The Decade of Normalcy

1. The Decade of Normalcy 1920-1929

2. The Flapper • The 1920s are a time of rapid social change, when people adopt new lifestyles and attitudes • Nothing better symbolizes this decade of normalcy and growth than the “Flapper” of the 1920s • A rebellious, fun-loving, bold young woman who wore short dresses and cut her hair, and smoked and drank in public

4. The Flapper • Not every woman was a flapper, and not everyone challenged tradition, but those who did helped create modern American society • Women were working, voting, and attaining political offices • Flappers were trying to break with the past and create a “new” future for participation by all in society

6. Women in the Workplace • But for most women in the workplace, very little changed during the 1920s • They were still only “allowed” to work in certain fields, were prohibited from certain activities, and were still believed to be “too weak” ??

7. Demographic Change • Along with the social changes, America undergoes a major demographic change – statistics that describe a population • Millions of people moved from rural to urban areas – suburbs emerge and car become more affordable (thanks to Henry Ford)

8. The Great Migration • The Great Migration of A-A from the South to northern cities increase in the 1920s as blacks were drawn by urban jobs • This migration and changing perceptions would help lay a foundation for future changes in society

9. Hero Worship • With the idea of a “return to normalcy,” many Americans turned to heroes who seemed to embody values of an earlier and simpler time • Aviation heroes like Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart and sport stars like Babe Ruth, Jack Dempsey, and Jim Thorpe fascinated Americans

11. Charles Lindbergh • Lindbergh and Earhart became the heroes and symbols of the age of mechanical stuff • Helped restore confidence in people who had become disillusioned after WW I • Came to symbolize a pioneering spirit in a machine age

12. Lindbergh and Spirit of St. Louis

14. Recreational Time • With more leisure time and more money from better paying jobs, many Americans also indulged in recreational activities for the first time • Mass media – the use of print and broadcast methods to communicate to large numbers of people – was also growing with the help of radio and movies – helped to create a national culture

15. Harlem Renaissance • NYC’s Harlem was the center of the jazz world and becomes the cultural center for African-Americans and location of literary awakening known as the Harlem Renaissance • Marcus Garvey formed the Universal Negro Improvement Society and proposed that blacks go back to Africa – people do not, but it does stimulate pride in history/heritage of A-As

16. Marcus Garvey

17. Prohibition • When the 18th Amendmentprohibited the manufacture and sale of alcohol, rural areas tended to obey the law • In urban areas, the law was ignored and demand for alcohol created a new kind of criminal – a bootlegger – person who sold alcohol (hooch) illegally • Illegal (and hidden) bars spring up everywhere and are called speakeasies

21. Prohibition • Prohibition had been designed to stop some social problems associated with alcohol (WHAT??) but it only created an organized crime network (gangster/mobster) when these groups began to control the liquor trade • Illegal drinking created illegitimate billion-dollar industry controlled (by force) by gangsters such as Al Capone

24. Scopes Trial • Religion was also an issue of change during the 1920s as fundamentalism – traditional Christian views – clashed with scientific theories such as evolution • Major battle took place in Dayton, TN during the Scopes Trial in 1925 • This court case came to symbolize the tensions of the 1920s – resist change (normalcy) and preserve older values

27. Scopes Trial • Scopes found guilty, later overturned (law unconstitutional) • Symbolized tensions of 1920s – resist change – preserve older values/beliefs

28. Warren G. Harding • In the Election of 1920 – Warren G. Harding wins the Presidency and immediately embraced the policy of isolationism – avoiding political alliances with foreign nations • His campaign slogan becomes the motto for the 1920s – “Return to Normalcy”

29. Warren G. Harding

30. The Harding Years • Following WW I – US turned to conservative leaders who promised a return to “NORMALCY” – away from Europe (isolationism) • For many, this meant preserving rural American values and enjoying the growing wealth/prosperity • For others, meant fascination with technology, “stuff” and fashions, etc…

31. The Harding Years • Internationalism of Wilson would be reversed under the next three Republican Presidents • Republican Party slogan becomes “America First” – looking inward and not outward • The 1920s also sees great achievements in business and pleasure

32. Washington Conference • Harding proposes a policy of disarmament – nations would voluntarily give up their weapons and convenes the Washington Conference in 1921 to discuss this idea with the world • 3 major treaties were signed with foreign nations limiting the size of navies and promising to be “open” with one another

33. Causes of Nativism • As the US became isolationist, they also became nativist again, for several reasons: • Patriotism – immigrants never fully • Religion – mistrust of immigrants • Urban conditions – immigrants blamed for slums and corruption • Jobs – take away the jobs

34. Causes of Nativism • Red Scare – believed those Russians and others might adopt or hold radical political ideas (communism) • Nativists reacted harshly by passing a series of laws intended to stop immigration by placing aquota – numerical limit – on certain ethnic groups

35. Nativism Again • 1921 – Emergency Quota Act – cut ## of people admitted – only 3% to total ethnic group living in the US in 1910 • 1924 – National Origins Act – made quota restrictions a permanent policy – lowered to 2% and based on 1890 census (less immigrants then) • Intention was to discriminate – and most low-paying jobs went to MIGRANT workers from Mexico and Canada

36. Trial of Sacco and Vanzetti • The one event that came to symbolize the hatred and mistrust of immigrants was the trial of Sacco and Vanzetti • 2 Italian immigrants (anarchists) were accused of killing 2 men during a robbery – were convicted with weak evidence (unfair trial many said) and were executed in 1927

37. Sacco Vanzetti

38. Schenck v. US • The Supreme Court also made an important ruling in the 1920s • Schenck v. U.S. – stated that the govt had the right to silence free speech when there is a “clear and present danger” • Used to silence anarchists, communists, and those who had opposed WW I

39. Teapot Dome Scandal • A major scandal scars Harding’s administration in 1923 with the Teapot Dome Scandal – there was NO evidence that Harding was involved, but public opinion goes bad and so does Harding’s health • Harding’s Sec of Interior Albert Fall, secretly sold oil lands to private companies in return for a bribe of $300,000

40. Calvin Coolidge • Harding dies in office in 1923 and his VP Calvin Coolidgebecomes the President • Adopts a laissez-faire approach to business which helps fuel an economic boom • Also continues disarmament with the Kellogg-Briand Pact in 1927 – nations agree NOT to use threat of war in dealing with other nations

41. Calvin Coolidge

42. Calvin Coolidge • Coolidge is elected in 1924 and continues his laissez-faire approach to business • Business boomed, wages rose, former luxuries became necessities and people had leisure time • New gadgets, new technology, and more money to spend helped make the the 1920s “Roaring”

43. The symbol of this new age was the Ford automobile – the Model “T” – “Tin Lizzie” • Almost single-handedly Henry Ford changed the auto from the toy of the wealthy to a necessity for ALL – used newer, cheaper, and quicker methods • Standardized Parts, Vertical Consolidation, and Assembly Line – worker does one special task over and over

45. Henry Ford • Ford also grew his “empire” by keeping unions away (by paying his workers more $$$) – other employers hated him b/c of this (their workers wanted more too) • The auto revolutionized US life – new fields of business (???) – rural areas were now closer to cities, the country was within reach of city-dwellers

46. Henry Ford

47. Consumer Economy • The 1920s created a consumer economy – one that depends on people spending large amounts of money • Traditionally, the US had been “thrifty” but with extra money and time, Americans became attached to “things”

48. “Big-Time” Business • Businesses also introduced paying by installment plan (credit) – on this plan, the customer makes partial payment at set times over a period of time • Americans began spending beyond their means (DEBT = BAD!!) • This buying on credit would be one of the major causes of the Great Depression!!!

49. Mass-Media • Mass-media advertising also began in the 1920s, persuading people to buy more and more • Advertisers appealed to people’s emotions, promoting products by implying that they would enhance someone’s image or make someone socially acceptable “Keeping up with the Jones”

50. Industrial Growth • As consumers bought, productivity rose to meet the demand • The Gross National Product (GNP) – the total value of goods and services a country produces annually – rose also • Industrial growth – spurred by Henry Ford – grew, but some people and industries did not profit