TSW: –Describe the tensions in American society following WWI and during the 1920s.

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Treaty of Versailles President Woodrow Wilson –Proposes Fourteen Points –1-5 = Prevention of Future Wars –6-13 = Boundary Change / Break up empires –14 th = League of Nations General association of nations that agreed on “talking” out problems rather than going to war US Congress openly and publicly opposes –State that it will get US involved in future wars in Europe without consent of committing troops overseas

The Postwar Economic Downturn - Competition for Jobs - Severe downsizing led to competition Competition in turn developed into racial tensions Strikes were met with violence The government raided left- leaning political parties Ku Klux Klan harassed and persecuted members of minority groups

The Postwar Economic Downturn - African Americans - African Americans were hit possibly the hardest… –They had been living in the very sharply divided South with Jim Crow laws and rigid segregation practices –Hate crimes and lynching's were very common in the South –They leave for “Land Of Hope” in the North. Also called the Great Migration However, with the war over, this severely limited their employment opportunities –Even in the North, it was hard to find work –Companies had cut back production & laid off workers Leads to higher unemployment –The “Land of Hope” they thought they were going to was more of the same…just w/o the crime

What do you see here? What do each of the road signs mean? What does the cartoon say about politics and corruption during the 1920s?

Political Scandals Following Woodrow Wilson, President Warren G. Harding takes office (Republican) Often ranked by historians as the worst president in US history Warren G. Harding, failed to diffuse the tensions (racial / economical) –Cabinet appointments proved disastrously corrupt, taking money from everyone –Teapot Dome Scandal Oil reserves in Wyoming Sec. Of Interior Albert Fall leased the U.S. Navy’s petroleum reserves to private interests for a bribe. Harding was found to be involved. Public trust turned against the President.

Radicals & Bombs American Radicalism American communism was part of a broad assortment of radicals that included socialists, anarchists, and pacifists. –However, most American Communists were peaceful and law-abiding citizens A small portion of Radicals in the U.S. did seek to destroy the existing political order and promote anarchy. – A series of bombs to political officials’ homes raised public hysteria. –One was sent to Att.Gen A. Mitchell Palmer and damages his home –30 brown-paper packages to prominent high-ranking citizens –20 lbs. dynamite on doorsteps in seven U.S. cities –Bomb on Wall Street killed 33

What do you see here? Who is the man in the cartoon? What is he going to do with the people? What message do you think the cartoonist intended to convey?

The Red Scare The government orchestrated organized attacks on radicals and foreigners –This period is known as the “Red Scare” Attorney General of the US is A. Mitchell Palmer –Mobilized officials to arrest or deport “Reds” suspicious of any un- American activity They conducted investigations and raids on headquarters of anarchists and known radicals

The Red Scare In these “Palmer Raids” there were 4,000-10,000 arrests. –Radicals jailed w/o formal charges for several months –1,000’s were deported back to Europe Today… –What would happen if the US tried to round up and deport anyone who we thought might be a terrorist? –What legally, would be wrong with that? –Where would you start?

The American Civil Liberties Union Some citizens protested the illegal methods and prejudices that targeted foreigners and radicals. ACLU tried to ensure that the government upheld individuals’ constitutional rights ACLU denounced Palmers’ tactics and the governments mob mentality However…no court victories

The New Ku Klux Klan Arose from Americans’ intolerance and racism 1915 Nativist‘s rebirth of the KKK Hiram Wesley Evans served as “Imperial Wizard” he emphasized that the Klan was –a patriotic, benevolent organization that supported education, morality, charity, and honoring the American flag

The New Ku Klux Klan In 1924 there were 4 million members Ohio and Indiana were the Klan’s strongest states members served as –Mayors –Governors –Congressmen –Ministers –And police officers

From Racial Intolerance to Violence -Racial Riots Racial violence broke out across the nation East St. Louis in 1917, 100 blacks killed in one day “Red Summer” of 1919, 20 major racial disturbances July 27, black beachgoers attacked whites following a drowning, gang violence erupted on the streets and continued for a week, leaving 38 dead and 520 injured

The Scopes Trial Lawyers with ACLU tested a new state law forbidding teachers to teach evolution ACLU asked John T. Scopes (24) a biology teacher, to break the law “test case” William Jennings Bryan –prosecutor Clarence Darrow –defendant