1. 1920s Politics Wilson, Harding, Coolidge, Hoover

2. Attorney General = A. Mitchell Palmer Palmer Raids: –J. Edgar Hoover head of antiradical division in the Justice Dept, later FBI –Hunts suspected Communists, socialists and anarchists –What did the gov’t find? –May 1, 1920, May Day = suspected Comm. Plot to overthrow the gov’t; What happened? Russian Revolution leads to Red Scare in US

7. What similarities do you see of this in today’s society? Anthrax? Profiling? Patriot Act?

8. KKK “100 percent Americanism” Enforce prohibition, oppose unions, and drive Catholics, Jews and foreign-born out of the country Kleagles kept $4 out of every $10 initiation fee for ea. Member they recruited = kleagling

9. Why was there a resurgence in the KKK in the 1920s? Why did the Klan’s power decrease significantly by the end of the 1920s?

10. Klan Wedding Washington State (1926) Membership of the NJ branch of the KKK was +50,000 w/ thousands more sympathetic to the Klan's mission. W/ this support, they’re ready to take over Protestant control in the state. They would openly attack corrupt politicians and take on the rumrunners

11. 1915 Hollywood film: “The Birth of a Nation” Re-invigorated the KKK

12. Sacco and Vanzetti Trial

13. Labor Unrest (pg 594-595) StrikeProblemsResults Boston Police Strike Steel Mill Strike Coal Miners Strike

14. StrikeProblemsResults Boston Police Strike 1919 Not had a raise since start of WWI, 1914 cost of living x2; everyone fired/went on strike Coolidge called National Guard, police off strike; new police hired; can’t strike against public safety Steel Mill Strike 9/1919 12 hr days, difficult/ dangerous work; US Steel hires strikebreakers uses force, 18 killed Broken Jan 1920; 1923 report published showing conditions in steel mills, shocking, est. 8 hr days; no union Coal Miners Strike United Mine Workers head Lewis protest Nov 1, 1919 long hrs, low wages; Palmer sent members back 2 work Lewis quietly gave word to continue strike, mines closed +1 month; won 27% wage increase, Lewis gained fame

16. Overall, what can you conclude about labor unions in the 1920s? Were they successful? Why did membership in labor unions decline in the 1920s?

17. Labor unions declined b/c… Much of the work force consisted of immigrants who had to work in poor conditions Immigrants spoke different languages = hard to organize/communicate unions Farmers who moved to cities for factory jobs hard to unionize b/c used to relying on themselves

20. 1920 Presidential Election Harding and Coolidge vs. James Cox and FDR Harding promoted a “return to normalcy” – America before the progressive reforms

22. Harding’s Return to “Normalcy” Isolationism Nativism Political Conservatism New threat to all this = Communism

23. Domestic and Foreign Policy Kellogg-Briand Pact Isolationist foreign policy Fordney-McCumber Tariff Dawes Plan Emergency Quota Act of 1921/Quota system

26. Harding’s Administration and Scandal Secretary of State = Charles Evans Hughes Secretary of Commerce = Herbert Hoover Secretary of Treasury = Andrew Mellon (one of the wealthiest men to try and reduce debt) – fell by 1923 by 1/3 Ohio Gang: –Interior Secretary = Albert Fall

27. Teapot Dome Scandal Oil-rich public land set aside by gov’t in Teapot Dome, Wyoming and Elks Hills, CA under US Navy Fall got reserves transferred to interior dept. Secretly leased land to 2 private oil Co.’s; Fall became wealthy Harding died on Aug. 2, 1923, Coolidge becomes President and is reelected in 1924