The Roaring Twenties Period 7 – Part 2 1920 to 1945

Think About It To what extent did developments during the Roaring Twenties maintain continuity and foster change in American politics and society? Consider the reforms of the Progressive Era.

Election of 1920 Warren G. Harding (R) James M. Cox (D) “A Return to Normalcy” James M. Cox (D) Eugene V. Debs (Socialist) Received 913,664 votes despite incarceration

Warren G. Harding (R) (1921-1923) “A Return to Normalcy.” Emergency Quota Act (1921) Washington Naval Conference (1922- 1923) Teapot Dome Scandal Harding died in office Calvin Coolidge assumed presidency

Election of 1924 Calvin Coolidge (R) John W. Davis (D) Booming economy and conservatism John W. Davis (D) Democrats split between conservatives and liberals (LaFollette)

Calvin Coolidge (R) (1923-1928) “The business of the American people is business.” National Origins Act (1924) Kellogg-Briand Pact (1928)

Election of 1928 Herbert Hoover (R) Al Smith (D) First Catholic major party candidate

Herbert Hoover (R) (1929-1933) “Given the chance to go forward with the policies of the last eight years, we shall soon… be in sight of the day when poverty will be banished from this nation.” Great Depression Volunteerism Stock Market Crash of 1929 Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act (1930) Reconstruction Finance Corporation (1932) Bonus Army (1932)

American Consumer Society Welfare Capitalism Real income increases Higher rate for owners, managers, skilled labor Minimal increased rates for unskilled labor and working class Insurance, profit-sharing, worker safety Decreased influence of unions Mass Production Wide variety and availability of consumer products at affordable prices Model T Domestic appliances Installment Plans Impact of the Automobile

Consumer Ads

1920s Society African Americans White Resentment Lynchings increased especially in the South Universal Negro Improvement Association Marcus Garvey Economic solidarity and advancement for blacks Failed attempt of mass migration to Africa Inspired black pride and nationalism

1920s Society Immigrants First Red Scare and Nativism Quota Laws Emergency Quota Act (1921) 3% of 1910 Census National Origins Act (1924) 2% of 1890 Census Sacco and Vanzetti Trial (1920-1927) Two Italian immigrants executed for murder despite little evidence

1920s Society Women Nineteenth Amendment and Voting Employment Politicians catered to female- friendly legislation and programs Employment Clerical, teachers, nurses, domestic servants Lower wages and no managerial positions Margaret Sanger American Birth Control League Established Planned Parenthood Flapper Girl Young women of the Jazz Age Short hair, short hemline, cosmetics, cigarette

1920s Culture Wars Prohibition Eighteenth Amendment and Volstead Act Supported by middle-class progressives and rural Protestants especially in South and West Generally ignored in urban centers Bootleggers/Rumrunners Smuggling of alcohol Rise of organized crime Al Capone Speakeasies Underground saloons

1920s Culture Wars Ku Klux Klan

1920s Culture Wars Religion Fundamentalism Literal view of Bible; Creationism Attacked urban lifestyle and culture Revivalists Billy Sunday/Aimee Semple McPherson Modernism Liberal view of religion Acceptance and coordination of science and context with faith Scopes Monkey Trial (1925) Law against teaching of evolution in Tennessee public school Creationism William Jennings Bryan Evolution Clarence Darrow

1920s Culture Wars Hero Worship Athletes, celebrities, innovators famed for individual accomplishment A personification of American individualism Babe Ruth Charles Lindbergh Fueled tabloid and gossip columns in newspapers and magazines

1920s Culture Wars The Jazz Age Inspiration of rebellious youth and liberal reaction to conservatism and fundamentalism Song and Dance Jazz Louis Armstrong George Gershwin Speakeasies Dance Clubs Waltz to Foxtrot to Charleston Josephine Baker Flappers Radio Mainstream medium Networks: NBC, CBS Cinema Talkies The Jazz Singer Nickelodeons Charlie Chaplin

1920s Culture Wars Harlem Renaissance Fueled by the Great Migration “Black is beautiful” Black nationalist themes challenged racial stereotypes Promote social and racial integration Langston Hughes Zora Neale Hurston “Sometimes I feel discriminated against, but it does not make me angry. It merely astonishes me. How can anyone deny themselves the pleasure of my company? It’s beyond me.”

1920s Culture Wars Literature The Lost Generation Disillusioned by World War I, consumerism, and modernism Ernest Hemingway The Sun Also Rises A Farewell to Arms Sinclair Lewis Babbitt F. Scott Fitzgerald The Great Gatsby