STANDARD 6: ROARING 20S AND THE

GREAT DEPRESSION

SCIENTIFIC INNOVATIONS AND CULTURAL TRANSFORMATION

6.1

The 1920sThe 1920s proved to be a period

of significant transformationThe economy boomedThere was new machinery and

new inventionsThere were new social ideas

New Scientific Ideas and DiscoveriesCharles Darwin’s theories about

evolution (the idea that all life on earth, including humans life, evolved over time) challenged the Bible’s account of creation

Scholars introduced “higher criticism” (proposed that the Bible should be studied as any other literary work to determine its legitimacy)

These were considered radical ideas and alarmed traditionalists

The “Monkey Trial”The debate between fundamentalism (the

Bible is true and because it is from God, it cannot contained contradictions or errors) and scientific theory gained national attention during the Scope Trial (monkey trial) in 1925

A science teacher named John Scopes was arrested for violating a Tennessee law that forbade teaching Darwin’s theory of evolution instead of the Bible

William Jennings Bryan (a fundamentalist & former presidential candidate) volunteered to prosecute scopes

Clarence Darrow (attorney for Eugene Debts) volunteered to represent Scopes

The “Monkey Trial”Scopes was found

guiltyThe law against

teaching evolution remained in effect

New TechnologyHenry Ford was the

first to perfect and successfully market the automobile

He was not the first to invent it

In 1907, Ford sold over 30,000 of his first, mass produced car (the Model T)

New TechnologyMass production is what set Henry Ford

apartHe wanted to be able to sell vehicles so

that “ordinary people” could afford themTo achieve this goal, Ford relied on the

assembly lineHe had employees stay in one spot while

the assembly line brought the parts to them (unlike assembly lines before)

For saw workers as consumers. He wanted those who made them to be able to buy them, so he paid his workers $5 per day (unheard of)

New TechnologyFrom 1907-1926, Ford built the most

automobiles in the world (16, 75, 000 cars)

His cars helped give rise to the new middle class and the U.S. suburbs

The airline industry grew at this as wellIn 1903, brothers Orville and Wilbur

Wright successfully conducted the first flight at Kitty hawk, NC.

Soon after airplanes were used for military service and to carry U.S. mail

In 1926, the U.S. started commercial air travel for business and pleasure

New Appliances and Forms of EntertainmentBecause there was an increase in the

availability of electronics in the home, new appliances started to develop

Refrigerators- more food could be bought at one time and stored for longer periods of time

Sewing machines, vacuum cleaners, and washing machines- reduced time needed to do traditional chores

New Appliances and Forms of EntertainmentAdvances in transportation and the use

of electric power gave birth to night life (when people go into the city after dark to attend shows, have dinner, or take part in a social event)

Mass media formedNational magazines allowed news

stories and businesses to reach people across the nation

Radio became an important medium for entertainment and communication

The movie industry boomed alsoThere were first silent films, then

movies with sound, then the big screen

The New Consumerism Installment plan-

producers and businesses offered easy credit that allowed consumers to pay a little at a time rather than all at once.

Installment plans allowed people to purchase more expensive items

The U.S. had become a consumer society (people began to save less and spend more)

This caused people’s debt to increase

Women in the 20sThe role and expectations of women in

society continued to change drasticallyThere was an increasing number of women

going into the workforceEmployers only hired single women (the

believed that married women would eventually have children and quit)

Women also started changing their dress and behavior

Their hair got shorter and they wore clothes that were more comfortable

Women started going out on dates instead of suitors coming to their homes and being chaperoned

The new women were sometimes called flappers and challenged the traditional gender roles in society

Intellectual ResponsesSinclair Lewis critiqued

society through stories like Main Street, Babbit, and Elmer Gantry

In 1930, Lewis became the 1st U.S. citizen to win the Nobel Prize for literature

One group of writers became known as “the Lost Generation”- they felt lost in the greed and moral corruption of American society

F. Scott Fitzgerald belonged to this group and wrote pieces like the Great Gatsby

Intellectual Responses Jazz became popular after WWIBlack musical artists from

Mississippi and Louisiana brought their talents to the northern cities

Black racial pride and awareness led many black intellectual to write works portraying the daily lives of working Blacks

Langton Hughes wrote poems and short stories

Zora Neal Hurston wrote the famous novel Their Eyes Were Watching God

This cultural movement became known as the Harlem Renaissance

Class WorkImagine you are a ford assembly

line worker in the 1920s. As we read the following excerpt as a class, highlight parts that affect your feelings, (good and bad) about your job.

When we are finished reading, you will write a 1page letter to a friend who is considering coming to work at their plant. You will express your feelings about your job.

SOCIAL CONFLICTS OF THE 1920S6.2

The “Red Scare” and ImmigrationInitially the Russian Revolution

encouraged people in the U.S.Citizens were glad to see a monarch

replaced with a republican form of government.

When communism (a political and economic view in which the government owns all property and individual rights mean little compared to the welfare of the state) was instituted in Russia, Americans became concerned

The “Red Scare” and ImmigrationAmericans feared that a revolution like

the one in Russia could occur in the U.S.This led to the period known as the

“Red Scare”Anarchists (those who wanted to bring

down any form of government) attempted to assassinate Attorney General A, Mitchel Palmer and John D. Rockefeller

Many believed the attacks were associated with communism

The “Red Scare” and ImmigrationIn response, Palmer authorized

the Palmer Raids- suspected communists and other subversives (people who believed to pose a threat to the U.S. government) were arrested and jailed

The raids arrested/targeted many who were immigrants and who had not committed crimes

More than 500 immigrants were deported back to their countries of birth as a result of Palmer’s actions

Sacco and VanzettiThe association of

immigrants with communism and anarchy resulted in one of the most controversial trials in the U.S.

In 1920, two Italians immigrants believed to be anarchists were accused of murder in Massachusetts

There was little evidence

They were convicted and executed in 1927

Immigration RestrictionsThere was a new rise in

nativism (opposition to immigration) after WWI

The government placed quotas (limitations) on the number of immigrants that could enter the U.S. yearly from different parts of the world.

Congress passed a temporary limit on who could come to the U.S. in 1924 and permanent bans in 1929

Immigration RestrictionsMany laws were designated to allow

more immigrants from Western Europe than Eastern Europe or Asia

Because few laws addressed immigration from nations in the Western Hemisphere, the number of Hispanic Catholic immigrants increased drastically

Some were legal and some were illegal

Resurgence of the Ku Klux KlanThe KKK resurfaced because

of fear of communism and mistrust of immigrants

Originally, the KKK only targeted Blacks

It expanded to attack Jews, Catholics, and immigrants

They burned crosses outside of people’s homes, sent hate letters, and put pressure on employers to fire black or immigrant workers

Klansmen also resorted to lynchings and other forms of violence

ProhibitionIn 1919, the 18th amendment was ratifiedIt outlawed alcoholic beveragesCongress then passed the Volstead Act which

defined intoxicating and enforced the 18th Amendment

The ban on alcohol became known as Prohibition

ProhibitionProhibition caused bootleggers (criminals who

sold illegal alcohol)The name bootlegger comes from the old practice

of drinkers hiding their alcoholic drinks in the leg of their boot

Many people wanted their alcohol despite the law and turned to bootleggers to get it

Some would go to illegal bars called speakeasiesOrganized crime crew as gangsters, like Al

Capone, used violence and intimation to dominate bootlegging

Many realized that Prohibition was a failureThe 21st Amendment repealed (ended)

Prohibition in 1933

THE GREAT DEPRESSION (PART 1)6.3

Prosperous BeginningsPresident Harding died in

1923Vice President Calvin

Coolidge became presidentThe following year, Coolidge

won a full presidential termHe supported big businesses

and believed in laissez-fairOne of his famous quotes was

“The business of the American people is business”

What do you think this means?

Prosperous BeginningsFor most of the 1920s, Coolidge was

right about his belief that the government should not interfere with the growth of business and that the natural business cycle would fix any problems in the economy

The stock market did very well as prices reached new heights

People started buying stock on speculation (making high risk investments in hopes of making high returns on their money)

Prosperous BeginningsMany investors also engaged in

something called “buying on margin” (investors purchase stocks for only a portion of they cost and then they borrow the difference and paid interest on the loan

Technology also helped the booming economy

Thanks to Henry Ford, the idea of mechanization (increased use of machinery for production) boomed

Farmers in the 1920sFarmers did not enjoy the same

prosperity as businessesBecause of new machinery producing

more, there was overproduction and this caused agricultural prices to drop

Congress attempted to pass bills to increase farm prices, but President Coolidge vetoed them

He saw them as price fixingMany farmers went into foreclosure

Farmers in the 1920sOverproduction also

effected the landMidwest farmers

stripped much of the land and left it damaged by poor farming techniques

The Dust Bowl (a series of storms that hit the Midwest) displaced thousands of farmers forcing them to become homeless

Black TuesdayRepublican Herbert Hoover

became President in 1929He opposed government

interference in businessHe took office, however, when the

economy was about to collapseOn October 29, 1929 the stock

market crashed This is known as Black TuesdayPrices dropped drasticallyMany lost everything

Black Tuesday

Hard TimesThe disaster marked the beginning of

the Great DepressionFollowing the crash of 1929, the U.S

economy fell apartPeople rushed to withdraw their

money from banks causing them to close

The country became unemployedPeople became homelessPeople had to rely on soup kitchens

and breadlines to provide their families food.

THE GREAT DEPRESSION (PART II)6.4

FDR

In 1932, Franklin Delano Roosevelt (knows as FDR) was elected as President

Seemed to be an image of hope for the nation while it was in the Great Depression

He was the first president to use the radio to his advantage. He spoke to the nation in “fireside chats”

FDRHe was unlike Coolidge and believed in the government stepping into to deal with the Great Depression

FDR believed that the nation needed direct relief (federal help to those hurting from the financial crisis)

Some disagreed with the government stepping in to save the economy.

FDRHe also believed in deficit spending (the government spending of borrowed money) to help the U.S. economy move in the right direction

He introduced new legislation and many programs known as the New Deal to help the economy during the Great Depression

Roosevelt’s First New DealCivilian

Conservation Cops (CC)

• 1993• Provided employment for unmarried men

between the ages of 17 and 23. • They worked in national parks.

Agricultural Adjustment Act

(AAA)

• 1993• Approved government loans to farmers and paid

farmers not to grow certain crops in order to increase the price of agricultural products.

Federal Deposit Insurance

Corporation (FDIC)

• 1933• Passed under the Federal Reserve Act to insure

bank deposits of up to $100,000 in case of bank failure

• This prevented people from withdrawing their money out of panic.

National Industrial

Recovery Act (NIRA)

• 1933• Authorized the President to regulate industry and

permit associations and monopolies in an attempt to stimulate economic recovery.

• Established a national public works program to help those who desperately needed a job.

Roosevelt’s First New DealTennessee Valley Authority (TVA)

• 1933• Built hydroelectric dams to create jobs and bring

cheap electricity to parts of the South that had previously been without power

National Labor Relations Act

(NLRA)

• 1935• Also known as the Wagner Act• Created a board to monitor unfair management

practices such as firing workers who joined unions

Social Security Act (SSA)

• 1935• Established retirement income for all workers

once they reached the age of 65• It was originally passed to help those who were

old or disabled to work• Today, it is the one program left from the New

Deal

Revenue Act of 1935

• Raised taxes on those making above $50,000 a year

• Won the favor of many on the left and was nicknamed “the soak the rich tax”

Effects of the New DealThe New Deal failed to end the Great Depression

Some believe it made the Depression last longer

Before WWII started, much of the nation was still unemployed and the economy was hurting

Effects of the New DealThe New Deal helped the labor

movement1. NIRA required industries to

recognize workers'’ rights to join unions

2. Businesses had to comply with federal guidelines on unions

Women did not benefit from the New Deal as much as white males

1. Federal programs tended to show favoritism towards men

2. It allowed business to pay women less

Effects of the New DealMinorities still worked as farmers

and migrant workers1. Lack of government payroll

records often excluded them from programs like Social Security

2. Helped maintain the idea that is was acceptable to treat minorities and white differently

3. Some African-Americans felt that FDR helped them get jobs though