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The Roaring 20s
1921-1929
Chapter 8
The Jazz Age1921-1929
Roaring 20s Begin
I. Presidential Politics 1920sA. The Harding Administration
1. 1920 Electiona. Democratic Platform
1) continue Progressive Mvmt2) support League of Nations3) increase role of gov’t in economy
b. Republican Platform1) return to Laissez-Faire2) avoid foreign entanglements3) “normalcy” (a return to a state of normal) – Harding’s campaign
slogan
c. Republicans – Warren G. Harding win
- more in tune w/ public mood: tired of wartime wage & price
controls; anxious to avoid another foreign war
Warren G. Harding
2. The Republican Formula: Lower Spending + Lower Taxes + Higher Tariffs = Economic Growth
a. run gov’t more efficiently – return to laissez faire – avoid heavy federal
spendingb. appointed Andrew Mellon as Sec. of
Treasury (1 of 6 richest men in US) - Who is Sec of Treasury today?
c. believed in cutting taxes on industry to spur economic growth
d. cut gov’t spending (did by 1/3)
Official Seal
Incumbent:
Jack Lewsince: February 27, 2013
First Alexander Hamilton
Formation September 11, 1789
Presidentialsuccession Fifth
Website www.treasury.gov
US Secretary of the Treasury
3. Political Scandals - Harding: hard working & good natured, but remembered for
scandals while in office a. Ohio Gang: a group of political friends
from Ohio that Harding appointed to high gov’t posts
1) good appts: Sec of State Charles Hughes, Sec of Commerce Hebert
Hoover, Sec of Treasury Andrew Mellon 2) most not qualified – or just plain corrupt 3) stories of misconduct made it to the
press
Harding’s Appointees
The Good The Bad
- Charles Forbes, head of Vets bureau: swindled country out of $200m
- Reports of Ohio gang selling favors, including pardons & appts to office
b. Harding takes trip to AK & CA, gets sick, dies Aug 1923
c. Teapot Dome Scandal – new out after Harding’s death
1) secret, illegal leasing of gov’t oil reserves to pvt oil companies in
Teapot Dome, WY2) Albert B. Fall, Sec. of Interior,
leased the reserves to oilmen who paid him kickbacks
d. Harding’s Atty Gen. Harry Daugherty forced to resign in 1924 charged w/
bribery & fraude. Harding admin goes down in history as
most corrupt in US History
Teapot Dome Scandal
Teapot Dome
B. The Coolidge Administration1. VP Calvin “Silent Cal” Coolidge of MA takes over
a. Known for integrity - untouched by scandals of Harding admin – earned him the honor of being one of most popular
Presidents b. Kept Harding’s most capable: Hughes, Mellon, Hooverc. Philosophy: to make sure gov’t interfered w/ biz and industry as little as
possible **America’s prosperity rested
on biz leadershipCalvin Coolidge
2. 1924 Electiona. Coolidge (R) v. Davis (D) v. LaFollette (P)b. Coolidge wins easily “Keep Cool with Coolidge”
- avoided war, avoided scandal, avoided reform – but supported biz
prosperity
- “The chief business of the American people is business”
II. A Growing Economy A. The Rise of New Industries
1. Wages UP, Productivity UP – thanks to new technology
a. more $ to spendb. more stuff to buy: radios,
washing machines, vacuum cleaners, phones & CARS
2. Henry Ford and the Model Ta. Henry Ford made mass production of autos possible thru use of Assembly Line
- The Model Tb. made auto affordable (not just a luxury for the wealthy)c. Ford’s philosophy: lower the cost per car = increased volume of salesd. increased pay, established 8 hr shifts =
increased worker loyalty, decreased union influence
e. competition grew: GM, Chrysler
The Assembly Line
Henry Ford with Model T in Buffalo, NY, 1921Henry Ford
Where’s Waldo’s Car?
3. Success of Auto Industry = ripple effect on economy
a. steel, rubber, glassb. construction industryc. fed & state gov’t built roadsd. motels, gas stations
4. Social impact of Autoa. affordable to middle classb. new biz opportunitiesc. higher demand for educated workers
(mgrs, sales)- high school enrollment 2X- college enrollment almost 2X- biz schools
d. eased isolation of rural lifee. enabled people to live farther from work –
more suburban
5. Consumer Goods Industry – more $, more to buy
a. For the home:- indoor plumbing- household cleansers- frozen foods
b. New Appliances- electric irons- vacuum cleaners- washing machines- refrigerators
c. For You- electric razors- disposable tissues- home hair dye
Consumer Economy
6. Airline Industrya. 1st flight? Orville & Wilbur Wright,
Kitty Hawk, NC Dec. 1903b. Glenn Curtiss – invents ailerons –
made it possible to build rigid wings & much larger aircraft
c. WWI – use of airplanes in ward. US gov’t uses planes for USPS mail delivery 1918
- Kelly Act 1925: authorized postal official to contract w/
pvt airplane operators to carry mail - economic boost
to airplane industry- Air Commerce Act 1926: provided federal aid for
building airports
e. Charles A. Lindbergh - 1st solo, trans-Atlantic flight 1927
- symbolized American ingenuity, courage & abilityf. 1928: 48 airlines serving 355 US cities – advent of airline
advertising
Lucky Lindy
“Lucky Lindy”
7. Radio Industrya. 1912: Edwin Armstrong invented circuit that
made long-range radio transmission of voice and music practical
b. 1920: 1st radio station KDKA Pittsburgh, PA announces election results
c. 1926: NBC establishedd. By 1927: 700 stations nationwide; Federal Radio Commission regulates theme. 1928: CBS competing with NBC f. Stations sell ad time, hire musicians, actors, comedians etc; play pop music; etc.g. 1929: 10 m radio sets in home in US; almost 40%
of US population
B. The Consumer Society: higher pay + shorter workdays = buying spree
1. Easy Consumer Credita. 1920s prosperity gave Americans
confidence to go into debt to buy consumer goods – to buy on credit –
believed in their ability to pay off debts b. Rise of auto & expensive long-lasting
goods convinced people to buy on installment plans/credit (bought 75% radios, 60% autos on installment)c. Personal debt rose 2 ½ times faster than incomed. Stimulated production, but people began getting in debt over their heads
2. Growth of Advertising Industrya. To convince Americans that they needed
all the new products availableb. Preyed on consumers’ fears and
anxieties: - health concerns? buy cleansers
- hectic pace of modern life? Buy labor savers (iron, fridge etc)
c. Linked products to progress and success
- concerned with fashion and appeal? Buy mouthwash,
deodorant etc
3. Growth of the Middle Classa. industries began to create organizational structureb. divided into divisions with diff.
functions (managers, sales, accounting, operations etc)c. engineers needed for new
technology
4. Welfare Capitalism – more benefits for workers!
a. benefits: invited to buy stock; profit sharing; medical care; pensions
b. Labor Unions less important with rise in employee benefits c. with benefits covering certain needs, workers could spend more of their income
C. The Farm Crisis recession throughout 1920s1. urbanization
a. 1900 = 42% farmers; 1929: 25% farmers b. young people lured to cities for better pay, more exciting life
2. Less demand for farm productsa. after WWI, no longer selling to Allies,
but farmers had bought lots of equipment on credit!
b. urbanization: people ate less due to less hard laborc. less grain needed for livestock –
cars!d. prohibition: no grapes for wine, no
barley for beer
3. Result? Overproduction of farm goods and prices way down
a. Advances in tech. only added to overproduction
b. falling food prices made it hard to make farm mortgage pays.
4. 1920-21: ½ m farmers lost their farms – bankruptcy5. Gov’t attempts to help
a. Federal Farm loans increasedb. McNary-Haugen Bill – gov’t buys surplus, sell it overseas while protecting
US market w/ high tariff – Coolidge vetos 2 X
III. The Policies of Prosperity A. Promoting Prosperity
1. The Mellon Program (Sec. of Treasury Andrew Mellon – chief architect of economic policy in the US in the 1920s)
a. believed gov’t should apply biz principles to its operations- created Bureau of Budget –
to prepare Budget- General Accounting Office –
to track gov’t spending
Andrew Mellon
b. 3 Major Goals1) balance budget2) reduce gov’t debt3) cut taxes
c. Accomplishments?1) cut spending2) reduced debt3) cut taxes
For most: from 5% to .5%For wealthy: 73% to 25%
2. Supply-Side Economics - economic theory that lower taxes will boost the economy as biz and individuals invest their $, thereby creating higher tax revenue
IV. Foreign Policy in the 1920s A. International Scenario
1. US returns to isolationism * a national policy of avoiding involvement in world affairs2. Shuns diplomatic commitments w/ foreign countries
B. Trade & Arms Control1. US becomes dominant economic power - due to WWI, US shifts from debtor nation
to creditor nation2. Isolationism
a. most Americans favored isolationism – nat’l policy of avoiding involvement in
foreign affairsb. Though not a member of League of Nations – hard for US to be isolationist –
too powerful, too economically connected, too involved in int’l affairs
- promoted peace thru agreements with individual countries instead of
thru League of Nations
3. The Dawes Plan – plan for European economic recovery
a. after WWI, European economies suffered
- high debt burden- no $ to buy American exports
b. Dawes Plan: American banks would make loans to Germans – Germans
could pay their reparations payments to Brits and French – Brits and French
would accept less in reparations & pay more of their war debts (to US)
c. unsuccessful – Europeans further into debt to US banks & corporations
4. Washington Conference – plan for disarmament
a. 3 agreements1) Five-Power Naval Limitation Treaty (Brits, Fr, Italy, Japan, US)
- freeze naval production to 1921 levels- build no warships for 10 yrs- US & Brits wouldn’t build new naval bases in w. Pacific
2) Four-Power Treaty (US, Japan, France, Brits)
- respect e/os Pacific territory- negotiate disagreements
3) Nine-Power Treaty- preserve = trading rights in China (Open Door Policy)- guaranteed China’s independence
b. Problems with the treaties1) didn’t limit land forces2) Japanese unhappy – limited them to smaller Navy
5. Abolishing Wara. Kellogg-Briand Pact – outlaws warb. ratified by 62 nations – all agreed to abandon war and to settle disputes by
peaceful meansWAR
I. Social Scene A. Early 1920s: Post-War Disillusionment
1. Economic Recession after WWI2. Racial/Cultural Tensions3. Influx of Immigrants
B. Rise in Immigration after WWI
1. Rise in immigration leads to rise in racism and nativism
a. Nativism = a preference for native- born people and a desire to limit
immigration
b. So what’s the problem with immigrants?
1) Most new immigrants from S & E Europe (not WASPs)
2) Seen as a threat to stability and order
3) A threat to returning soldiers who need jobs in a post-war economy of rising prices and unemployment
Nativism
2. Nativism and Racism at its worst: The Sacco & Vanzetti Case
a. The Crime: 2 Italian, Anarchist, Immigrants accused of murdering a
paymaster and guard during a payroll holdup in Boston. April 1920.
b. The Evidence: Flimsy at best - see pg 490-491c. The Verdict: Guilty! Says the Judge: “this man, although he may not
actually have committed the crime, is nevertheless morally culpable, because he
is the enemy of our existing institutions”d. The Sentence: Death – both executed
in 1927
3. Pseudoscience of Eugenics – emphasized that human inequalities were inherited and
warned against breeding the unfit or inferiora. praised superiority of American stock.
WASPs = White, Anglo-Saxon, Protestants
b. contributed to strict immigration controls
C. Immigration Restrictions of the 1920s 1. A response to anti-immigrant feelings
caused by a. Racism/nativismb. fear of competition for jobsc. worries about political radicals (Red
Scare)
2. The Quotasa. Emergency Quota Act of 1921 - only 3% of an ethnic grp (already here) admitted (based on 1910 census)
1) restricted # imms. from all countries2) discriminated heavily against people
from S & E Europe3) Effect? Ethnic identity & National Origin determined admission into US
Close the Gates!Anti-Immigration League Quotas
b. National Origins Act of 19241) quota at 2% (1890 census) – so,
larger #s from N & W Europe allowed
2) 1929 addition to this act resulted in N & W Europeans = 87% of quota
3) limited total annual immigration to 150,000 and excluded all
Japanese
Immigration Quotas
3. Hispanic Immigration to USa. lack of immigrants in the labor pool
led to rise of Mexican immigrationb. National Origins Act of 1924 exempted natives of Western Hemisphere from quota system
D. Plight of Black Americans in the 1920s1. Great Migration: Southern rural blacks move to northern, industrial cities
a. Faced racial prejudice
b. Life of poverty: frozen out of many jobs, high unemployment
2. Rise of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) – devoted to persecuting minorities in US
a. Blamed immigrants for nation’s troubles
b. Attacked blacks, Catholics, Jews etc.
c. Used threats and violence to scare “undesirables”
The Ku Klux Klan Great increase
In powerAnti-black
Anti-immigrant
Anti-women’s suffrage
Anti-bootleggers
Anti-Semitic
Anti-Catholic
Klan Rally: Houston, TX
E. The New Morality1. New Morality of the 1920s glorified youth
and personal freedoma. More Social Freedom
1) Role of the Automobile- independence/privacy for
youth- socializing shift: from at
home with family to out of the home with friends
2) prosperity of the era = more $ to spend on outside entertainment
2. Women in the 1920sa. more social freedom
1) the “flapper” : the symbol of the revolution in manners and
morals 2) young dramatic, stylish, and
unconventional woman- short skirts- short hair- danced the tango, foxtrot, and
the new Charleston
The Flapper
Hairstyles circa 1922, 1925,1925,1926
Flapper fashion embraced all things and styles modern. A fashionable flapper had short sleek hair, a shorter than average shapeless shift dress, a chest as flat as a board, wore make up and applied it in public, smoked with a long cigarette holder, exposed her limbs and epitomized the spirit of a reckless rebel who danced the nights away in the Jazz Age.
b. more economic freedom as more women working outside the
home1) gain their own personal identity2) gain more independence
from parental authority3) earn wages – can buy
things!c. Increased college enrollment for women
= more intellectual achievements in science, medicine etc.
3. The New Morality vs. Traditional Values a. Rise of Fundamentalist movement
b. Fundamentalist beliefs- literal translation of Bible- rejected theory of evolution –
supported creationismc. Fundamentalists saw moral decline in American society
- consumer culture- relaxed ethics- increased urbanization
d. clash of values
1) science vs religion
2) evolution vs creationism
3) modern vs traditional
4. Clash of Values highlighted by the Scopes Monkey Trial
a. laws against teaching evolution in some states
- ACLU wants these laws overthrown - arrange to have John Scopes
(Biology teacher), arrested for teaching it
b. Trial: Defense atty Clarence Darrow vs. prosecuting atty, William Jennings Bryan
- Scopes guilty, but Darrow bested Bryan many times in trial
Scopes Trial and Prohibition
Scopes “Monkey” TrialEvolution vs. Creationism
Dayton, TennesseeFamous Lawyers
Science vs. Religion
John ScopesHigh School Biology teacher
William J. Bryan vs. Clarence Darrow Prosecuting Atty Defending Atty
A Case for Evolution?
More Evidence…Curious, Huh?
E. Prohibition 1. Why ban alcohol? (18th Amendment Jan. 1920)
a. unemploymentb. domestic violencec. Povertyd. Loss of productivity
2. Volstead Acta. enforces prohibitionb. increased fed. gov’t’s police
powers (previously been left to the states)
3. Effects of Prohibitiona. Rise in ORGANIZED CRIME
- bootlegging- smuggling- speakeasies – illegal bars
b. Crime became big biz - gangsters corrupt public officials- most notorious – Al Capone
(Chicago)
Prohibition18th Amendment Volstead Act
Gangsters
Al Capone
Bootlegging
Gangsterism
Al Capone
4. Repealing Prohibition a. 21st amendment, 1933b. defeat for supporters of traditional values & for those who favored the use of federal police powers to achieve
moral reform 5. Lasting effect of Prohibition
a. anti-alcohol lawsb. alcohol awareness - less drinking at work etc.
II. Cultural Innovations A. Art & Literature
1. Writers and artists flock to NYC’s Greenwich Village & Chicago’s
South Side a. Bohemian lifestyle – artistic and unconventional
b. focus on creativity
2. Modern American Arta. diverse range of artistic
stylesb. urban landscapes; cubism,
realism
Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks depicts isolated people in the city
Georgia O’Keeffe
More O’Keeffe
3. Poets & Writers – varied styles and subject matter
a. poet Gertrude Stein – important literary critic
b. Novelist Ernest Hemingway wrote about disillusionment and reevaluated myths about American heroes – result of his WWI experience as an ambulance driver
c. writer F. Scott Fitzgerald exposed emptiness and superficiality of modern
society in the The Great Gatsbyd. poet/writer T.S. Elliot concentrated on
negative effects of modernism
Gertrude Stein
"A rose is a rose is a rose“ That is…Things are what they are
A penny for the Old Guy
We are the hollow men We are the stuffed men Leaning together Headpiece filled with straw. Alas! Our dried voices, when We whisper together Are quiet and meaningless As wind in dry grass Or rats' feet over broken glass In our dry cellar Shape without form, shade without colour, Paralysed force, gesture without motion; Those who have crossed With direct eyes, to death's other Kingdom Remember us -- if at all -- not as lost Violent souls, but only As the hollow men The stuffed men.
TS Elliot: The Hollow Men
This is the way the world ends This is the way the world ends This is the way the world ends Not with a bang but a whimper.
T.S.Eliot, author of The Waste Land (1922) and The Hollow Men (1925).
B. Pop Culture 1920s 1. Economic Prosperity of the era
a. Americans had more leisure time and more money
b. able to enjoy various forms of entertainment/pop culture
2. Baseball, Boxing, and Other Sportsa. Media coverage (motion pictures, radios,
newspapers, magazines) of sports helped to increase its popularity
b. Sports legends of the era• Baseball – Babe Ruth famous worldwide• Boxing – Jack Dempsey • College Football – Red Grange • Golf – Bobby Jones• Tennis – Bill Tilden; Helen Wills• Swimming – Gertrude Ederle – swam the
English Channel in record time
The “Bambino”
3. Rise of Hollywooda. Silent Movies
- live piano players set the tone in the theater
- subtitles revealed the plotb. First “talkie”: The Jazz Singer
1927- golden age of Hollywood began!
Al Jolson as the “Jazz Singer”
First “Talking” Motion Picture
4. Radioa. 1920 – KDKA Pittsburgh launched 1st commercial radio broadcasts:
election results of the 1920 Presidential Election – Harding’s landslide victory
b. Radios• played pop music of the day• comedy shows such as Amos ‘n’ Andy
5. Significance of 1920s mass media?a. new technology led to social
changesb. unified Americans through shared
national culturec. spread new ideas and attitudes
of the times
III. African American Culture A. The Harlem Renaissance 1. Black Americans move to northern cities in Great Migration during WWI era 2. New York City neighborhood of Harlem – area full of night clubs & music becomes home to a cultural movement known as the Harlem Renaissance – significance?
a. stimulated artistic developmentb. racial pridec. sense of communityd. political organization
3. The Writersa. Claude McKay: immigrant from
Jamaica – criticized racism in Americab. Langston Hughes: examined the place of blacks in a white world
- many of his poems expressed a positive, hopeful message –
things may not be good now, but there is hope for the future
Claude McKay’s If We Must Die
4. The Music – radio/phonograph = pop musica. JAZZ
1) birthplace: New Orleans2) American style of music that developed from ragtime & blues and
which uses syncopated rhythms & melodies
3) Early Jazz Greats- Louis Armstrong: 1st great
coronet & trumpet soloist Known for improvisation
- Duke Ellington: bandleader Known for improvisation &
orchestration using diff. combos of instruments
Birth of Jazz
b. The Blues - Bessie Smith: “empress of the blues”
c. The Cotton Club – famous Harlem nightspot where many black artists got
their start - could perform or work there, but couldn’t be a regular customer
The Harlem Renaissance
B. African American Politics1. Harlem Renaissance: brought int’l
fame to many black Americans + sparked a political transformation in the US
2. Great Migration led to increased political power of black Americans – created a strong voting bloc in the north
3. NAACP – W.E. B. DuBoisa. battled discrimination and segregation through the legal system – in the courtsb. led efforts in Congress to pass anti- lynching legislation
4. Black Nationalism – Marcus Garveya. glorify black culture & traditions of
the pastb. Garvey proclaimed that blacks
could never find justice or freedom in the US – developed plan to lead blacks to new homeland in Africa
c. $ sent in for his cause was wasted/mismanaged. Garvey
jailed, deported back to Jamaica – organization collapsed
Marcus Garvey
