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Chapter 21. U.S. History 2. The Jazz Age. 20.1 Presidential Politics 21.2 A Growing Economy 21.3 The Policies of Prosperity. 20.1 Presidential Politics. The Harding Administration The Coolidge Administration. Calvin Coolidge . The Harding Administration.
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Chapter 21 U.S. History 2
The Jazz Age • 20.1 Presidential Politics • 21.2 A Growing Economy • 21.3 The Policies of Prosperity
20.1 Presidential Politics • The Harding Administration • The Coolidge Administration Calvin Coolidge
The Harding Administration • In 1920, Warren G. Harding won the presidency and promised a return to normalcy, or a “normal” life after the war. • Harding gave most cabinet appointments to his old poker-playing friends. • They became known as the Ohio Gang.
The Harding Administration • Some members abused their positions to sell jobs, pardons, and immunity from prosecution. • Before the public learned of the scandals, Harding fell ill and died in 1923. Harding’s funeral procession
The Harding Administration • Harding’s secretary of the interior, Albert B. Fall, secretly allowed private interests to lease lands containing U.S. Navy oil reserves at Teapot Dome, Wyoming. • He received bribes totaling over $300,000. • The Teapot Domescandal resulted in Fall being the first cabinet officer ever to go to prison. Albert B. Fall
The Harding Administration • Another scandal involved Attorney General Harry Daugherty. • He refused to turn over files and bank records for a German-owned American company. • Bribe money ended up in a bank account controlled by Daugherty. • He refused to testify under oath, claiming immunity, or freedom from prosecution.
The Harding Administration • He claimed that he had confidential dealings with the president. • Vice President Calvin Coolidge became president after Harding’s death. • Coolidge demanded Daugherty’s resignation. Calvin Coolidge takes oath of office
The Coolidge Administration • Coolidge distanced himself from the Harding administration. • He focused on prosperity through business leadership with little government intervention. • He easily won the Republican Party’s nomination for president in 1924.
The Coolidge Administration • The Democratic Party’s candidate was John W. Davis. • A new Progressive Party nominated Robert M. La Follette as their candidate. • Coolidge won the 1924 election with more than half the popular vote. • Coolidge promised to give the U.S. the normalcy that Harding had not. Calvin Coolidge
21.2 A Growing Economy • The Rise of New Industries • The Consumer Society • The Farm Crisis Returns
The Rise of New Industries • In the 1920s, Americans enjoyed a new standard of living with higher wages and shorter work days. • Mass production, or large-scale product manufacturing usually done by machinery, increased the supply of goods and decreased costs. • Greater productivity led to the emergence of new industries.
The Rise of New Industries • Henry Ford developed the assembly line by dividing up tasks into simple tasks that unskilled workers could perform. • This greatly improved production. • His Model T sold for $850 the first year but later dropped to $490 after being mass-produced. • By 1924, the Model T was selling for just $295.
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The Rise of New Industries • He increased workers’ wages and cut the work hours to gain workers’ loyalty. • Henry Ford changed American life with his affordable automobiles. • Small businesses such as garages and gasstations opened. • The petroleum industry expanded tremendously.
The Rise of New Industries • People could live farther away from work–creating the auto commuter. • By 1919, the Post Office used planes and trains to improve efficiency. • In 1927, Charles Lindbergh took a transatlantic solo flight.
The Rise of New Industries • Americans began supporting the commercial flight. • By the end of 1928, 48 airlines were serving 355 American cities.
The Rise of New Industries • In 1926, the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) established a permanent network of radio stations to distribute daily programming. • In 1928, the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) set up coast-to-coast stations to compete with NBC.
The Consumer Society • Higher wages and shorter workdays led to an economic boom and a consumer society. • Americans became confident that they could pay back their debt at a later time. • Advertising convinced Americans that they needed new products.
The Consumer Society Advertisement for Ford
The Consumer Society • By the early 1920s, many businesses hired professional managers and engineers. • The large number of managers expanded the size of the middle class.
The Consumer Society • In the 1920s, unions lost influence and membership. • Employers promoted an open shop, a workplace where employees did not have to join a union. • Welfare capitalism, where employees were able to purchase stock, participate in profit sharing, and receive benefits, made unions seem unnecessary.
The Farm Crisis Returns • American farmers did not share in the prosperity of the 1920s. • Prices dropped dramatically while the cost to improve farmers’ technology increased. • During wartime, farmers produced more for food supplies needed in Europe.
The Farm Crisis Returns • Farmers borrowed money at inflated prices to buy new land and machinery to raise more crops. • Farmers prospered during the war. • After Congress raised tariffs, farmers could no longer sell products overseas.
The Farm Crisis Returns • Coolidge twice vetoed a bill to aid the farmers, fearing it would only make the situation worse. • American farmers remained in a recession throughout the 1920s.
21.3 The Policies of Prosperity • Promoting Prosperity • Trade and Arms Control
Promoting Prosperity • Harding’s secretary of treasury Andrew Mellon reduced government spending. • The federal debt was reduced by $7 billion between 1921 and 1929.
Promoting Prosperity • He applied the idea of supply-side economics to reduce taxes. • This idea suggested that lower taxes would allow businesses and consumers to spend and invest their extra money, resulting in economic growth. • In the end, the government would collect more taxes at a lower rate.
Promoting Prosperity • Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover attempted to balance government regulation with cooperative individualism.
Promoting Prosperity • Manufacturers and distributors were asked to form their own trade associations and share information with the federal government’s Bureau of Standards.
Promoting Prosperity • Hoover felt this would reduce waste and costs and lead to economic stability.
Trade and Arms Control • By the 1920s, the U.S. United States was the dominant economic power in the world. • Allies owed the U.S. billions of dollars in war debts. • The U.S. national income was far greater than Britain, Germany, France, and Japan combined.
Trade and Arms Control • Many favored isolationism rather than involvement in international politics and issues. • The U.S. was too powerful and interconnected in international affairs to remain isolated. • Other countries felt the U.S. should help with the war’s financial debt.
Trade and Arms Control • The U.S. disagreed, arguing that the Allies had gained new territory and received reparations. • Reparations were huge cash payments that Germany paid as punishment for starting the war. • Reparations crippled the German economy.
Trade and Arms Control • Charles G. Dawes, an American diplomat and banker, proposed the Dawes Plan. • American banks would make loans to Germany so it could pay its reparation payments. • France and Britain agreed to accept less reparations and pay more on their war debts.
Trade and Arms Control • The Washington Conference held in 1921 invited countries to discuss the ongoing post-war naval arms race. • Secretary of State Charles Evans Hughes proposed a 10-year moratorium, or pause, on the construction of major new warships. • The conference did nothing to limit land forces.
Trade and Arms Control • Japan was required to keep a smaller navy than the U.S. and Britain. • The Kellogg-Briand Pact was a treaty that outlawed war. • Participating countries agreed to stop war and settle all disputes peacefully.
Trade and Arms Control • Eventually, 62 nations ratified it. • The treaty was considered a victory for peace but had no binding force.