1 The Roaring Twenties NCSCOS Goal #9 Page 49

2 Normalcy in Government-1920 election of Warren G. Harding and the simpler days before the war -Isolationist Policies -Washington Conferences proposed disarmament U.S., Britain, Japan, France, and Italy get rid of warships and not build more -Kellogg-Briand Treaty, 1929 outlawed war: 15 nations agree to renounce war as a national policy – could not enforce -New high tariff returned U.S. to isolationist position -Nativist policies -discriminatory quota system established -National Origins Act, 1921 Set maximum number of immigrants allowed in the U.S. each year The Fordney-McCumber Tariff raised tariffs to the highest ever at 60%. The tax meant to protect American business from foreign competition, but it made it impossible for Britain and France to sell enough goods to the U.S. to repay their debts to the U.S. The two countries looked to Germany for reparations payments. When Germany couldn’t pay, French troops marched into Germany and threatened another war. To stop this, American banker Charles Dawes lent $2.5 billion to Germany to repay France and Britain, who in turn paid the U.S. Therefore, the U.S. was repaid with their own money.

3 Labor Unrest -working conditionsStrikes forbidden during war, but after, workers want shorter work days and better pay -wartime inflation Prices increasing, pay is not -technological unemployment Machines take jobs from people -strikes (blamed on Communists) Boston Police strike U.S. Steel strike Coal Miners Strike John L. Lewis – defied court order to help coal miners gain 27% raise -labor unions weaken Open Shop system – do not require people to join a labor union Welfare capitalism – workers happier As the American people cried out for normalcy, labor unions lost ground with their violent tactics. Most union strikes were not successful.

4 The Red Scare Afraid of the spread of communism-Russian Revolution, 1917 Vladimir Lenin (Bolsheviks) Communists cry of worldwide revolution Want to end capitalism worldwide -Red Scare U.S. Communist Party, IWW 70,000 members of Communist Party Blamed for violent acts One perceived threat to American life was the spread of communism, an economic and political system based on a single-party government ruled by a dictatorship. In order to equalize wealth and power, communists would put an end to private property, substituting government ownership of factories, railroads, and other businesses—ending capitalism.

5 ~Bartolomeo Vanzetti~The Red Scare -Palmer Raids Hunt for suspected Communists, socialists, and anarchists Mitchell Palmer J.Edgar Hoover violations of civil liberties Raided private homes and businesses, jailing suspects without legal counsel -Sacco and Vanzetti anarchist immigrants accused of murder and executed Showed nativism and prejudice -Growth of the Klan Devoted to 100% Americanism Against blacks, Roman Catholics, Jews, and immigrants “In all my life I have never stole, never killed, never spilled blood…We were tried during a time…when there was hysteria of resentment and hate against the people of our principles, against the foreigner…I am suffering because I am a radical and indeed I am a radical; I have suffered because I was an Italian and indeed I am an Italian…If you could execute me two times, and if I could be reborn two times, I would live again to do what I have done already.” ~Bartolomeo Vanzetti~

6 -Prosperity returns to the United States Harding and Coolidge -Prosperity returns to the United States Increasing businesses, standard of living -Harding made some good and bad appointment choices Herbert Hoover – secretary of Commerce Ohio Gang – Harding’s poker-player friends who used their offices for graft -Teapot Dome Scandal gov’t owned oil rich lands leased out to private oil companies for far less than their value – those who lease take bribes -Harding and administration are embarrassed and several officials sent to prison -Harding dies in Office and Calvin Coolidge replaces him and wins re-election Crimes come to light as Coolidge assumes office; restores people’s faith in President and Republicans “Keep Cool with Coolidge” “Do Nothing Cal” Albert Fall secretly leased government land to private oil companies. Although he claimed these contracts were in the government’s best interest, he suddenly received more than $400,000 in “loans, bonds, and cash.” “I have no trouble with my enemies…But my…friends, they’re the ones that keep me walking the floor nights!” ~ Warren G. Harding~

7 “Cities were the place to be, not to get away from.”Lives of the People “Cities were the place to be, not to get away from.” -once isolated rural communities tightly controlled values high standards of religious morality Close social relationships -migration of more people to urban areas changed moral values less control over the whole community Cities a world of competition and change; social ideas and various behaviors affected -fast paced city life often intimidated or changed people Drinking, gambling, casual behaviors accepted The agricultural world that millions of Americans left behind was largely unchanged from the 19th century. That world was one of conservative moral values and close social relationships. Those small-town attitudes lost their hold on the American mind as the city rose to prominence. City-dwellers tolerated a freer lifestyle—one that included drinking, gambling, and casual dating. The Cotton Club in the 1920s was symbolic of this new city and jazz lifestyle.

8 Standard of Living Wealth changed American living“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.” Wealth changed American living -”business of America is business” Coolidge and Republican laissez-faire policies allow businesses to grow -effects of the automobile freedom to travel Mobility = more freedom urban sprawl Workers live away from jobs, cities sprawl in all directions -airlines develop First with U.S. mail, then into major transportation industry -electricity lights the whole nation alternating current (Tesla) Suburbs have electricity -growth of the radio industry The new president, Calvin Coolidge, fit into the pro-business spirit of the 1920s. Both Coolidge and his Republican successor Hoover, favored laissez-faire policies that would keep taxes down and business profits up, and give businesses more credit to expand. Their goal was to keep government interference in business to a minimum to allow private enterprise to flourish. Manufacturers flourished, and wages were rising, and productivity was high.

9 “Good-looking as that car is, its performance is better than its appearance. We don’t brag about it, but it has done seventy-one miles an hour. It will ride along a railroad track without bouncing…It’s the smoothest thing you ever rode in.” ~Ford Salesman The Model A was a more luxurious car than the Model T. It was introduced at $495. Model T’s were selling for $290. In 1927, the last Model T Ford rolled off the assembly line. On December 2, some 1 million New Yorkers mobbed show rooms to view the new Model A. One difference between the two models was that customers could order them in colors, while the old Model T only came in black. The automobile became the backbone of the American economy in the 1920s. It profoundly altered the American landscape and American society. The automobile liberated the isolated rural family, who could now travel to the city for shopping and entertainment. It allowed both women and young people to become more independent. It allowed workers to live miles from their jobs, resulting in urban sprawl. By the late 1920s, around 80% of all registered vehicles in the world were in the U.S.—about one car for every five people.

10 One of the most famous paved roads was Route 66, which provided a route for people trekking west from Chicago to California. Commissioned on the cusp of the Depression and begun in 1926, Route 66 symbolized the road to opportunity. Also known as the “Mother Road,” it became the subject of countless songs, films, books, and legends. The automobile also launched the rapid construction of gasoline stations, repair shops, public garages, motels, tourist camps, and shopping centers.

11 American consumers in the 1920s could purchase the latest household electrical appliances, such as the refrigerator, for as little as a dollar down and a dollar a week. The use of electricity transformed the nation. American factories used electricity to run their machines, and the development of the alternating current made it possible to distribute power over long distances, like the suburbs. By the end of the 1920s, more and more homes had electric irons, refrigerators, cooking ranges, and toasters. These electrical appliances made lives of housewives easier, freed them for other community and leisure activities, and coincided with a growing trend of women working outside the home.

12 Prosperity -growth of advertising industry“Enjoy while you pay.” -growth of advertising industry Psychologists study how to appeal to desire for youth, wealth, and health -productivity increases Businesses growing Iron, railroad, farmers behind -buying on the installment plan increases consumption Buy goods over a period of time with little or no money down (credit) -Ford and Prosperity -assembly line production -workers as consumers -$5 day plan Prime example of increased prosperity in 1920s “She was a beautiful girl and talented too. She had the advantages of education and better clothes than most girls of her set. She possessed that culture and poise that travel brings. Yet in one pursuit that stands foremost in the mind of every girl and woman—marriage—she was a failure.” ~Listerine advertisement in the 1920s, trying to convince readers that without Listerine a person could have bad breath, which would lead to disaster.

13 New Role of Women -Victorian Age view of women Cult of domesticity“Rouge means that women want to choose their man—not take what lives in the next house…[Women] want to choose their destinies—to be successful competitors in the great game of life.” -Victorian Age view of women Cult of domesticity -flapper was a young women of modern times hair styles, dress, attitudes, behavior -double standard of behavior Principles granting men more sexual freedom than women -clash of conservative values Many women pulled between old standards and new The flapper was an emancipated young woman who embraced the new fashions and urban attitudes of the day. Close-fitting felt hats, bright waistless dresses an inch above the knee, skin-toned silk stockings, sleek pumps, and strings of beads replaced old Victorian dressings. Young women clipped their hair into boyish bobs and died it jet black. They became assertive, smoking cigarettes, drinking in public, and talking openly about sex. They danced the fox trot, camel walk, tango, Charleston, and shimmy with abandon. Attitudes toward marriage changed, too, with men and women becoming equal partners.

14 ~Women in the 1920s~

15 New Role of Women -Opportunities increase Teachers, nurses, librarians“I consider time for reading clubs and my children more important than…careful housework and I just don’t do it.” -Opportunities increase Teachers, nurses, librarians New clerical jobs, old men’s jobs -families change Margaret Sanger and birth control Jobs and conveniences allow women more freedom Birth control clinics available The birthrate had been declining for several decades, and it dropped at a slightly faster rate in the 1920s. This decline was due in part to wider availability of birth control information. Margaret Sanger, who opened the first birth control clinic in 1916, founded the American Birth Control League in 1921 and fought for the legal rights of physicians to give birth control information to their patients.

16 ~Culture Clashes~

17 Prohibition 18th Amendment -banned alcohol“The reign of tears is over! The slums will soon be only a memory. We will turn our factories and our jails into storehouses and corncribs. Men will walk upright now, women will smile, and the children will laugh. Hell will be forever for rent!” 18th Amendment -banned alcohol Manufacture, sale, transport-many people resented the new law that regulated behavior -gov’t never tried to really enforce the law – not enough money or people to enforce law -speakeasies drinking clubs – hidden saloons and nightclubs; must present a card or password to get inside -bootleggers: smuggled alcohol into the U.S. from Canada, Cuba, West Indies To obtain liquor illegally, drinkers went to underground saloons and nightclubs known as “speakeasies.” Speakeasies could be found everywhere—in penthouses, cellars, office buildings, rooming houses, tenements. To be admitted, one had to present a card or use a password. Before long, people grew bolder in getting around the law. They learned to distill alcohol and built their own stills. People also bought liquor from bootleggers.

18 -growth of organized crime Al Capone (Chicago) Prohibition “The famous seven-ton armored car, with the pudgy gangster lolling on silken cushions in its darkened recesses, a big cigar in his fat face, and a $50,000 diamond ring blazing from his left hand, was one of sights of Chicago. The mere whisper: ‘Here comes Al,’ was sufficient to stop traffic and to set thousands of curious citizens craning their necks along the curbing.” -growth of organized crime Al Capone (Chicago) Controlled alcohol and bootlegging by killing off opponents By age 26, Al Capone headed a criminal empire in Chicago, which he controlled through the use of bribes and violence. From 1925 to 1931, Capone bootlegged whiskey from Canada, operated illegal breweries in Chicago, and ran a network of 10,000 speakeasies. In 1927, the “Big Fellow,” as he liked to be called was worth and estimated $100 million. The end came quickly for Capone, though. In 1931, the gangster chief was arrested for tax evasion and went to jail. That was the only crime of which the authorities were ever able to convict him. Capone was later release from jail, but he died of an STD several years later at age 48.

19 Science and Religion -Fundamentalism“If a minister believes and teaches evolution, he is a stinking skunk, a hypocrite, and a liar.” ~Billy Sunday -Fundamentalism religious movement focusing on the truth of the Bible Skeptical of scientific theories -Billy Sunday -Aimee Semple McPherson Darwin’s Theory of Evolution Idea that all life evolved Fundamentalists believe in divine creation Fundamentalists were skeptical of some scientific theories, arguing that all important knowledge could be found in the Bible. They believed that the Bible was inspired by God; therefore, its stories in all their details were true. Fundamentalism was led by Billy Sunday, a baseball player turned preacher. In Los Angeles, Aimee Semple McPherson used Hollywood showmanship to preach the word to the followers of her radio broadcasts.

20 ~John T. Scopes reading from his Civic Biology bookScience and Religion “We have now learned that animal forms may be arranged so as to begin with the simple one-celled forms and culminate with a group which includes man himself.” ~John T. Scopes reading from his Civic Biology book -Scopes Trial John Scopes arrested for teaching evolution A crime in Tennessee Clarence Darrow (defends Scopes) William J. Bryan (prosecutor) In 1925, Tennessee passed the nation’s first law that made it a crime to teach evolution. The American Civil Liberties Union promised to defend any teacher who would challenge the law. John T. Scopes accepted the challenge, and was promptly arrested. The Scopes Trial became a national sensation.

21 The trial opened on July 10, 1925, and almost overnight became a national sensation. Darrow called Bryan an expert on the Bible—the contest that everyone had been waiting for. To handle the throngs of Bryan supporters, the judge moved the court outside, to a platform build under the maple trees. There, before a crowd of several thousand, Darrow relentlessly questioned Bryan about his beliefs. Bryan stood firm, a smile on his face. Finally, Darrow asked Bryan, “Do you think the earth was made in six days?” Bryan answered, “Not six days of 24 hours.” People sitting on the lawn gasped. With this answer, Bryan admitted that the Bible might be interpreted in different ways. But in spite of this admission, Scopes was found guilty and fined $100. The Tennessee Supreme Court later changed the verdict on a technicality.

22 -schooling is expanded to educate the massesMass Media Literacy increases -schooling is expanded to educate the masses Prosperous times and higher education standards -new coverage of events began to shape public opinion Newspapers and magazines -invention of radio became a powerful influence Shared experience of hearing things as they happen Radio shows became the most popular form of mass media in the 1920s. Many people were required to record a radio show, and those people showed up to work dressed in their best attire. Radio shows also included many different sound effects to give the listener a feeling of actually being “in” the show.

23 Merged traditional elements with jazz; truly American soundCultural Arts -George Gershwin “Rhapsody in Blue” Merged traditional elements with jazz; truly American sound -Georgia O’Keefe Painted colorful canvases to capture grandeur of NY In Radiator Building—Night, New York (1927), Georgia O’Keefe showed the dark buildings of New York City thrusting into the night sky.

24 ~Sinclair Lewis, BabbittLiterature -many writers felt alienated by the 20’s Too much materialism and loss of values -Sinclair Lewis Nobel prize winner who criticized Americans for conformity and materialism -F. Scott Fitzgerald “Jazz Age” Negative side of 1920s “A sensational event was changing from the brown suit to the gray the contents of his pockets. He was earnest about these objects. They were of eternal importance, like baseball or the Republican Party. They included a fountain pen and a silver pencil…which belonged in the right-hand upper vest pocket. Without them he would have felt naked. On his watch-chain were a gold penknife, silver cigarette cutter, seven keys…and incidentally a good watch…” ~Sinclair Lewis, Babbitt

25 Group of American writers who hated 1920s lifeLiterature -Gertrude Stein “Lost Generation” Group of American writers who hated 1920s life -Ernest Hemingway “For Whom the Bell Tolls” “Farewell to Arms” Hated glorification of war -T.S. Eliot “Wasteland” -Robert Frost “Road not Taken” “THE ROAD NOT TAKEN” Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth; Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same, And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back. I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I- I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.

26 -increased leisure time allowed people to pursue pastimes Heroes -increased leisure time allowed people to pursue pastimes Power of the individual -Babe Ruth Famed baseball player -Jack Dempsey & Gene Tunney Boxers -Red Grange Football player -Notre Dame -Bobby Jones Golfer New York Yankee slugger Babe Ruth smashed home run after home run during the 1920s. When this legendary star hit a record 50 home runs in 1927, America went wild.

27 -trans-Atlantic flight -Charles A. Lindbergh Wants to win $25,000 Lucky Lindy -trans-Atlantic flight -Charles A. Lindbergh Wants to win $25,000 -Spirit of St. Louis -American hero Stood for honesty and bravery -Amelia Earhart First woman to fly across the Atlantic America’s most beloved hero of the time wasn’t an athlete but a small-town pilot named Charles Lindbergh, who made the first nonstop solo flight across the Atlantic. Lindbergh decided to go after a $25,000 prize offered for the first nonstop solo transatlantic flight. On May 20, 1927, he took off near NYC in the Spirit of St. Louis, flew up the coast to Newfoundland, and headed over the Atlantic. The weather was so bad, Lindbergh recalled, that “the average altitude for the whole…second 1,000 miles was less than 100 feet.” After 33 hours and 29 minutes, Lindberg landed just outside of Paris, France, amid beacons, searchlights, and mobs of enthusiastic people.

28 Motion Pictures -Hollywood emerges -Charlie Chaplin “Little Tramp” -Clara Bow “It Girl” -Rudolph Valentino -talking films, 1927 “Jazz Singer” -Mickey Mouse, 1930

29 African American GoalsBlack is Beautiful NAACP fights for anti-lynching laws in Congress -Black Nationalism Build a separate black society -Marcus Garvey -Back to Africa movement Help native Africans fight colonial rulers and build an empire “In view of the fact that the black man of Africa has contributed as much to the world as the white man of Europe, and the brown and yellow man of Asia, we of the Universal Negro Improvement Association demand that the white, yellow, and brown races give to the black man his place in the civilization of the world. We ask for nothing more than the rights of 400 million Negroes.” ~Marcus Garvey

30 Writer of Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale HurstonHarlem Renaissance World’s largest black community -literary and artistic movement -celebrated African American culture “New Negro” with pride in black experience -Langston Hughes -Claude McKay -Zora Neale Hurston Writer of Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston “If we must die, let it not be like hogs Hunted and penned in an inglorious spot, Like men we'll face the murderous, cowardly pack, Pressed to the wall, dying, but fighting back!” ~Claude McKay “If We Must Die”

31 Jazz Musician and Composer -Bessie Smith Blues singerBlack Artists -Paul Robeson Actor -Louis Armstrong Jazz Musician -Duke Ellington Jazz Musician and Composer -Bessie Smith Blues singer Jazz was born in the early 20th century in New Orleans, where musicians blended instrumental ragtime and vocal blues into an exuberant new sound. Famous for his astounding sense of rhythm and his ability to improvise, Louis Armstrong made personal expression a key part of jazz. Armstrong went on to become perhaps the most important and influential musician in the history of jazz. Jazz was centered in Harlem, and people from all around would come to hear Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and Bessie Smith.