1. Mr. Snyder 11th Grade U.S. History
Ch. 22: Politics of the Roaring 20
Mr. Snyder
11th Grade
U.S. History 1 1

2. Section 1: America’s Postwar Issues
After WWI, most Americans wanted to be isolationist
Remain distant from issues of the rest of the world, especially Europe
Unemployment increased in 1919
Nativism swept through America
Conservative backlash in govt. occurred
Republicans gained control of both houses of Congress and presidency 2 2

3. The Soviet Union
Russia became Soviet Union (USSR) in 1917, a Communist state
USSR stands for United Soviet Socialist Republic
Vladimir Lenin led Bolsheviks (group of communist workers) who overthrew the Czar
Communist party was formed in America in 1919
After WWI, communism grew across the world
Communism is a part of socialism and was founded by Karl Marx 3 3

4. The Red Scare
Americans felt threatened by the spread of communism due to the Russian Revolution
Communism is an economic and political system based on equal distribution of resources, no private property and rule by dictatorship 4 4 4

5. The Red Scare Contd. Communism is a threat to capitalism
Americans feared their way of life would be taken over by communists
Post WWI, featured much Nativism in America in form of laws and other actions 5 5 5 5

6. The Palmer Raids
Attorney Gen. A. Mitchell Palmer led raids in 1920 to prevent all communists and anarchists from meeting
-Arrested suspected radicals without warrants
-used reason of national security to ignore the 4th Amendment
-Palmer fueled Red Scare Nativism 6 6

7. Sacco and Vanzetti
Italian anarchists Sacco & Vanzetti convicted for murder during an armed robbery
Evidence against them was suspect, but they were immigrants with ties to communism
both were sentenced to execution
execution was symbolic of discrimination against radical beliefs during Red Scare 7 7

8. 8 8

9. The KKK Rises Again
Due to the Red Scare and nativism, the KKK was more popular than ever in 1920s
By 1924, the Klan had 4.5 million members
frequently held rallies in the middle of Washington, D.C.
The KKK focused on removing all Catholics, immigrants, Jews, and African-Americans from influence in American society
KKK believed these were groups that consisted of communists and anarchists 9 9

11. Congress Limits Immigration
Congress limited immigration from Southern and Eastern Europe in early 20s
A reaction to the Red Scare and isolationist policies
The Emergency Quota Act of 1921
set up a quota system to control and restrict immigration
Only a certain number of immigrants from each country would be admitted every year based on the percentage in the previous year’s census 11 11 11 11

12. 1919 Labor Unrest Many strikes took place after WWI
-after the war, many workers embraced socialist views and wanted better working conditions and pay
Boston Police Strike
Boston PD officers went on strike demanding raises and benefits
U.S. Steel Workers Strike-Sept. 1919
United Coal Miners Strike-Nov. 1919
*Only time government took side of workers in strike was in coal strike. 12 12 12 12

13. Union Difficulties in the 1920s
The 1920s hurt organized labor
Union membership dropped by 1.5 mil.
Conservative views hurt labor unions and increased anti-union views
Blacks excluded from membership, and immigrants were willing to work in poor conditions without unions
Only 1% of African-American workers were in unions in 1926 13 13

15. Section 2: The Harding Presidency
In 1920, Warren G. Harding from Ohio was elected president
Harding’s foreign policy goal was to return America to “normalcy” and help rebuild Europe after World War I
Two ways he did this:
1. Kellog-Briand Pact denounced war as a national policy
2. Dawes Plan provided loans to Germany to pay France/England who then paid the U.S. 15 15

16. 16 16 16

17. Scandal Hits Harding
Harding was very laissez-faire towards business and his own administration
Most times he didn't know what appointees were doing
In Teapot Dome Scandal, Sec. Of Interior Albert Fall received illegal money from two oil companies as bribes
Fall was tried for corruption and sent to jail, Harding was not punished 17 17

18. 18 18

19. Section 3: The Business of America is Business
In 1923, Harding died while in office, and VP Calvin Coolidge from Massachusetts became president
Coolidge was reelected in 1924
New president, Calvin Coolidge, was even more pro-business than Harding
Extremely laissez-faire and continued many of the same policies as Harding
Nicknamed “Silent Cal” because he did not say or do much 19 19 19 19

20. Scientific Management
In order to increase efficiency in factories,
-engineer Frederick Taylor devised ideas of:
assembly lines
specific roles given to each employee
Practices perfected by Henry Ford in his Ford auto plans in Michigan
Ford's workers maximized production during 8-10 hour work days and were also given days off too 20 20 20 20

21. The Impact of the Automobile
The auto was the backbone of the American economy from 1920 through the 1970s
changed American landscape and society
increased transportation across state lines and allowed people to move further away from jobs and commute
The Ford Model T was the first car in America. Over 15 million were sold by 21 21 21 21

22. The Impact of the Automobile Contd.
The auto also created a movement of the population called urban sprawl
-movement to outside of city but travel to city for work
Among the many changes were:
Paved roads, traffic lights, shopping centers
Freedom for rural families
Independence for women and young people
By % of world’s vehicles were in U.S. 22 22 22 22

23. 23 23

24. The American Standard of Living Grows
The 1920s were prosperous for the U.S.
Rich and middle class lived well
Americans owned 40% of the world’s wealth
The average annual income rose 35% during the 1920s
Discretionary (money to spend, not just money to pay bills), income increased 24 24 24 24

25. New Household Conveniences
While gasoline powered much of the economic boom of the 1920s, the use of electricity also transformed the nation
Electric refrigerators, stoves, irons, toasters, vacuums, washing and sewing machines were all new
By the end of the 1920s, the majority of American homes had electricity
Only rural areas did not have easy access to electricity 25 25 25 25

26. American Economic Prosperity
Many during the 1920s believed the prosperity would last forever
Wages, production, Gross National Product, and the stock market all rose significantly
From , taxes were down and business profits up
Tariffs were high which helped American manufacturers, but hurt farmers
Government interference in business was minimal 26 26 26 26

27. Problems on the Horizon?
Businesses expanded recklessly
Consumers spent money at will
Called conspicuous consumption
Means to spend money without a care
Too much was bought on credit using installment plans, including stocks
Plans were set up to be paid back, but many consumers just accumulated debts
Debts were ignored due to economic boom 27 27 27 27