T HE R OARING T WENTIES 1920 – 1929

T HE R OARING T WENTIES Were an exciting time Full of social and cultural changes

T IRED OF T ENSIONS American people were tired of the tensions of reform and war Average people wanted to return to normal times Wanted the nation to be less involved in world affairs and more involved in activities at home

T HE 19 TH A MENDMENT 1869: The National Women’s Suffrage Association had been formed Led by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony 1920: The 19 th Amendment was ratified Gave women the right to vote

A MERICANS R ETURN T O N ORMAL Republican Warren G. Harding was elected President in 1920 Received the greatest percentage of votes ever gained by a candidate Promised a return to “normalcy” Looking for quick solutions for the nation’s problems

H ARDING AS P RESIDENT Passed the Emergency Quota Act Limited immigration to the US New Tariff Act was written Raised the tax on imported goods A Veterans Bureau was established Gave aid to ex-soldiers and families Generally, not an effective President

T HE T EAPOT D OME S CANDAL 2 Oil businessmen gave the Secretary of the Interior $400,000 Secretary arranged for them to rent some government oil reserves Harding didn’t know until the scandal became public

C OOLIDGE AS P RESIDENT 1923: Vice President Calvin Coolidge became President Friend and supporter of the business community Government regulations controlling big businesses hurt the American economy

A P ERIOD OF S OCIAL C HANGES Industry thrived Most Americans were making more, so they spent more Had more leisure time and money for things like movies or music clubs Americans became more mobile with the car Telephone improved communication

W OMEN B ECAME M ORE I NDEPENDENT Many young women in the 1920s were called flappers Recently won the right to vote Changes in their hair and dress Women wanted to gain more social freedom

R ADIO C HANGED A MERICAN L IFE By the mid-1920s, most middle class families had a telephone, radio, and phonograph in their home Radio brought an unlimited source of free information and entertainment right into the home

J AZZ C APTURES T HE S PIRIT Improvised Created a truly American style The earliest type of Jazz was Dixieland in the South New dances, like “The Charleston” Older Americans were concerned about its effect on young people

A MERICAN W RITERS Tried to tell the story of what was happening in America F. Scott Fitzgerald: The Great Gatsby Sinclair Lewis: Main Street and Babbit Ernest Hemingway: Farwell to Arms Edith Wharton: The Age of Innocence John Dos Passos: Three Soldiers

T HE H ARLEM R ENAISSANCE An area in New York became a creative center for many African Americans Writers, poets, musicians, entertainers, and students increased African American pride Focused on African American dreams, disappointments, and discrimination

D ISCRIMINATION P ROBLEMS Some Americans wanted to deny equality and freedom to those different “American First” became their slogan The new Ku Klux Klan was formed in the South in 1915 Wanted to define an American as white, protestant, and native born

1924: T HE I MMIGRATION A CT Limited the number of immigrants allowed in the US from Southern and Eastern Europe Immigrants from Japan were not allowed in the US Felt these immigrants were a threat to society Feared that the communist revolution in Russia would spread

P ROHIBITION 1919: The 18 th Amendment was ratified Made it illegal to sell alcohol in the US 1933: The 21 st Amendment repealed the Prohibition amendment

T HE “D RY D ECADE ” Bootleggers continued to make and sell alcohol illegally Speakeasies, where liquor was sold, became popular meeting places Organized crime made millions of dollars and became powerful Reformers tried to do a good thing, but brought a high rise in crime

T HE E LECTION OF 1928 Calvin Coolidge ran for re-election Didn’t pay attention to the decline of society Too many good things were happening Republicans nominated Herbert Hoover A “self-made” man

Democrats nominated Al Smith Governor of New York Voters picked Hoover for President T HE E LECTION OF 1928

T HE S TOCK M ARKET C RASH Stock market continued to rise through 1928 and most of 1929 People took savings out of the bank to buy stock Price was actually higher than their true value Stock prices dropped sharply There were more sellers than buyers

O CTOBER 19, 1929 Stock market crashed People tried to sell, but there were no buyers The US was in the worst economic depression in US History The “Roaring Twenties” came to a crashing end 1930s would be called the “Great Depression”