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Chapter 23

Chapter 23. “ Politics of the 1920 ”. 3 trends common to America in 1920 ’ s. Renewed isolationism : U.S. began to pull away from involvement in foreign affairs. EX. Wouldn ’ t join League of Nations Resurgence of Nativism : suspicion of foreign-born people

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Chapter 23

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  1. Chapter 23 “Politics of the 1920”

  2. 3 trends common to America in 1920’s • Renewed isolationism: U.S. began to pull away from involvement in foreign affairs. EX. Wouldn’t join League of Nations • Resurgence of Nativism: suspicion of foreign-born people • Political conservativism: return to laissez-faire philosophy. Opposite of active gov’t during Progressive Era

  3. Postwar Problems in Am. 1919-1923 • Red Scare: 1919-1920. An intense fear of communism. Fear that “reds” or communists would take over America • WHY did we have a Red Scare?

  4. RED SCARE • Bolshevik Revolution • Led by Vladimir Lenin • Seized power from Czar Nicholas • Established communism in Russia

  5. The Communist Manifesto • Karl Marx • Class struggle between “haves and have nots” • Struggle between the owners and workers • Workers would seize power and overthrow the Capitalists • Communist party would control govt, land , property • Then only one politcal party • Individuals would have no rights • Govt. would even out society (no rich or poor) • Only 70,000 members of Communist Party in U.S. (1/10 of 1%)

  6. What is a “manifesto”?

  7. What Fueled the Red Scare? • A. Mitchell Palmer • Demagogue • Spread fear that “reds” were going to take over America. • What evidence did he have to convince people?

  8. 1919 Strikes in America • 3,000 strikes • 4 million workers • High costs, low wages • Many believed communists were behind numerous strikes

  9. Three Famous Strikes • Boston Police Strike 1919: no raise since 1914. $21.00 week. 75% of police force on strike. Gov. Coolidge called off the strike. Replaced all workers. • Steel Strike 1919: 350,000 walked off job. Wanted shorter hours/higher wages. Company hired scabs. 18 killed. 100’s injured • Coal Strike 1919: low wages/long hours. Ordered to return to work. Did get a raise.

  10. FBI created • J.Edgar Hoover appointed to head FBI • Hunt down suspected communists, socialists, anarchists • Conducted “Palmer Raids” to rid Am. Of radicals • Nov 1919-Jan.1920 6000 arrests; 500 deported

  11. Palmer Raids • Emma Goldman • Anarchist, political activist, well known for her writings/speeches • Came to Am. 1885 • Deported back to Russia

  12. Red Scare • Palmer Raids failed to turn up any evidence to support a communist conspiracy in Am. • Died out after May 1, 1920 --Why?? • Palmer predicted a national strike to occur on that day, signaling a communist plot to overthrow the government. • What happened??

  13. Effects of Red Scare • Xenophobia • Nativism • Two most famous victims of the Red Scare: Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti • Italian immigrants, anarchists, draft dodgers, poor (represented everything Ams. Hated)

  14. Sacco and Vanzetti • Braintree, Mass. 1920 • 2 men shot, killed • $15,000 payroll stolen • Arrested Sacco and Vanzetti 3 weeks later • Had alibis; circumstantial evidence • Found guilty; sentenced to death

  15. Rising Racial Tensions • 1910-1930 Black population more than doubled in the north (Great Migration) • Job competition following WWI. • Led to renewal of KKK • 1924--4.5 million members • Devoted to 100% Americanism

  16. KKK March on Washington, D.C.

  17. Racial Problems • Race riots common in Am. Cities in 1919 • No longer limited to the south • 25 cities had riots • Chicago Race Riot-6 days, 15 whites and 23 blacks killed, 500 injured • Gov’t. did nothing to stop activities of hate groups like KKK • 70 reported lynchings in 1920

  18. Lynching Photo

  19. President Warren G. Harding

  20. Election of 1920 • Republicans had the advantage. Why? • Warren G. Harding: Senator Ohio, Rep. • VP Running mate: Calvin Coolidge, Gov. Mass. Remember him? • Ran against James Cox, Gov. Ohio, Demo. And Eugene Debs, Socialist, in prison • Harding’s campaign slogan “Return to Normalcy”

  21. Election of 1920

  22. Women Vote in first national election

  23. Harding’s Cabinet • Appointed some wise, able men • Andrew Mellon (Sect. of Treasury) • Herbert Hoover (Sect. of Commerce) • Charles Evans Hughes (Sect. of State) • Some positions filled by incompetent, dishonest men from Ohio. • What was their nickname??

  24. Harding’s Presidential Highlights • Isolationism: foreign policy reflected our desire to avoid political and economic alliances with foreign countries. • Disarmament: give up our weapons and get other countries to do the same. Washington Naval Conference: got 5 nations to scrap many battleships Kellogg-Briand Pact: 64 nations agreed to outlaw war

  25. Harding’s Highlights • Fordney-McCumber Tariff: raised tax on import to highest level ever (60%). Designed to protect Am. Businesses. Many European countries could not pay back war debts to U.S.

  26. Harding’s Highlights • Limiting Immigration: Nativism growing in Am. (strikes, Red Scare, job competition) • 1919-1920: 1 million immigrants came to Am. • 1905-1907: peak years of immigration. 11,000 a day entering through Ellis Island • 1920’s called for strict new immigration laws

  27. Immigration Laws 1920’s • Emergency Quota Act: yearly immigration set at 350,000 year and quotas set on immigrants from each country • National Origins Act: 150,000 per year. No Asians, strongly discriminated against Southern and Eastern Europeans. Why? • Quotas remained in place until 1960’s

  28. Scandals under Harding • 1923 country began to bounce back from recession. Economy growing. • Multiple scandals broke out in 1923 involving bribery, fraud, stolen govt. funds. • Harding died in office Aug. 2 while vacationing in Alaska; some suspected suicide • Was Harding involved in the scandals??

  29. Scandals • Veteran Affairs Scandal: V.A. hospitals overcharged govt. 250 million. • Att. Gen. Harry Daugherty used his position to protect men who violated prohibition • Teapot Dome Scandal: U.S. naval oil reserves in Wyoming and California leased to private oil companies by Sect. of Interior. Received $325,000

  30. American Prosperity of 1920’s • Calvin Coolidge becomes the new president following Harding’s death on Aug. 2, 1923. • Coolidge ran in Election of 1924 and won by a landslide. • “Keep Cool with Coolidge” -- campaign slogan • Very conservative: “gov’t. works best when it governs the least”

  31. Prosperity of the 1920’s • Number of millionaires in Am. Rose from 4,500 in 1914 to 11,000 in 1926. • Low interest rates for borrowing money • Construction booming • Electricity reaching more Americans • New inventions (technology boom) • Consumer goods replacing capital goods

  32. Prosperity of 1920’s • Consumer Goods: • Electric refrigerator • Electric range • Toaster • Vacuum Cleaner • Air conditioner • Radio

  33. Reasons for Prosperity • Emphasis on materialism: • Rise in standard of living (indoor plumbing, central heat) • Installment plan -- buying on credit. Allowed people to live beyond their means • 40% of U.S. families had incomes under $1500 a year (poverty range) • Advertising and marketing

  34. Chief reason for prosperity: • The automobile (nation’s biggest industry by the end of 1920’s) • Landscape, roads, driveways, garages, steel, rubber, glass, gas stations • Liberated rural families • Mass production (assembly line so good, by 1925, made 9,000 cars a day)

  35. Impact of the Automobile • 1922- 2million autos • 1929-5 million autos • 1910- $750.00 • 1914- $490.00 • 1915- $390.00 • 19290 Avg. 1 car per every family

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