Roaring 20s and the Crash

Standard VI: 2Chapter 21 & 22Pages 596-638

A. America After the War

• Many Americans were exhausted from the war

• Economy was in a difficult state of adjustment

• Nativism-people became fearful of foreign-born people

• Isolationism-pulling away from world affairs

Great Migration• 1910-1920• Thousands of African-

American moved from the South to the North

• They moved in search of jobs in the big cities

• Intense discrimination in the South played a part in their departure as well

• Yet, many people in the North did not welcome the the newcomers resulting in race riots

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B. Fear of Communism

• Communism-an economic and political system based on a single-party government ruled by a dictatorship

• The Red Scare-Revolution in Russia-waving of red flags; had hopes of abolishing capitalism

I. Sacco and Vanzetti • Anarchists-people who

oppose any form of government

• Both of these men were anarchists who were arrested and charged with the robbery and murder of a factory paymaster

• Thought to have been charged due to their radical beliefs

• They were sentenced to death (electric chair)

Insert video: Sacco and Van

C. Limiting Immigration• “Keep America for

Americans”• Anti-immigrant sentiment• Fewer unskilled jobs meant

fewer immigrants should be let into the country

• KKK rises again-devoted to “100 percent Americanism”

• Quota system-set the maximum number of people who could enter the U.S. from each country

D. The Harding Presidency• Served 1921-1923• Warren G. Harding’s

administration appealed to America’s desire for calm and peace after the war

• Harding called for “normalcy” or a return to the simpler days

• People said he “looked like a president ought to look”

I. Harding Struggles for Peace

• Problems surfaced relating to arms control, war debts, and the reconstruction of war-torn countries

• High tariffs and reparations-conflict arose when it came time for Britain and France to pay its debts to the U.S.

E. Scandal Hits Harding’s Administration

• Cabinet contained the so-called Ohio gang, the President’s poker-playing cronies

• Harding was believed to have not understood many of the issues

• His corrupt friends used their offices to become wealthy through graft

• Teapot Dome Scandal-Teapot Dome, Wyoming-Albert B. Fall became rich after leasing land to two oil companies illegally

F. Coolidge Era

• Harding died of a stroke shortly after the Teapot Dome Scandal

• Calvin Coolidge-Harding’s Vice-President who assumed the Presidency

• Served 1923-1929• Helped to restore the

people’s faith in their government

I. Industries Flourish

• Coolidge favored government policies that would keep taxes down and business profits up

• Allow private enterprise to flourish

• Respected for his solemnity and wisdom

G. Lost Generation of Writers

• Set of writers who believed they were lost in a greedy, materialistic world that lacked moral values

• Flocked to Greenwich Village in New York

• Most prominent writers were Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald

H. Prohibition • The Volstead Act was

ignored by most cities on the East coast

• Bootleggers-suppliers of illegal alcohol

• Speakeasies-illegal bars that flourished in the cities

• Rise of organized crime-Al Capone (“Scarface”)-famous gangster from Chicago

I. Scopes Trial• Trial fought on the

teaching of the Theory of Evolution vs. Fundamentalism

• Tennessee banned the teaching of evolution

• John T. Scopes-asked a friend to file suit against him for teaching evolution

• Scopes was fined $100 and the law in Tennessee remained in effect

Insert video scopes trial

J. Herbert Hoover’s Presidency

• Served 1929-1933• Known for the Great

Depression• Viewed as a failure

even though he initiated many reforms

• “Hoovervilles”-shacks where unemployed and homeless lived

K. Economy of the Late 20s

• Economy appeared to be healthy

• People had unusually high confidence in the business world

• Welfare capitalism-raised wages and provided benefits

• “Everybody ought to be rich”

L. Economic Danger Signs• Only a small amount of

people held the nation’s wealth

• Buying on credit caused an increase in personal debt

• Speculation-the practice of making high-risk investments in hopes of receiving a high gain

• “Playing the stock market”

M. Collapse of Farm Economy• Farmers were able to buy

tractors during the 1920s; hence, they bought more land

• Yet, falling farm prices made farmers unable to repay their debts for land and machinery

• Banks began to go out of business when loans were not repaid

N. Stock Market Crash• September 1929-stock

prices peaked, then fell• Confidence in the market

began to decrease• Investors sold their

stocks and pulled out; market took a plunge

• October 29, 1929-Black Tuesday-stock market crashed signaling the beginning of the Great Depression

Add video Crash

Compare Presidents ChartPresidents Positive Negative

Harding

Coolidge

Hoover