Ch 15: The Jazz Age Section 1: A Clash of Values

Anti-immigration Immigration on the rise after WWI 14 million immigrants out of 105 million Americans Mostly from Southern and Eastern Europe Americans afraid of losing jobs to new comers Quota Act-limited immigrants to 3% of their people in U.S. population

Pro-American View Point Americans wanted to stop immigration Didn’t want people from Russia, Germany, and Italy here Rise in racism and nativism – Ex: Sacco-Vanzetti Case

Racism with Science Eugenics: the idea that we should stop breeding people with “bad” genes Americans considered “bad” to be anyone not from northern Europe

Eugenics: “Unfit” People Groups include: – Minorities – Disabled – Ethnic Europeans – Anyone from a poor social class Solution: – Birth control – Sterilization

Eugenics “Fit” People Middle to High Class Americans Physically fit people Were encouraged to have lots of kids Were told using birth control was hurting your race

Ku Klux Klan Second wave of KKK in the 1920s Targeted – African Americans – Catholics – Jews – Immigrants – Groups that were considered Un-American like communists

KKK Membership rose to 4 million people Northern and Southern members Paid politicians for anti-immigration bills Lost power with the decline of immigration by the 1930s

National Origins Act of 1924 Used the 1890 census to determine the amount of immigrants that can come from each country Limited immigration to 150,000 people per year Northwestern Europe got the most people to come over

Mexican Immigrants Were allowed for farming during WWI 600,000 came between to help with irrigation projects in the SW U.S. Mexicans did not qualify for the Quota Act 1921 Quota Act – A temporary quota system limiting immigration.

Cultures Merge When new groups came together, they shared ideas Youth wanted more freedom Women wanted to work Minority groups gained powerful positions for the first time in areas like Chicago and New York

Causes For New Freedom Employment of the youth in new jobs Higher education – Pre-war: 7% of people graduated from high school – Post-war: 41% graduated from high school by the 1930s – College was not an option for most people Rise in car sales

“Flappers” Rebellious women Wore short skirts/dresses Drank alcohol Smoked Copied images of celebrities from the day

Conservative America Fundamentalist Beliefs: – Bible was true/without error – Didn’t believe in Evolution – Believed in Creationism Scopes Trial: – Took place in Tennessee – TN said it was illegal to teach evolution – John Scopes was arrested for teaching evolution – Split Fundamentalists after the trial

Prohibition 18 th Amendment: – Made it illegal to make, sell, and drink alcohol in 1920 Goal of Prohibition: – To reduce unemployment – To reduce domestic violence – To reduce poverty

Volstead Act Gave U.S. Treasury Dept. the task of enforcing prohibition Gave police powers to a new group of people – No longer given by states – Federal gov’t gets to give out the power

Anti-Prohibition People still smuggled alcohol or made their own “moonshine.” Illegal bars called speakeasies were created all over the country in big cities. The Italian mob also provided liquor. – Ex: Al Capone in Chicago

End of Prohibition Prohibition failed Illegal alcohol made for a billion dollar business Prohibition failed to reduce poverty, domestic violence, and unemployment 21 st Amendment-ended prohibition in 1933

Sources: The American Republic Textbook Since vents/e_eugenics.html h2.htm