1. POLITICS OF THE ROARING 20’S

2. SECTION 1: AMERICAN POSTWAR ISSUES
The American public was exhausted from World War I
An economic downturn meant many faced unemployment
A wave of nativism – prejudice against foreign born people, swept the nation.

3. FEAR OF COMMUNISM
One perceived threat to American life was the spread of Communism
Communism is an economic and political system based on a single-governmental party, equal distribution of resources, no private property and rule by a dictatorship

4. SOVIET UNION COMMUNISM
Russia was transformed into the Soviet Union in 1917, a Communist state
Vladimir Lenin led the Bolsheviks and overthrew the Czarist regime
A Communist party was formed in America, too
Lenin

5. SACCO & VANZETTI
Italian anarchists Sacco & Vanzetti were a shoemaker and a fish peddler
Convicted of robbery and murder despite flimsy evidence, their execution was symbolic of discrimination against radical beliefs during the Red Scare

6. THE KLAN RISES AGAIN
As the Red Scare and anti-immigrant attitudes reached a peak, the KKK was more popular than ever
By 1924, the Klan had 4.5 million members
They were a conservative organization opposed to groups such as African-Americans, Jews, and Catholics

7. CONGRESS LIMITS IMMIGRATION
Congress, in response to nativist pressure, decided to limit immigration from southern and eastern Europe and Asia
The Emergency Quota Act of 1921 set up a quota system to control and restrict immigration
America changed its formally permissive immigration policy

8. A TIME OF LABOR UNREST
Strikes were outlawed during WWI, however in 1919 there were more than 3,000 strikes involving 4 million workers

9. BOSTON POLICE STRIKE
Boston police had not received a raise in years and were denied the right to unionize
The National Guard was called
New cops were hired

10. COAL MINERS’ STRIKE
Lewis
In 1919, United Mine Workers led by John L. Lewis called a Strike on November 1
Lewis won a 27% pay raise and was
hailed a hero

11. 1920s: TOUGH TIMES FOR UNIONS
The 1920s hurt the labor movement
Union membership dropped from 5 million to 3.5 million
Why? African Americans were excluded from membership and immigrants were willing to work in poor conditions
Ford Foundry workers in 1926; only 1% of black workers were in Unions at the time

12. SECTION 2: THE HARDING PRESIDENCY
(Kellogg-Briand Pact) – 15 countries signed an agreement to not use war as a means of solving conflicts.
(Dawes Plan) – Loaned Germany 2.5 billion dollars to pay reparations to Britain and France, which then paid the U.S.
Harding

14. SCANDAL HITS HARDING
The (Ohio Gang)– Corrupt friends and cabinet members of Hardings.
Sold government supplies to private hospitals and kept the money.
Took bribes for political favors.

15. TEAPOT DOME SCANDAL
The government set aside oil-rich public land in Teapot, WY
Secretary of Interior Albert Fall secretly leased the land to two oil companies
Fall received $400,000 from the oil companies and a felony conviction from the courts

16. Other Presidential Scandals in American History

17. Andrew Jackson’s marriage
Jackson married Rachel Donelson in 1791 whom he thought was divorced
She wasn’t
He had to wait until 1794 to marry her and she received public criticism as an adulterer
This was brought up 30 years later in the election of 1828 but Jackson won the election regardless

18. Grant’s Whiskey Ring
In 1875, many government employees were pocketing whiskey taxes
Grant swiftly punished these people but kept his personal secretary who was in on the scheme

19. Nixon and Watergate
5 Nixon staffers broke into the Watergate Hotel/Office Complex to steal information from the Democratic Party’s Election Committee in 1972
Nixon did not order the break in but ordered the cover-up and subsequently lied to the American public and the Judicial System

20. Reagan and the Iran-Contra Affair
In the mid 80’s, Reagan’s government traded weapons to our enemy Iran in exchange for cash to send down to Nicaraguan rebels fighting against Communism and the possibility of releasing American hostages in the Middle East

21. Clinton and the Monika Lewinsky Affair
Clinton was impeached in 1998 for lying under oath about a sexual relationship he had with a White House intern
This affair happened in the Oval Office and other locations within the White House
The Senate found him innocent and he served out his 2nd term

22. SECTION 3: THE BUSINESS OF AMERICA
His famous quote: “The chief business of the American people is business . . .the man who builds a factory builds a temple – the man who works there worships there”
President Calvin Coolidge

23. AMERICAN BUSINESS FLOURISHES
Both Coolidge and his Republican successor Herbert Hoover, favored governmental policies that kept taxes down and business profits up
Government interference in business was minimal

24. THE IMPACT OF THE AUTO
The auto was the backbone of the American economy from 1920 through the 1970s
It also profoundly altered the American landscape and society
The Ford Model T was the first car in America. It came only in black and sold for $290. Over 15 million were sold by 1927.

25. AMERICAN STANDARD OF LIVING SOARS
The years were prosperous ones for the U.S.
Americans owned 40% of the world’s wealth
The average annual income rose 35% during the 1920s ($522 to $705)
Discretionary income increased

26. A SUPERFICIAL PROSPERITY
Many during the 1920s believed the prosperity would go on forever
Wages, production, GNP, and the stock market all rose significantly
But

27. PROBLEMS ON THE HORIZON?
Businesses expanded recklessly
Iron & railroad industries faded
Farms nationwide suffered losses due to overproduction
Too much was bought on credit (installment plans) including stocks