only blacks but Catholics, Jews, and immigrants. The Klan claimed over 3 million members and was a powerful force in Democratic Party politics in the South and in several western and midwestern states. In 1925, the Klan began to fade, in part due to a scandal that discredited one of its leaders. 30 © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc.

Women members of the Ku Klux Klan in New Castle, Indiana, August 1, The revived Klan was a powerful presence in scores of American communities during the early 1920s, especially among native-born white Protestants, who feared cultural and political change. In addition to preaching “100 percent Americanism,” local Klan chapters also served a social function for members and their families. 31 © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc.

Religious Fundamentalism Religious fundamentalism paralleled political nativism. Fundamentalists rejected the tenets of modern science, particularly evolution. Five states banned its teaching in public schools. William Jennings Bryan and Clarence Darrow squared off in a celebrated trial in Dayton, Tennessee over teaching evolution. 32 © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc.

Part Seven: Promises Postponed 35© 2009 Pearson Education, Inc.

Feminism in Transition Once suffrage was gained, women’s rights advocates faced a dilemma: should they press for protective legislation or push for legal and civil equality? The National American Woman Suffrage Association: reorganized itself as the League of Women Voters promoted women’s involvement in politics and laws protecting women and children Alice Paul’s National Woman’s Party, opposed protective legislation and pushed for the Equal Rights Amendment. Women continued to enter white-collar professions, though men still dominated the high-paid occupations. 36 © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc.

The “New Negro” The 1920s was the era of the “New Negro” and the Harlem Renaissance. African Americans continued to migrate to northern urban communities. Harlem became a major African-American cultural center as a wide range of artists explored aspects of black life in new ways. New voices of black protest emerged in various quarters. Marcus Garvey emphasized black pride, black-owned businesses, and unity among all people of African descent. Most Harlem residents worked long hours at menial jobs for low pay. 37 © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc.

The Harlem Renaissance Books p.452

African American Voices The Great Migration? African Americans moved to northern cities in search of jobs Met with white resistance & violence  NAACP (W.E.B. Du Bois) 10min represented a more militant voice fighting for A.A. rightsW.E.B. Du Bois  Marcus Garvey: Universal Negro Improvement Association  Separate economic society in the U.S.  Back to Africa movement  Music Video Music Video

African American Artists & Writers Langston Hughes Movement’s best known poet Captured the essence of 1920’s Harlem The Weary Blues (from the Great Debaters) Louis Armstrong – Jazz Video What a Wonderful World Bessie Smith – St. Louis BluesSt. Louis Blues Cab Calloway (Scat) – Minnie the MoocherMinnie the Moocher

The End A Swan Production Click me