Unit 3, Lecture 1 - The 1920s. Covers the Harding and Coolidge presidencies, as well as the social and economic changes of the decade. Ends before the Crash.
2. A Republican Decade
Strikes, arrests, revolution overseas—such events
frightened Americans in the 1920s and they turned
to Republican Party for stability and economic
prosperity
3. What is happening in this picture?
What concept is this political cartoon illustrating?
4. The Harding Presidency 1920-1923
1920 election, Republican Warren G.
Harding promised “return to normalcy”
1920 won presidency until death in
1923
Foreign policy reflect America’s
desire for isolationism—policy of
avoiding political or economic
alliances with foreign countries
No attempt to join League of Nations
Yet President support efforts to
prevent future wars
Disarmament—nations voluntarily give
up their weapons
5. Economically, he
favored:
Lower taxes
Less control over
businesses
Support high tariffs
(taxes) on foreign,
competitor goods to
make them more
expensive
protect US
businesses/workers
6. Culturally, as America became
more isolationist, they also
became more nativist—
movement favoring native-
born Americans over
immigrants
Nativist Reasons = Anti-
Immigrant
Never loyal
Blamed for urban city problems—
slums & corruption
Fear for loss of jobs
Pass on anarchist (violent
overthrow of government) +
communist (opponent of
democracy + capitalism) ideals
7. End of President Harding…Literally
Start of 1923, economy bouncing back +
strong popularity for president
Mid 1923 corruption scandals in
Harding’s cabinet
Biggest scandal Teapot Dome Scandal
Harding’s Secretary of Interior Albert
Fall bribed by oil executives to sell
government land in Teapot Dome,
Wyoming—oil
Albert Fall became 1st cabinet member
imprisoned for crime while in office
Harding died in 1923 during the scandal in
office
8. The Coolidge Presidency 1923-1928
Vice President Calvin Coolidge
became president and cleaned
up scandals
Elected president 1924-1928
Major View “The Business of
the American people is
business”
Laissez-Faire limited to no
government interference in
business
9. Election of 1928
When Coolidge decided not to run for a 2nd
term, Republicans nominated Herbert Hoover
Hoover promised more pro-business,
isolationism & small government = victory
10. A Business Boom...Mixed Success
1920s gave birth to
much of modern
America
Shopping centers,
fast-food, advertising,
mass media, cars,
radios, movies
11. Causes of Economic Growth
Consumer Economy—depends on a large amount of
buying (consuming) by people who use products
New & Improved products Model-T cars, refrigerators,
radios, vacuums, ovens, telephones
Income tax cuts (% taken out of paycheck for
government) left people with more $$$
Higher wages gave people more money to spend on
movies, radio, sporting events
Until 1920s, Americans generally paid cash for things
they bought
Borrowing = unthrifty + immoral
12. 1920s saw new ways to purchase goods as
demand for them grew
Credit—a way to delay paying for a
purchase (pay once you hit a certain
amount)
Installment Buying—system allows
customer to make partial payments
(installments) over a few months
Installment + Credit plans encouraged people
to buy things who otherwise would not
even though they had to pay high interest
rates
13. Economic Troubles
Economy appeared to be
healthy but looks can be
deceiving…uneven
prosperity
Huge gap between rich
and poor 50% in
poverty
Many Americans did not
prosper
Farmers over
production
Minorities—African
Americans
14. New Roles for Women
During 1920s, women had more freedom
than ever before drove cars, sports,
college, teachers, nurses, social workers
Some women in 1920s called
themselves flappers – young, rebellious
fun-loving, bold
Stood for a longing to break with the
past
Fashion Shorter dresses, short hair,
make-up
Manners Smoked + drank in public
19th Amendment gave women right to
vote
1920s women developed a new attitude
toward marriage = partnership (men
agreed)
15. Mass Media
Before 1920s, the majority of
Americans did not travel much
and was divided culturally
Mass Media
communications that reach a
large audience
Film, Radio, Advertising
peaceful propaganda
Created a national culture
(things that people had in
common across the country)
songs, dances, fashion,
slang, sports, news
16. Lost Generation
For some, the decade after WWI
was not a time for celebration
deep despair + resentment = Lost
Generation
Lost in a greedy, materialistic
world
F Scott Fitzgerald The Great
Gatsby
Focus on wealthy, sophisticated
Americans during Jazz Age
Rich self-centered and
shallow
17. Prohibition
18th Amendment—ban alcohol
Most Americans disregard law
Bootleggers suppliers +
smugglers of illegal alcohol
Speakeasies illegal bars
Rise of organized crime Al
Capone
18. Jazz Age
1920s—Jazz Age—was a time
celebrating new and modern
things
Jazz music—mix of African
rhythms, ragtime, blues
free spirit of the times
Rebelled against values
which led to WWI
Harlem
Duke Ellington + Louis
Armstrong musicians
19. Issues of Religion
Religious movement called fundamentalism gained
followers and political power
Fundamentalists took the bible literally (everything was
true)
Argued that public schools shouldn’t teach evolution—
theory that living things developed over millions of
years from simpler life forms
Felt it contradicted the Bible pass laws made
evolution teachings illegal
1925, John Scopes broke law & found guilty
Guilty verdict over-turned by state Supreme Court
**Clash between modern beliefs vs. traditional values
20. The Harlem Renaissance
1920s brought changes to the lives of many
African Americans
Great Migration North and Western cities
for economic and social opportunities
21. Confronting Racism
As blacks moved out of the South the KKK
eventually moved with them
By 1924, the KKK claimed about 5 million members
‘America for Americans’
KKK carried out many crimes against African-
Americans, Catholics, Jews & immigrants
Increasing violence against African Americans rallied
the efforts of the NAACP
Worked in vain to pass anti-lynching laws +
protect voting rights
22. Many African-Americans were
losing faith in the US dreamed
of a place where they could live in
peace
Marcus Garvey Universal
Negro Improvement Association
(UNIA) sought to build up
blacks’ self-respect + economic
power
Garvey urged ‘Back to Africa’
solution since equality seemed
hopeless
Failed
23. Rise of Harlem
Late 1800s wealthy white community
Build up too much and buildings
remained vacant real estate prices
fall
Black businessmen started buying
cheap buildings and selling them to
African Americans
By 1920, New York, Harlem, became the
unofficial capital of black America
Soon Harlem produced cultural activity
called Harlem Renaissance
Symbolized rebirth of hope and
culture for African Americans
Writers, singers, painters, sculptors,
scholars move to Harlem
24. In Summary…
New technologies led to social
transformations that improved the standard of
living for many, while contributing to increased
political and cultural conflicts.
New technologies contributed to improved
standards of living, greater personal mobility,
and better communications systems.
25. Technological change, modernization, and
changing demographics led to increased
political and cultural conflict on several fronts:
Tradition vs. innovation
Urban vs. rural
Fundamentalist Christianity vs. scientific
modernism
Native born vs. new immigrants
White vs. Black
Idealism vs. disillusionment
26. The rise of an urban, industrial society
encouraged the development of a variety of
cultural expressions for migrant, regional, and
African American artists (expressed most
notably in the Harlem Renaissance
movement); it also contributed to national
culture by making shared experiences more
possible through art, cinema, and the mass
media.