1. Prosperity, Creativity, and Tension
1920s America
Prosperity, Creativity, and Tension

2. After the War: The Problems
Progressivism didn’t fix domestic problems and the world wasn’t safer for democracy
Demobilization- returning the country to peacetime conditions
Labor unrest- high prices, low wages; not as many jobs; other factors
Fear of revolution: Red Scare not totally gone; European/foreign ideas
Rising racial tension: Great Migration + immigration + competition for jobs + rise of the KKK = scary times

3. Not everything was terrible!
Decade starts with a 2 year depression
Huge boom in economy for most of the decade
Good times: don’t focus on the bad
Escapism: leave the past trouble and sacrifice behind. Enjoy life.

4. The Influence of Henry Ford
Not the 1st automaker, but most revolutionary
Moving assembly line
Cheap and reliable cars
New necessity
Personal freedom
Growth in supporting industries

7. Industry to support Automobiles
Highways
Gas stations
Travel throughout the entire United States
Growth of Suburbs

8. Buy Now, Pay Later Disposable Income Convenience
Advertising using “scientific research”
Beginning of consumer credit industry

12. The Business of Government: The Republican Formula
Warren G. Harding
Ohio
“Return to Normalcy”
Pro-business politics
eliminated wartime controls, slashed taxes, established a Federal budget system, restored the high protective tariff, and imposed tight limitations upon immigration.
Scandals

13. Ohio Gang & Teapot Dome Harding not the wisest man
Friends took advantage of the system
Teapot Dome: The Sec. of Interior (Albert Fall)
takes bribes for transferring government oil reserves over to private business by way of bribes.

14. Calvin Coolidge Massachusetts “the business of America is business”
“Silent Cal”
Low taxes led to huge boom in business and the economy

15. Herbert Hoover California Continued the “Republican Formula”
Poor timing led to bad reputation

16. Where’s the money? Time for Britain and France to pay up for the war
Germany had to pay up first
US loans money to Germany to pay France and England who then pay the US back? WHAT?
No one pays after the market crashes

17. Culture Clash Tradition Modernity Rural Still working hard
Traditional, conservative views on religion and culture
Modernity
Urban
Consumer products and leisure time
Open to social change
Science & secular

18. The Scopes Trial Illegal to teach evolution in TN schools
Battle between fundamentalism & modernism
Darrow called WM Bryan to the stand as a expert on the Bible
Worldwide attention

19. Another round of Immigration Issues
Nativists focused on eastern and southern Europeans because of WWI (Red Scare)
Literacy test; Wilson’s veto overridden
Quota system: limit to specific amounts from specific countries

20. The New Klan Mainly Southern and rural
Traditionally anti-African American, but now added Jews, Catholics and immigrants to list of targets
Stood against “lawbreaking and immorality”…kind of ironic

21. Prohibition
Temperance and the Anti-Saloon League movement started well before passage of the 18th Amendment
Volstead Act was the law enforcing the amendment
Battle once again between urban and rural
Illegal activity grew as many people openly disregarded the law

24. Problems People wanted to drink People made alcohol illegally at home
Bootleggers sold alcohol
Speakeasies were the places to get alcohol
In many places, everyone in charge of fighting alcohol looked the other way; major corruption problem.

26. What to do? Make life easier Have more free time Less work, more play
Movies, Sports, Radio, all forms of entertainment on the rise.

27. Harlem Renaissance
Affected by the Great Migration, WWI, more rights in Northern cities, and the booming economy
More political rights
Marcus Garvey: change not quick enough.
“Back to Africa”: start a black nation in Africa from ancestors of slaves

28. The Jazz Age First truly American music
Harlem the center of creativity, but had origins in New Orleans and the South
Cross cultural barriers