Monday- Friday- 1920's presentations
Nicknames for the 20's- The Roaring 20's, Republican Era, The Jazz Age, The Lost Generation, Boom to Bust, Decade of Normalcy, Prosperity Decade, Prohibition Era, The Advertising Age, The Golden Age of Sports,
1.-Prohibition and gangsters- ban of alcoholic beverages(18th amendment). People believed it led to crime, murder, health problems. Temperance movement was a social movement against consumption of alcohol. Movements were mostly run by women. Volstead act was written to enforce the 18th amendment. Gangsters controlled liquor sales, gambling prostitution, making of alcohol. Al "scarface" Capone was a famous gangster. He ran a multi-million dollar Chicago operation. He was a leader of the Chicago mafia. He was arrested in 1931 for income-tax evasion.
2.-Women’s rights and freedoms- 19th amendment is ratified. The 'new women' could vote, go to college, work, and travel. They wore loose clothing and lost the Victorian era clothing with the corsets and long gowns.
3.-Politics-elections, Normalcy and isolationism, President’s backgrounds and accomplishments, scandals, Republican philosophy- Returned to isolationism, Democrats dominated the south, republicans dominate elections. Autocratic- do "x", Laissez-Faire- do x or y as you see fit. Democratic- which is best, x or y? Republican platform was hands off. Republicans dominated in the 1920's. Laissez faire (hands off). Rugged individualism- fending for yourself. Trickle down theory- give tax breaks to wealthy, which will give more jobs to lower class people. Benefits American businesses, gives tax break to investors and businesses. Does not help everyone. James Cox- Democratic Candidate of 1920. Warren Harding- Republican candidate, administration gave bribes, republican party kept him out of public. Harding returned US to normalcy, lowered taxes, raised tariffs, lowered unemployment, established veteran bureau, reveals teapot dome oil scandal. Teapot dome- secretary sent to prison, navy oil reserves sent to operators, oil companies drilled on federal land, hundreds of thousands of dollars. Calvin Coolidge was the vice president for Harding. Coolidge wins the 1924 election with the slogan "The business of America is business." He had no connection with scandals. Democratic nominee- William Gibbs McAdoo (Rural)-wanted prohibition, End up with John Davis-strong in the south. Robert La Follette-against bribes, hated corrupt government, progressive movement, helped expose Teapot Dome, Died in 1925. Calvin Coolidge kept U.S out of League of Nations, cut more taxes, kept government out of the way. Alfred Smith- Democrats wanted urban states, wanted to repeal prohibition, America was anti-catholic, cost him southern states. Herbert Hoover, never ran for office before, in food administration, part of WWI relief efforts, republicans were on a roll, they took credit for 1920's prosperity. Hoovers accomplishments- known for stock market crash blame for Great Depression, started more public projects, lending institutions put in place.
4.-Entertainment, sports, music, radio, movies and fads- Flappers had bobbed hair, heavy makeup, short skirts, cigarettes, alcohol, dancing. Flappers were middle class, single, young, they had steady economic jobs, jazz clubs, they were carefree, they attended vaudeville shows(comedy, singing, live performances). Fashion includes Coco Chanel(designer), cloche hats, colorful loose clothing. Dancing includes the fox-trot, Charleston, Texas Tommy, the wall street crash ended the Jazz era. Two popular men that influenced jazz were Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington. Bessie Smith and Josephine Baker were popular singers. Popular sports were boxing and baseball. Sports writing became a popular occupation. College football was popular and pro football was introduced. Pro basketball was not popular, it was expensive to attend. Broadway was one of the biggest industries, it included a lot of gangsters, gamblers, salespeople, celebrities, and chorus girls.
5.-Economy-Booming economy and stock market, buying on credit, high tariffs- GDP in 1920's- 6,500-8,700. Dow Jones 30- 30 of the largest companies in America, Chrysler Co., General Electric, General motors, Standard Oil Co. of New Jersey. Electricity impacted inventions, automobile impacted lifestyle-created jobs. Philosophy created in 1920's- buying on credit- "buy now, pay later", debt doubled between 20's and 30's. Emergency tariff put in during the 1920's, there were so many more European products on sale. Fordney-Mccumber tariff. High protective tariff-tariff to protect farms and factories. In the 1920's we rose tariffs. In 1929 production had declined, unemployment had risen, stock prices didn't reflect this. People had too much debt, businesses didn't have the money, tariffs didn't allow enough money in. Stock market crash causes- overvalued stock prices, investors paid 10% then installments, foreign investors started leaving.
6.-Red Scare-anti-immigration, Sacco and Vanzetti case- The immigration act(The Johnson-Reed act)- this was an act for a limited number for immigrants to enter the U.s. In 1917 they realized too many people were coming into the country. This provided immigrant visas to 2% of the people born in the U.S. The law aimed at restricting immigration from Southern Europeans, Eastern Europeans, and Jews. Severely restricted immigration of Africans. Prohibited Arabs, East Asians and Indians. Red Scare- a nationwide fear of communists, socialists, anarchist, and others who oppose official policy. The read scare happened because of the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States intensified. Red Scare-fear of communism. Red- color associated with communism. Karl Marx- Berman that looked at capitalism and wondered why the top 1% should have all the money. He wanted change. Started the idea of communism. Vladimir Lenin(Russia) likes Marx idea. He died after coming to power and was succeeded by Josef Stalin. Palmer Raids- Alexander Mitchell Palmer was a attorney General whose house was bombed by anarchists. FBI would go into houses and look for anything associated with communism. Mostly immigrants new to the country were arrested. Fear, paranoia, hostility towards immigrants and people with radical political views were all effects on American society. Justice department rounded up people and deported or jailed them.
7.-Harlem Renaissance-KKK- African Americans got more rights. They came out with jazz music, art, and their culture. Langston Hughes was the first African american author. The Klu Klux Klan was a group that didn't like Jews, Catholics, and labor organizations. They were founded in 1866. They had secret gatherings. Only native born people were allowed to join the KKK. They scared people off by burning crosses and other objects in their yards. General Nathan Bedford Forrest was the first grand wizard for the KKK.
8.-Lots of strikes-Boston Police,
US Steel- lasted from 1919-1920, they worked long hours for low wages in a poor environment. The strike failed. 90% of workers that worked for steel companies walked out. Immigrants were blamed because they were steeling jobs and accused of starting strikes.
United Mine Workers- Happened on November 1, 1919 nationwide. The workers were getting low wages and long work days. They achieved a 27% wage increase and a shorter workday. John L. Lewis became leader of United Mine Workers.
9.-The Model T and the impact of the automobile- It was first put into production of October 1st, 1908. the cost was &850. The cheapest ever sold was $260. More than 15 million Model T's made. Last day of production was May 26, 1927. The Model A started production in 1927 and ended in 1931. There were riots because the first car was better. They came in different styles. Other cars were Rolls Royce, Duesenberg, dodge, Buick, Cadillac. Route 66 was a road stretching from Chicago to Las Angeles. The plan started in 1916 and was revised in 1921. The government helped in 1925 and this started the highway system.
10.-Electricity in the homes and new appliances- Washing mashing made life easier because you no longer had to wash by hand. Wash-day was on Mondays. The vacuum. The electric refrigerator with ice cube compartments-$350. the Hotpoint iron was the most popular iron. By 1924, 2/3 of the homes in America had electricity. Edmund Germur created the Florescent lamp. The electric socket was invented in 1904.
11.-Charles Lindbergh, Amelia Earhart and the airplane- Amelia Earhart was on a round world flight on her plane the "Lockheed Electra" and disappeared over the pacific ocean of June 2, 1937. Nobody knows what happened to her. She was an American aviation pioneer and author. She was the first female to fly solo over the Atlantic. She was declared legally dead on January 5, 1939. Planes were used for fighting in wars, transportation, exporting, importing, and traveling.
12.-Scopes-Monkey Trial- John Thomas Scopes was born and raised in Kentucky and he taught high school science in Dayton, Tennessee. He conspired to violate the Butler act. The Butler act was a law that prohibited the public school teachers from denying the biblical account of mans origins. The ACLU is the American Civil Liberties Union and they advertised that they would defend anyone who would go against the Butler act. George Washington Rappleyea was the prime instigator in challenging the anti evolution law. He convinced Scopes to break the law and then he had Scopes arrested. William Jennings Bryan was a politician from Nebraska and he joined the prosecution in Scopes trial. Each day the trial begins with prayer. Scopes started with the Butler act violating his teaching rights. Switched and said that the theory of evolution didn't conflict with what the bible says. On July 21, after only 8 minutes of discussion, Scopes was found guilty and had to pay the minimum fine of $100. The Butler act was repealed in 1976.
13.-Stock Market Crash-causes
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