1. Politics of the Roaring Twenties
Chapter 12

2. Post-War America Giant wave of nativism returns
Keep America for Americans
Disillusioned by the war
Go back to isolationism
Post-War America

3. The Red Scare 1919 prices went up 77%, in 1920 28 more.
Workers want higher wages.
1919 3,600 strikes occur!

4. Red Scare cont’d Biggest strikes: Boston Police Force
Steel Industry (69 hr. weeks)
Coal Miners

5. Police Strike

6. Calvin Coolidge

7. Red Scare Cont’d People began fearing Communism.
Bolsheviks were predicting downfall of capitalism
Felt strikes were first step toward communism.

8. Reaction Terrorist incidents frighten people more in 1919.
A. Mitchell Palmer, orders arrest of 5,000 suspected Communists (political radicals) in 33 cities.

9. Palmer Raids Many civil rights violations. ACLU formed in opposition
Arrests w/o warrants, denied lawyers.
ACLU formed in opposition
200,000 people were watching out for communists.
No communist plots ever found.

11. Jane Addams

12. Upton Sinclair

13. Raids cont’d
Justice Department seized only 5 guns from the 5,000 they arrested.

14. Sacco & Vanzetti Case

15. Sacco & Vanzetti Accused of murdering a paymaster and guard in holdup.
Accused for sole purpose of being anarchists, and Italians
Evidence was ridiculously flimsy.

18. Cont’d Both had alibis Judge: Guilty by association
Given the death sentence.
Appealed for 7 years, executed August 23, 1927.

19. Sacco & Vanzetti

21. Judge Webster Thayer

22. Immigration Cuts Attempt to keep foreigners out
Established a quota system
Discriminated against eastern and southern Europe

23. The Return of the KKK Membership up to 2 million in 1925.
March in Washington D.C.
“Keep the Negro in his place.”

25. Harding as President

26. Harding
Newspaper man and Senator
“He looked like a President.”

27. Warren G. Harding

30. As President Laissez Faire, what the people wanted.
Taxes cut & Gov’t spending way down.

32. Cont’d Huge surplus used to pay down the massive debt.
Laws passed to help business
Eliminates taxes on businesses from the war.
Raises the tariff (Fordney-McCumber Tariff)

34. Scandals Brought the Ohio Gang with him to Washington.
Most were unqualified/ corrupt
Charles Forbes swindled $200 million from the country
Scandals

35. Gang had been selling pardons etc…
One advisor commits suicide
Harding was devastated, takes vacation.
Dies in S.F. 8/2/23

38. Tea Pot Dome Attorney General Harry Daugherty forced to resign.
Leased government land for kickbacks.
Other officials implicated
Trials went to 1930

39. Teapot Dome Scandal

43. Coolidge Very quiet and dry. Never looked happy
A man of great integrity
Became a national hero

45. As President Takes oath of office from father.
Remained untouched by all of the scandals of the time.

47. Own Term Refused to comment on controversial issues
Little contact with Congress
“The Business of America is Business”

48. Cont’d Continued to reduce national debt
Country was in a huge business boom
Radios, washing machines, and especially automobiles

50. Boom Car prices down Steel, rubber, and glass industries became huge
White collar jobs expanded=education

55. Credit Americans began buying on credit
Debt rising 2 ½ times faster than income!
Getting way over their heads.