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United States History. Chapter 22: A Turbulent Decade. Postwar Troubles. After World War I, American industry took a major hit Goods for the war effort were no longer needed Thousands of returning troops needed work Prices fell and unemployment skyrocketed, causing a major recession
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United States History Chapter 22: A Turbulent Decade
Postwar Troubles • After World War I, American industry took a major hit • Goods for the war effort were no longer needed • Thousands of returning troops needed work • Prices fell and unemployment skyrocketed, causing a major recession • As European farming improved, the need for American farm goods fell, causing problems for farmers • Overall, the years after the Great War was a dire time for Americans
Labor Strikes • As a result of demobilization, many workers were angry, leading to many strikes • Seattle General Strike: shipbuilders in Seattle struck in 1919; peaceful strike, but led many to believe it was the beginning of a Bolshevik revolution • Boston police strike: cops in Boston demanded better pay and working conditions and struck after 19 cops were fired for joining a union (1919) • Riots erupted in the street with no police to control the city • State militia was called in to restore order • Police reluctantly returned to work, but Gov. Calvin Coolidge stated that it was illegal for them to strike and threaten public welfare • Steel strikes: PA steel workers calling for better pay and conditions (1919) • Workers were replaced with new workers when the union wasn’t recognized • Strikers were beaten and jailed for the strike, returned to work shortly thereafter • United Mine Workers Strike: demanded better pay, working conditions, and a six hour day (1919)
Red Scare • The Bolshevik Revolution in 1917 scared many Americans • The strikes of 1919 fueled the idea that Communism could become a reality in the United States • Eugene Debs ran for president 5 times as a Socialist Party member, a precursor to the Communist Party • Many, especially immigrants, came under suspicion as Communists • A series of bomb scares through the mail to various government officials also fueled the Scare • Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer’s home was damaged when a bomb did explode • Palmer ordered raids on suspected radicals from November 1919 to January 1920 • As a result, hundreds of immigrants were deported, even though very little evidence was found against people • By the summer of 1920, Communist hysteria had died down
Sacco and Vanzetti • Hostility towards immigrants and radicals persisted after the Red Scare • A very prominent trial of the 1920s involved Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti • The two Italian immigrants with radical political views were charged with murder during a 1920 robbery in Boston • Witness testimony proved their innocence, but the trial judge dismissed it • A guilty verdict sentenced the two to death • They were executed on August 23, 1927 • Many were enraged over the violation of civil liberties, but others rejoiced the punishment of their radical beliefs • In recent years, evidence has turned up that at least one of them were involved, but a fair trial was not granted at the time
A Republican Decade • The Election of 1920 ushered in a decade of Republican policy sandwiched between the presidencies of Democrats Wilson and Franklin Roosevelt • Harding was a senator from Ohio that ran a pro-business platform and a “return to normalcy” • He wanted to eliminate government from business, slash spending, lower taxes and promote economic growth • By 1923, his policies appeared to work, with low unemployment and great growth in most of the economy • Businesses boomed, and many mergers took place, but not everybody enjoyed this success • Workers wages were stagnant • Farmers suffered from low prices and high debts • Unions were weakened when the government repealed many of the Progressive policies • The American Plan supported union-free open shops, shrinking membership drastically
Women’s Movement • Women had achieved the right to vote in 1920 as a result of the 19th Amendment • Feminists pointed out that it did not give women equal rights with men • In 1923, an Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) was proposed to Congress • Proposed by Alice Paul of the National Women’s Party • Many, including women, opposed the amendment • It was thought that it would actually hurt women more than help • The amendment failed to win support, but was reintroduced in the 1960s, only to be defeated
Harding and Corruption • Harding’s presidency was full of scandals and corruption • Charles Forbes, a friend of Harding’s, had pocketed millions in gov’t money through corrupt schemes • Attorney General Harry Daugherty was accused of taking bribes to ignore corruption • The Teapot Dome scandal was the most notorious • Secretary of the Interior Albert Fall gained control of the Navy’s oil reserves in CA and WY • He leased the reserves to his friends in exchange for cash, loans and cattle • President Harding died in August 1923 • He is not thought of participating in any of the scandals • However, he is seen as the worst president in our history for not keeping better tabs on his gov’t appointments
Coolidge’s Presidency • When Vice President Calvin Coolidge took over after Harding’s death, he had to restore the reputation of the presidency • He fired the people involved in the scandals • However, “Silent Cal” as he was called, was vastly different than Harding’s outgoing personality • He continued to support the Republican pro-business platform because of the booming economy • Coolidge was more conservative than Harding • He supported tax cuts for the rich and business • He cut spending and vetoed many bills that would have increased spending or “interfered” with the economy • He easily won reelection in 1924, and probably would have again in 1928 • However, he refused to run again in 1928, choosing to retire and relax for the rest of his days
Election of 1928 • After Coolidge declined the nomination of the Republican Party, Herbert Hoover was nominated • He ran against Democrat Alfred E. Smith • His reputation was harmed because he was Catholic and he was connected to the corrupt Tammany Hall • Hoover ran on a pro-business platform that had carried Harding and Coolidge • He also had a strong reputation as Secretary of Commerce • Hoover won the presidency, but Democrats were hopeful for the future based on Smith’s showing in the election
Black Migration • Many southern blacks moved from the South to Northern cities during the 1920s • People left for jobs and a hope of less discrimination • However, violence erupted in many cities as blacks came to cities looking for work • The Ku Klux Klan made a revival in the 1920s after it had disappeared in the 1870s • The group was very similar in its message • They carried out violence and killings against blacks and supporters of equal rights • Membership was in the millions in the early 1920s, but quickly dwindled to a few thousand by 1929
African American Movement • The NAACP worked to end violence against blacks • An Antilynching Committee was formed in protest to the Klan lynchings • The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters formed in 1925 to fight discrimination in the workplace • Universal Negro Improvement Association (1914) • Formed by Marcus Garvey • Hoped to unite blacks around the nation and world • Also hoped to form separate black businesses that segregated whites and a African-American nation in Africa • This upset leaders like W.E.B. du Bois, who preached integration • However, Garvey was jailed in 1925 for mail fraud and his movement died
Immigration and Minority Groups • Many feared the nation was being taken over by immigrants in the 1920s • Immigration Act of 1924: limited how many immigrants could enter the US in a year • Asians were barred, set the rest of the world to about 153,000 people/year • Mexicans poured into the Southwest, taking farm jobs and other jobs • Greatly increased the size of cities like Los Angeles and El Paso • Native Americans continued to fight for rights and their lands • The Dawes Act previously had taken much tribal land away • The government finally granted citizenship to Natives in 1924 • However, this did not eliminate the extreme poverty that Native Americans continue to live in today
