The Politics of the Roaring Twenties: Americans Struggle with Postwar Issues Chapter 12: Sections 1-2 Ms. Garratt pp

Postwar Trends US exhausted after WWI –League of Nations controversy –Progressive era challenges –Postwar adjustment –Nativism –Isolationism

Fear of Communism Russian Revolution Worldwide Revolution (Comintern) US Communist Party Bombings Fear led to xenophobia

Sacco & Vanzetti Italian immigrants & anarchists Charged with murder & robbery Circumstantial evidence & prejudicial comments from the judge Many thought they were being set up. Rec’d death penalty

Protests in Britain

Palmer Raids Hunted down Communists, Socialists and Anarchists 5000 arrested Constitutional rights violated Raids failed to turn up evidence of revolutionary conspiracy

Raid on Emma Goldman’s Office

“Nativist” Anti-Immigration Resentment against immigration grew after 1880 because immigrants came from So & Eastern Europe Immigrants worked for lower wages which hurt unions Congress passed two nativist immigrations laws

KKK

Laws to Limit Immigration Emergency Quota Act 1921 –Set quotas for each country National Origins Act –Law limited immigration from any particular country to 2% of the number of that group living in the US –(This law will ultimately prevent Jewish emigrants from leaving Nazi Germany)

Labor Unrest AFL pledged to avoid strikes during war After the war 1000s of strikes involved millions of workers Employers accused labor of being communist agitators

Boston Police Strike 1919 No raise in 5 years Reps that asked for raise were fired Had no right to unionize How did then, Mass governor respond? Was his action justified?

Coal Miners’ Strike 1919 Why was Palmer able to get a court order sending workers back to work?

Labor Movement 1920s Membership declined WHY? –Immigrants worked for low wages & … –Farmers self-reliant –African-Americans excluded

Harding Administration Washington Naval Conference 1921 Kellogg-Briand Pact 1928 Fordney-McCumber Tariff (60% Yikes) Who benefitted from tariff? How did this affect ability of some European countries to repay war debts? Only served 2 years - died

Teapot Dome Scandal & the Harding Administration

Sec 3: The Business of America “the chief business of the American people is business…The man who builds a factory builds a temple---the man who works there worships there.” Calvin Coolidge, US President

Pro-Business No gov interference Low taxes Low interest loans Tariffs

Car Culture Cars were more affordable due to: –credit –installment plans –Rising incomes Autos boosted entire economy - rubber, steel, gas, nickel, glass, timber - rubber, steel, gas, nickel, glass, timber New industries developed – garages, gas stations, motels, shopping centers – garages, gas stations, motels, shopping centers

Car Culture New towns & cities developed along highways – Route 66 Dating & vacation habits changed Suburbanization Status Symbol

Ford’s Model T

1920s Consumerism Average annual income of workers steadily increased Workers became part of growing middle class Standard of living increased Americans now had extra $ to consume new inventions: refrigerators, washing machines, radios Electricity became more available

Selling America Installment plans Credit Chain stores (Sears, A&P, JC Penney, Woolworth) Offered lower prices, greater variety of goods, better service & convenience Drove smaller stores out of business Advertising Rev created consumer demand Mass media message “buy, buy, buy”

1920s Advertising

HOWEVER, problems on the horizon… Farmers suffered from declining prices due to overproduction (result of new technology) Switch to electricity from coal drove the price down and miners lost their jobs Some textile industries shut down due to drop in demand for cotton due to shorter hemlines & silk stockings. For 1 st time in a century factory employment declined

Chapter Requirements Read the chapter minimum two times Complete each section review Complete Chapter Assessment pp Complete and understand entire study guide