1. Postwar (WWI) America The start of the 1920’s
Tensions and Intolerance Labor Unrest, Social Unrest and Fear of the Reds
Postwar (WWI) America
The start of the 1920’s

2. I. Post WWI America War Changed America Demobilization
No work for soldiers
4 mil
No plan
Workers losing jobs
Farm prices down
Inflation + low wages = depression
America in discontent
a.     

3. II. Strikes, Strikes, Strikes!!! Labor Unrest all over the place
million strike
Demand higher pay better conditions
Boston Police Strike (1919)
The Steel Strike (1919)
The Coal Strike (1919)
By 1920 strikes subsided
Strikes = REVOLUTION??

4. III. Fear of Foreigners Strikes = plot to topple Capitalism
Immigrants = Communist Threat
New Immigrants were targets of hysteria

5. IV. The Red Scare Fear of Conspiracy A. Mitchell Palmer
Rounded up Soviet immigrants
Called Palmer Raids
ACLU formed to help jailed people
Jane Adams and Upton Sinclair

6. V. ANTI-aliens “Who’s country is this anyway?”
Intolerance
Aliens = Anarchists = Hysteria
Red Scare faded /hostility lingered
symptom of tension in socitey unsettled by war and demobilization.
Immigrants became victims of hate

7. VI. Sacco and Vanzetti Example of Red Scare Hatred 4-20 Robbery/Murder
S & V charged with crime
Know anarchists and anti-palmer
Bunk trial = guilty verdict
Death sentence.

8. VII. Racial Discrimination
Great Migration brought 70k black to cities.
First fired after war
Discrimination and prejudice lead to protests and Riots
Marcus Garvey- Back to Africa Movement
Movement collapsed but left imprint on black society
The “New Negro” = growing spirit of consciousness and pride

9. VIII. KKK Resurgence Rampant Intolerance KKK were “Nativists”
Hated blacks, Jews, Catholics and Foreigners
1921 & Nativists pressured congress to pass Immigration Quota Acts.
No Russians, Italians or Slavs

10. IX. Religious Intolerance
William Jennings Bryan -movement to outlaw teaching of evolution.
John Scopes- arrested for teaching Theory of Evolution
ACLU- defends Scopes
Clarence Darrow defends
Scopes convicted
Scopes Monkey Trial

11. X. Politics in 1920’s
Rapid social changes bring turmoil and intolerance
Turbulent times
Americans wanted a return of “Normalcy”
=hands off approach to dealing with the times
Harding, Coolidge, Hoover- the Republican Era