Mary Humphrey David Humphrey Nicola Lee-Oesterreich 1920 s Notes & Research Jazz Age Resurgence of KKK - They were now more violent and spreading to sunbelt Grew because they were against women s rights and urbanization 18th Amendment - prohibition of alcohol (however it wasn't enforceable) Speakeasies emerge - establishments that illegally sell alcohol Positives of 20 s was that bank savings increase, absenteeism in industry decreased Flapper - new independent women image Racial pride emerged in black Harlem, NY community Culture Golden Age of Gangsterism - prohibition spawned shocking crimes Al Capone a symbol of 20 s- murderous booze distributor John Dewey advocated education for life mass consumption; emergence of advertising ; buying on credit Sports grew in popularity - Yankee Stadium Radio boom - 1920 KDKA broadcast Hollywood industry launched New sexual allure in culture Marcus Garvey - Black Muslim movement Novels displaying new culture in America (Great Gatsby) Religion Fundamentalists said eduction on evolution was destroying faith in God and the Bible Teaching of evolution was brought to debate during the Scopes Trial Some people wanted more science and progressive education Some wanted to stay away from that and focus on religious teachings Fundamentalism - emphasis on literal reading of the bible Increase of fundamentalism led to growth of Baptist Church Labor (Workers & Unions) In response to red scare laborer s called for closed shops Increase in jobs in automobile industry Women often were stuck in low-paying jobs A conservative supreme court under Harding led to setbacks Strikes were more prominent in the railroad industry
Foreign Policy Red scare - Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer who rounded up suspects who were thought to be communist American Isolationism still in place Emergency Quota Act of 1921- newcomers from Europe were restricted Immigration Act of 1924- quotas were cut back - door slammed on Japanese immigrants This was the end to unrestricted immigration League of Nations established in 1920 after WWI Armed intervention in Central America was glaring exception to isolationism Debts from WWI still overshadowed all foreign policies Dawes plan was best solution that was proposed - The US would loan money to Germany, Germany would make payments to Britain and France, which would then repay their loans to America. Urbanization 1920 was the first time more Americans lived in urban areas compared to countryside Only 5% of people lived in urban areas in 1800 White-collar jobs such as public service began to become more popular Growth in automobile increased things such as gas stations and people began traveling farther Gasoline Age - cheap energy allowed more efficient machines Henry Ford and Model T revolutionized automobile industry Assembly-Line or Fordism allowed for drop of car prices Mass production techniques became more commonly applied Rubber tire increased safety Steel industry grew turned towns into cities with suburbs Industrialization & Technology Petroleum industry grew Hard-surfaced roadways increased transportation Orville and Wilbur airplane revolutionized airfare Wireless telegraphy began growth of modern communication Radio s would soon become common household item McCormick reaper revolutionized American farms
Government Republican presidents take power President Woodrow Wilson 1913-1921 President Warren Harding 1920-1923 supported laissez-faire business businesses could relax and expand theme of corruption and get-rich-quickism President Calvin Cautious Cal Coolidge 1923-1928 had strong virtues of honesty, morality, industry. and frugality President Herbert Hoover 1929-1933 Rugged Individualism - America was built by self-sufficiency and that s what it needed now Lent money to farmers which kept crop prices high Continued isolationism Hawley-Smoot Tariff - increased tariffs Immigration limitation first occurred Prohibition (18th Amendment took affect in 1920) 1921 Congress created the Bureau of the Budget to move towards economic sanity abolished the gift tax, and reducing excise taxes, surtax, and income tax 19th Amendment granted women the right to vote McCumber Tariff Law in 1922 led to increased duties on farm produce Teapot Dome scandal polluted the prestige of the Washington government
1920 s Document Sheet Mary, David, Nicola I have alluded somewhat vaguely to the merits of democracy. One of them is quite obvious: it is, perhaps, the most charming form of government ever devised by man. The reason is not far to seek. It is based upon propositions that are palpably not true and what is not true, as everyone knows, is always immensely more fascinating and satisfying to the vast majority of men than what is true. Truth has a harshness that alarms them, and an air of finality that collides with their incurable romanticism. They turn, in all the great emergencies of life, to the ancient promises, transparently false but immensely comforting, and of all those ancient promises there is none more comforting than the one to the effect that the lowly shall inherit the earth. It is at the bottom of the dominant religious system of the modern world, and it is at the bottom of the dominant political system. The latter, which is democracy, gives it an even higher credit and authority than the former, which is Christianity. More, democracy gives it a certain appearance of objective and demonstrable truth. H.L. Mencken 1926 Last Words Words from American journalist, H.L. Mencken explaining his view of democracy. Mencken looked at democracy with amusement, and described it as being a pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance. One of Mencken s most famous descriptions of democracy is that it is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard. Stocks reached record peaks, and Wall Street boomed a steady golden roar. The parties were bigger, the shows were broader, the buildings were higher, the models were looser, and the ban on alcohol had backfired. Making the liquor cheaper. Wall Street was luring the young and ambitious, and I was one of them. F. Scott Fitzgerald 1925 The Great Gatsby This excerpt from The Great Gatsby reveals the culture of the 1920 s in New York, with expanded entertainment, flapper women, and prohibition. This quote manifests the new culture of the roaring twenties. The Great Gatsby is significant novel in history because it mocks the excessive amount of fun and pleasure seeking. America coming out of World War I can be described as being full of optimism and aspiration, as evidenced by Gatsby s character. People of the 1920 s were pleasure seekers, full of energy, optimism, and corruption.
United States Congress, 19th Amendment, May 19th, 1919 This document is the House Joint Resolution proposing the 19th Amendment to the states. The 19th Amendment, ratified in 1920, gave all women the right to vote finally ending the long struggle for equality of the sexes in political voice. A true lasting victory for the rights of women and equality.
Prohibition Begins Jan 16, 1920 18th Amendment was ratified which made the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alchol illegal The 1920 s Hoover wins election Nov 6, 1928 First Radio Broadcast Oct 27, 1920 KDKA broadcasted the news of the Harding landslide victory Coolidge wins election Nov 4, 1924 Continues Republican control of executive branch Herbert Hoover wins election as President over democratic candidate Smith Women's Suffrage Aug 18, 1920 19th Amendment was ratified which prohibited any US citizen from being denied the right to vote on basis of sex Immigration Act of 1924 May 26, 1924 Marks end of unrestricted immigration "A Farewell to Arms" Jun 11, 1929 First Hemingway best-seller is published Emergecy Quota Act May 19, 1921 Mount Rushmore Oct 4, 1927 Work on the Mount Rusmore structure begins Quota established on amount of incoming immigrants 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 Coolidge assumes presidency Aug 2, 1923 Harding dies following trip to Alaska and Vice President Calvin Coolidge seceeds presidency "The Great Gatsby" Apr 10, 1925 F. Scott Fitzgerald published "The Great Gatsby" which still continues to be a defining piece of the '20s League of Nations Jan 10, 1920 Came into effect after WWI. Tasked with ensuring war would never break out again Red Scare Nov 2, 1920 Fear of communism Harding Wins Election Nov 2, 1920 Scopes Trial July 21, 1925 Staged trial in which a teacher was accused of unlawfully teaching evolution. Began push for more progressive teaching A landslide vicotry for Harding put Republican Party back in the White House MLK was born Jan 15, 1929 Future Civil Rights leader Maritn Luther King is born Stock Market Crash Oct 29, 1929 Black Tuesday began the most devastating stock market crash in the history of the US
31st President of the United States. He was a Republican that was known for heading the Herbert Hoover Food Administration during WWI. Hoover was ultimately disliked because of his few policies to help Americans during the Great Depression. The 18th Amendment began the era of prohibition in the US. Prohibition made the Eighteenth Amendment production, transportation, and sale of alcohol illegal. It was a failure that led to corruption and a large increase in crime. The 19th Amendment was a result of the women's suffrage movement. It prohibits any Nineteenth Amendment US citizen from being restricted the right to vote based on their gender. Although it was progress, little changed for them politically and economically. The Big Four are the top Allied leaders who met at the Paris Peace Conference which The Big Four marked the end of WWI. It was compromised of Woodrow Wilson (US), David Lloyd George (Britain), Vittorio Emanuele Orlando (Italy), Georges Clemenceau (France). Peace Treaty that ended WWI. Only 4 of Wilson's 14 points were used. This lowered Treaty of Versailles the public image of Wilson. The problems with the treaty would eventually lead to another world war.
One of the best-known socialists in American history. He was one of the founders of the Eugene V. Debs Industrial Workers of the World and ran for Presidency as a member of the Socialist Party of America 5 times. He was convicted for 10 years under the Espionage Act. President Warren Harding began the concept "normalcy" of normalcy in contradiction to idealism during the presidency of Woodrow Wilson. It began a period of calm social and political order. This was a new fear of immigrants and the possibility of the spread of communism. Most Red Scare of the red scare was targeted to Eastern Europeans as a reaction to the Russian Revolution. Founder of the Ford Automobile industry. His Henry Ford Model T started a revolution in the transportation and auto industries. 30th President of the United States. He was a Calvin Coolidge conservative Republican and came into office by the death of Harding. He favored big business and industrial development 1920's novel written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The theme of The Great Gatsby manifests the The Great Gatsby new and exciting culture and the growing corruption of individuals through prohibition during the 1920's
The Quota Act restricted immigration to 3% of Immigration Quota Act each foreign nationality. This marked the end of a period of unrestricted immigration. Mellon was the 49th Secretary of the Treasury. He made large tax cuts for the Andrew Mellon wealthy and promoted a wealth gap. He was one of the founders of the Carnegie Mellon University. John Scopes was convicted for teaching Scopes Trial evolution in a public school. The case drew national attention and widened the debate of progressive education. Spokesman for "Negro Nationalism" in the 1920's which encouraged the expression of Marcus Garvey black culture. He also was the founder of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA).
Image Sheet 1920 s Mary, David, Nicola Flapper women walking around the streets flaunting their new fashion. This type of fashion, moving away from the conservative women attire, became popular in the 1920 s, and began to symbolize the new liberal dress and behavior of women in this era and the effects of it. "Flapper Girls." Miss Dee Style. N.p., n.d. Web. Al Capone was a very recognizable criminal in the Roaring 20 s, the face of gangster warfare and bootlegging in the era. He committed historic murders such as the 1920 s Valentine s Day Massacre among other things. "Al Capone." The Paper. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Jan. 2015.
1920 political cartoon portraying the excess amounts of corruption, especially during prohibition. Corruption and organized crime is a common theme throughout the 1920 s, as more individuals become interested in individual gain. "Bootleg Cartoon." Roaring 20 s. N.p., n.d. Web. Famous 1920 s political cartoon depicting the end of a period of unrestricted immigration. Immigration Quota Act restricted immigrants into the United States during the 1920 s. Politics of the time faced a pressing issue involving what to do with the pouring in immigrants "Immigration Policy." The Immigrants Files. N.p., n.d. Web.