SOCIAL AND CULTURAL TENSIONS CHAPTER 11 SECTION 3 SOCIAL AND CULTURAL TENSIONS

IN THE 1920’S CONFLICTING VISIONS OF WHAT THE NATION SHOULD BE HEIGHTENED THE URBAN-RURAL DIVISION

Traditionalism & Modernism 1920 – FOR THE FIRST TIME IN AMERICAN HISTORY MORE PEOPLE LIVED IN URBAN AREAS THAN IN RURAL AREAS – SPLIT BETWEEN THE RURAL AND URBAN AMERICANS ON EVERY IMPORTANT SOCIAL AND CULTURAL ISSUE URBAN AMERICAN SHOWED AN OPENNESS TOWARD SOCIAL CHANGE AND THE NEW DISCOVERIES OF SCIENCE – THE GROWING TREND TO EMPHASIZE SCIENCE AND SECULAR VALUES OVER TRADITIONAL IDEAS ABOUT RELIGION BECAME KNOWN AS MODERNISM PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY GENERALLY EMBRACED A MORE TRADITIONAL VIEW OF RELIGION, SCHENCE AND CULTURE

Education RURAL AMERICA DID NOT PLACE SO MUCH EMPHASIS ON FORMAL EDUCATION – EDUCATION GOT IN THE WAY OF FARM CHORES THAT NEEDED TO BE DONE URBAN AMERICANS PLACED GREAT IMPORTANCE ON FORMAL EDUCATION – THE MORE EDUCATION THE BETTER CHANCE AT GETTING A BETTER PAYING JOB BY 1930 – MORE AMERICAN TEENS WERE GRADUATING FROM HIGH SCHOOL AND MORE AMERICANS THAN EVER BEFORE WENT TO COLLEGE

Religious Fundalmentalism 1920 – MANY DEVOUT CHRISTIANS BELIEVED CHRISTIANITY WAS UNDER SEIGE THROUGHOUT THE WORLD – SOVIET COMMUNISTS ATTACK OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCH IN RUSSIA

Religious Fundalmentalism IN THE U.S. MANY CHRISTIANS WERE UPSET BY WHAT THEY SAW AS SECULAR TRENDS IN RELIGION AND CULTURE – REAFFIRMED THEIR BELIEF IN THE FUNDAMENTAL TRUTHS OF THEIR RELIGION FUNDAMENTALISM – FUNDAMENTALISTS BELIEVED: 1. EVERY WORLD OF THE BIBLE WAS LITERALLY TRUE 2. THE ANSWER TO EVERY IMPORTANT MORAL AND SCIENTIFIC QUESTION WAS IN THE BIBLE FUNDAMENTALISM WAS STRONG IN RURAL AMERICA

SCOPES TRIAL CLASH BETWEEN FUNDAMENTALISM AND MODERNISM OVER THE THEORY OF EVOLUTION – EVOLUTION CLASHED WITH THE DESCRIPTION OF CREATION IN THE BIBLE 1925 – TENNESSEE LAW BANNED THE TEACHING OF EVOLUTION IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS – ACLU CONVINCED JOHN SCOPES – A HIGH SCHOOL BIOLOGY TEACHER IN DAYTON, TN – TO TEACH IT – HE DID AND WAS ARRESTED

SCOPES TRIAL TRIAL DREW NATIONWIDE ATTENTION – BECAME KNOWN AS THE “MONKEY TRIAL” – BECAUSE OF THE MISTAKEN BELIEF THAT MAN EVOLVED FROM MONKEYS

SCOPES TRIAL CLARENCE DARROW – THE MOST FAMOUS DEFENSE ATTORNEY OF THIS TIME – CAME FROM CHICAGO TO DEFEND SCOPES WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN – DEFENDER OF RURAL VALUES – WAS AN EXPERT FOR THE PROSECUTION SCOPES TRIAL

SCOPES TRIAL DARROW ASKED BRYAN TO THE STAND AS AN EXPERT ON THE BIBLE – TESTIFIED THAT HE ACCEPTED THE BIBLE AS THE ABSOLUTE TRUTH SCOPES WAS FOUND GUILTY – FINED $100 – THE TRIAL SHOWCASED A MAJOR CULTURAL AND RELIGIOUS DIVISION – RESOLVED NOTHING – CONFLICT OVER EVOLUTION CONTINUES TODAY

Restricting Immigration NATIVISTS ARGUED THAT IMMIGRANTS TOOK JOBS AWAY FROM NATIVE BORN WORKERS AND THREATENED AMERICAN RELIGIOUS, POLITICAL AND CULTURAL TRADITIONS

Restricting Immigration NATIVIST POLITICIANS WERE ABLE TO RESTRICT IMMIGRATION FROM CHINA BUT NOT FROM SOUTHERN AND EASTERN EUROPE

Restricting Immigration RED SCARE, WWI AND THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION CAUSED CONCERN FOR NATIVISTS

Restricting Immigration EMERGENCY QUOTA ACT OF 1921 AND NATIONAL ORIGINS ACT OF 1924 ESTABLISHED A QUOTA SYSTEM TO GOVERN IMMIGRATION FROM SPECIFIC COUNTRIES FORMULA – THE NUMBER OF IMMIGRANTS FOR A GIVEN NATIONALITY EACH YEAR COULD NOT EXCEED 2 % OF THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE OF THAT NATIONALITY LIVING IN THE UNITED STATES

Restricting Immigration QUOTA SYSTEM DID NOT APPLY TO MEXICO – MANY SETTLED IN THE SOUTHWEST AND FACED DISCRIMINATION AND HOSTILITY

Restricting Immigration NATIVISTS ARGUED THAT IMMIGRANTS TOOK JOBS AWAY FROM NATIVE BORN WORKERS AND THREATENED AMERICAN RELIGIOUS, POLITICAL AND CULTURAL TRADITIONS NATIVIST POLITICIANS WERE ABLE TO RESTRICT IMMIGRATION FROM CHINA BUT NOT FROM SOUTHERN AND EASTERN EUROPE RED SCARE, WWI AND THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION CAUSED CONCERN FOR NATIVISTS

Restricting Immigration EMERGENCY QUOTA ACT OF 1921 AND NATIONAL ORIGINS ACT OF 1924 ESTABLISHED A QUOTA SYSTEM TO GOVERN IMMIGRATION FROM SPECIFIC COUNTRIES – FORMULA – THE NUMBER OF IMMIGRANTS FOR A GIVEN NATIONALITY EACH YEAR COULD NOT EXCEED 2 % OF THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE OF THAT NATIONALITY LIVING IN THE UNITED STATES

Restricting Immigration QUOTA SYSTEM DID NOT APPLY TO MEXICO – MANY SETTLED IN THE SOUTHWEST AND FACED DISCRIMINATION AND HOSTILITY

The New Klu Klux Klan MANY PEOPLE WANTED A COUNTRY THAT WAS NOT ETHNICALLY DIVERSE RURAL AMERICANS LASHED OUT AGAINST SYMBOLS OF CHANGE – SOME TURNED TO ORGANIZATIONS THAT SUPPORTED DOCTRINES OF HATE AND USED VIOLENCE AND TERROR TO ACHIEVE GOALS GEORGIA – 1915 – A GROUP OF MEN REVIVED THE KLU KLUX KLAN – ORIGINALLY A GROUP IN THE SOUTH TO KEEP AFRICAN AMERICANS FROM VOTING

The New Klu Klux Klan REVIVED KLAN PROMOTED THEIR HATRED OF AFRICAN AMERICANS ALSO JEWS, CATHOLICS AND IMMIGRANTS – HAD 4 TO 5 MILLION MEMBERS – MOSTLY IN THE SOUTH THE NAACP AND THE JEWISH ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE BATTLED AGAINST THE KLAN AND PROMOTED RACIAL, ETHNIC, RELIGIOUS AND CULTURAL DIVERSITY

Prohibition and Crime PROHIBITION – THE BANNING OF ALCOHOL – 1919 – STATES RATIFIED THE EIGHTEENTH AMENDMENT WHICH FORBADE THE MANUFACTURE, DISTRIBUTION AND SALE OF ALCOHOL ANYWHERE IN THE U.S. – PASSED LARGELY ON THE STRENGTH OF RURAL VOTES

Prohibition and Crime CONGRESS PASSED THE VOLSTEAD ACT – WHICH WAS A LAW THAT OFFICIALLY ENFORCED THE AMENDMENT THE “DRYS” CALLED PROHIBITION A “NOBLE EXPERIMENT” – BELIEVED IT IMPROVED INDIVIDUALS, STRENGTHENED FAMILIES AND CREATED BETTER SOCIETIES

Prohibition and Crime DRINKING AS WELL AS ALCOHOLISM AND LIVER DISEASE DECLINED DURING PROHIBITION “WETS” – OPPONENTS OF – BELIEVED THE BAN OF ALCOHOL DID NOT STOP PEOPLE FROM DRINKING – IT CREATED AN ATMOSPHERE OF HYPOCRISY AND INCREASED ORGANIZED CRIME

Prohibition and Crime VOLSTEAD ACT DID NOT STOP PEOPLE FROM DRINKING – PEOPLE MADE ALCOHOL IN HOMEMADE STILLS OR SMUGGLED IT IN FROM OTHER COUNTRIES – BOOTLEGGERS – SOLD ILLEGAL ALCOHOL TO CONSUMERS

Prohibition and Crime IN CITIES, SECRET BARS – SPEAKEASIES – ATTRACTED CUSTOMERS – GOVERNMENT AGENCIES TRIED TO STOP THE SALE OF ILLEGAL LIQUOR – WERE SHORTHANDED

Prohibition and Crime ILLEGAL LIQUOR WAS ATTRACTIVE TO CRIME ORGANIZATIONS – POTENTIAL TO MAKE MILLIONS – AL CAPONE – CHICAGO GANG LEADER – WAS THE MOST FAMOUS CRIMINAL OF THE PROHIBITION ERA THE PROBLEM WAS THAT PROVIDING ALCOHOL ORGANIZED CRIME SPREAD INTO OTHER AREAS OF SOCIETY – CAPONE’S OTHER BUSINESSES INCLUDED PROSTITUTION, DRUGS, ROBBERY AND MURDER – PROHIBITION CONTRIBUTED TO THE GROWTH OF ORGANIZED CRIME IN AMERICA

Prohibition and Crime MOST CITY POLITICIANS WANTED PROHIBITION REPEALED – WAS NOT REPEALED UNTIL 1933 WITH THE TWENTY-FIRST AMENDMENT