AP Chapter 23 The Roaring 20s

“Return to Normalcy”- campaign slogan of Warren G. Harding (R) in 1920 Election of 1920 “Return to Normalcy”- campaign slogan of Warren G. Harding (R) in 1920 Harding easily defeated James Cox (D) to win the presidency The country saw amazing growth in consumer goods and a drastic change in culture

2nd Industrial Revolution Electricity became common throughout the country and new consumer goods were in high demand Mass production techniques were rapidly decreasing the price of goods Welfare Capitalism- system of labor relations emphasizing managements responsibility for the employees well being

Open Shops and the Supreme Court seriously weakened the unions gains during the war Henry Ford- Model T 1st popular and affordable automobile Assembly Line- cars placed on a line and people do the same thing over and over Car rolled off the line every 10 seconds and he paid his workers $5 for an 8 hr. day

Assembly Line

Agricultural Problems Farmers struggled the most during the 1920s The demand for U.S. crops after the war dropped significantly which led to massive amounts of overproduction Farmers struggled to repay loans and dug themselves deeper and deeper

Installment Buying Buying on credit like a credit card Most people overextended their credit which led to problems People began to move to the suburbs and commute into the cities Radios, cars, refrigerators, washing machines etc. were all bought on credit

Mass Culture Movies became extremely popular and The Jazz Singer staring Al Jolson was the first talking movie in 1927 Movies shaped how Americans dressed and talked KDKA of Pittsburgh was the 1st regularly broadcast radio station and the radio quickly grew

Music, sports, comedies and dramas were all played out on the radio NBC and CBS led the way NY Dailey News was the 1st to use tabloid style news and it quickly spread throughout the country Advertising agencies grew and began to use scientific technology Dances such as the Charleston, Tango, Fox Trot and Grizzly Bear became popular

Sports and Celebrity Baseball, boxing and college football ruled the sporting world Babe Ruth, Red Grange, Jack Dempsey and Gene Tunney became household names Sporting events were also a popular form of socializing

Jack Dempsey

Charles Lindbergh

New Morality Women changed their roles from traditional and conservative to flappers Flappers smoked, drank, danced wore their dresses and hair short Many were shocked at the way women were acting and it upset the traditional culture

18th Amend- Prohibition Volstead Act Manufacturing and sale of alcohol was prohibited in 1919 Rise of organized crime led by Al Capone in Chicago Bootleggers-supplied alcohol to Americans mainly through Canada Speakeasy- illegal bars were people enjoyed music and a good drink

Prohibition failed miserably Unpopular laws are difficult if not impossible to enforce 21st Amend- repealed prohibition in 1933 Some say it was easier to get alcohol during prohibition than it is today

Immigration Restriction Following the war many were tired of the new immigrants Lodge founded the Immigration Restriction League Immigration Act of 1921 restricted immigration to 3% of 1910 totals Johnson Reed Immigration Act of 1924 further restricted immigration to 2% of 1890 totals

Ku Klux Clan KKK- grew in numbers following D.W. Griffiths The Birth of a Nation that glorified the KKK KKK attacked Roman Catholics, Jews and African Americans Klan became a powerful force in the Democratic Party

Scopes (Monkey Trial) John T. Scopes- accused of teaching Darwin's theory of evolution (illegal in Tenn.) Trial gained national atten. When ACLU lawyer Clarence Darrow faced off against W.J. Bryan Religion vs. Science Found guilty & fined $100

Harding and the “Ohio Gang” Harding surrounded himself with a close group of friends called the “Ohio Gang” Harding’s cabinet was very corrupt Harding died in office in 1923 Teapot Dome Scandal- Sec. of Interior Albert Fall was convicted of taking bribes for secretly leasing oil reserves (1st cabinet member ever to go to jail)

Ohio Gang

Prosperity under Coolidge Did very little as president “Business of America is business” which reflects a laissez faire Sec. of Treasury Andrew Mellon used his conservative principles to trim the budget, cut taxes, and encouraged growth

War Debt and Reparations Following the war the U.S. was the leading creditor nation Dawes and Young Plans gave loans to Germany so they could repay GB/France who then were able to repay us (with interest) Kellogg-Briand Pact- outlawed war Washington Naval Disarmament Conf.- reduced the size of the world’s navies

Unfulfilled Promises During the 1920s their was a huge gap between the rich and the poor League of Women Voters-advocated for women’s rights such as equal pay Sheppard-Towner Act- provided for the 1st federally funded health care for maternity care Mexican immigration rose but also brought nativism

Harlem Renaissance Encouraged African Americans to take PRIDE in their culture Langston Hughes- popular poet of the Renaissance Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway and Louis Armstrong popularized jazz Renaissance focused on African American culture and art

Writers Ernest Hemingway wrote The Sun Also Rises and A Farewell to Arms that questioned idealism F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote This Side of Paradise and The Great Gatsby Sinclair Lewis wrote Main Street and Babbit that satrinized small town life

Hemingway, Fitzgerald and Lewis

Sacco & Vanzetti Two foreign born immigrants Accused of murder and robbery Sentenced and killed on very little evidence Immigrants and anarchist was the real reason they were convicted Represented the prejudice of the time period

Sacco and Vanzetti

Election of 1928 Albert Smith (D) lost to Herbert Hoover (R) in a landslide election Smith was the first Catholic to be nominated by a major political party Election was a representation of the major issues of the 1920s

Election of 1928

Conclusion 1920s was an era of amazing growth economically Socially the country reflected the rapidly changing times Government returned to the laissez faire attitudes of the late 1800s Some enjoyed great times while others suffered