Politics of the 20s

1. Politics of the Roaring Twenties
US History

2. Timeline: What’s Going On?
• United States:
• 1920 – Warren G.
Harding is elected
President (He died
in 1923)
• 1927 – Henry Ford
introduces the
Model A.
automobile.
• World:
• 1921 - Chinese
Communist party is
founded in
Shanghai.
• 1922 - Mussolini is
appointed prime
minister of Italy.

3. Section 1: Americans Struggle With
Postwar Issues
• Main Idea: A desire for
normalcy after the war
and a fear of
communism and
“foreigners” led to
postwar isolationism.
• Why it Matters Now:
Americans today
continue to debate
political isolationism
and immigration policy.
• Key Terms:
• Nativism
• Isolationism
• Communism
• Anarchists
• Quota System
• Key Names:
• Sacco and Vanzetti
• John L. Lewis

4. Postwar Trends:
• WW I had left America
exhausted.
• Soldiers returning from
war face unemployment
• The economy was badly
bruised ($ for the war)
• Cost of living had
doubled
• Americans started to
become fearful of
outsiders (jobs, safety)

5. Nativism and Isolationism:
• Nativism – Prejudice
against foreign-born
people
• Isolationism – Policy
of pulling away from
involvement in world
affairs.
• Why do you think these
two things caught on in
America after the war?

6. Fear of Communism:
• People were fearful that
Communists were trying to
take over America.
• Communism – An
economic and political
system based on a single-
party government ruled by a
dictatorship.
• A Communist Party formed
in the US – 70,000 people
joined.
• Bombs were mailed to
government offices and
buildings.
• This time period became
known as the “Red Scare”

7. Palmer Raids:
• Government officials began
hunting down suspected
communists, socialists, and
anarchists.
• Anarchist – People who
oppose any form of
government.
• In the Palmer Raids,
private homes and
businesses were raided and
hundreds were deported.
• These raids failed to turn up
anything big and were seen
as a failure.

9. Sacco and Vanzetti: A Famous Case
• In 1920, two Italian
immigrants (and
anarchists) were
accused of murdering
two factory guards
• Witnesses said the
criminals looked Italian
• Sacco and Vanzetti
were executed with no
solid evidence
• This is another example
of the strong power of
nativism.

10. The Klan Rises Again:
• By 1924, KKK membership
reached 4.5 million – all
white male and native born.
• The Klan believed in keeping
black “in their place” and
driving foreign born people
out of America.
• They were a radical and
violent group
• D.W. Griffith’s film – A Birth
of a Nation was critically
acclaimed in 1915.
• Link to article on the film
Click the picture for a
link to the FULL
video:

11. Limiting Immigration:
• “Keep America for
Americans” became
the new slogan.
• Less unskilled labor
jobs were needed.
• American
resentment towards
immigration had
reached an all time
high.

12. The Quota System:
• From 1919-1921, the
number of immigrants had
grown almost 600% (from
141,000 to 805,000 people)
• Congress decided that
things needed to slow down.
• They passed The Emergency
Quota Act of 1921 – This
system established the
maximum number of people
who could enter the US from
each foreign country.
• It worked – but the law
prohibited Japanese
immigrants and limited
other particular groups
(Roman Catholics and Jews)
• This angered many groups

13. A Time Of Labor Unrest:
• 1919 saw more than 3,000
labor strikes – 4 million
workers walked off the job.
• Even the Boston Police went
on strike (union issues)
• 300,000 steel workers also
walked off their jobs.
• Coal Miners went on strike
as well
• John L. Lewis led a protest
and got them a 27% raise!
• America was losing faith in
it’s economy and
presidency.

14. Section 2: The Harding Presidency
• Main Idea: The
Harding administration
appealed to America’s
desire for calm and
peace after the war, but
resulted in scandal.
• Why it Matters Now:
The government must
guard against scandal
and corruption to merit
public trust.
• Key Terms:
• Fordney-McCumber
Tariff
• Ohio Gang
• Teapot Dome Scandal
• Key Names:
• Warren G. Harding
• Charles Evans Hughes
• Albert B. Fall

15. Warren G. Harding:
• Warren G. Harding took
the presidency in 1921.
• The public wanted
things to go back to
“normal”
• Harding provided words
of peace and calm
• His judgment was not
that great though.
(we’ll soon find out)

16. Harding Struggles For Peace:
• After the war, countries
around the world were
hurting economically.
• Harding decided to call the
nations to meet in
Washington D.C. to figure
out what needed to be done.
• Charles Evans Hughes
(Sec. of State) – suggested
that the five largest naval
powers scrap their warships.
(US, Great Britain, Japan,
France, Italy)
• They agreed to disarm (for
now)

17. High Tariffs and Reparations:
• France and Britain owed $10
billion to America for the
war.
• Germany owed France and
Britain for the damages
• In 1922, the US adopted the
Fordney-McCumber Tariff
– raised taxes on US imports
to 60%!
• American investors loaned
Germany $2.5 billion to pay
back France and Britain.
(Dawes Plan)
• Then France and Britain paid
the US (with interest)
• Follow this? – The US was
making money on the
financial problems of others.
Charles Dawes

18. Harding’s Cabinet:
• Harding surrounded
himself with good
people (Charles Evans
Hughes, Herbert
Hoover, Andrew Mellon)
• He also had some not
so good ones.
• The Ohio Gang – The
President’s poker
playing cronies that
liked to cheat/bribe
others (including the
tax payers) out of
money.

19. The Teapot Dome Scandal:
• The government owned oil-
rich land in Teapot Dome,
Wyoming.
• Teapot Dome Scandal –
Albert B. Fall (US Navy
Secretary) leased the land
to private oil companies in
return for a “cut” of the
action.
• He received more than
$400,000 in loans, bonds,
and cash.
• He became the first
American to be convicted of
a felony while holding a
cabinet post.

20. Harding Dies:
• “I have no trouble with
my enemies…But my
friends...they’re the
ones that keep me
walking the floor at
night.”
• On August 2, 1923,
Harding died suddenly
from either a heart
attack or a stroke.
• Calvin Coolidge
assumed the presidency
and the next year was
elected.

21. Section 3: The Business Of America
• Main Idea: Consumer
goods fueled the
business boom of the
1920’s as America’s
standard of living
soared.
• Why it Matters Now:
Business, technological,
and social developments
of the 1920’s launched
the era of modern
consumerism.
• Key Terms:
• Urban Sprawl
• Installment Plan
• Key Names:
• Calvin Coolidge

22. American Industries Flourish:
• Calvin Coolidge focused hard
on improving the American
business.
• He aimed to keep taxes
down and business profits
up.
• We wanted to keep the
government influence (in
business) to a minimum and
allow private companies to
flourish.
• Wages (and productivity)
started to rise because of
new technology.

23. The Impact Of The Automobile: (Part1)
• The automobile allowed
rural families to travel to
cities for shopping and
entertainment.
• Paved roads were
created everywhere
• Route 66 was created to
connect Chicago with
California.
• Gasoline stations, repair
shops, and shopping
centers popped up all
over the place

24. The Impact Of The Automobile: (Part12)
• People moved further
away from their jobs –
urban sprawl
• The automobile was
considered a status
symbol as well
• About 1/5 people had a
car
• Automobile factories
sprung up in places like
Detroit and Akron.

25. The Young Airplane Industry:
• The US Post Office
started the first mail
carrying service. (by
plane)
• The first cargo and
commercial airlines
also began during
this time.
• Passengers started
enjoying the speed
of being able to
travel by air. ($$)

26. America’s Standard Of Living Soars:
• 1920-1929 was a very
prosperous time for
America.
• Americans owned
around 40% of the
world’s wealth.
• The average American
income rose more than
35% (from $522-$705)
• People started spending
there money freely.

27. Electrical Conveniences:
• Gasoline powered most
everything prior to this
time period.
• Now, electricity started
to become much more
efficient.
• Electricity was able to
be transmitted over
long distances.
• Privileged homes had
electric irons,
refrigerators, stoves,
and toasters

28. A Superficial Prosperity:
• During the 1920’s most
Americans believed this
prosperity would go on
forever.
• National income was up
• Most companies were
making a fortune
• The Stock Market was
reaching unprecedented
levels

29. Producing Great Quantities Of Goods:
• As productivity
increased, businesses
expanded.
• Companies merged,
chain stores opened,
farms produced excess
crops.
• Problems:
• 1. Excess crops drove
food prices down
• 2. A huge income gap
was being created
between managers and
workers

30. Buying Goods On Credit:
• Big companies allowed
consumers to buy
things without paying
for them in full.
• They borrowed money
from the banks at very
low interest rates.
• Installment Plans –
buying goods over an
extended period ,
without having to put
down much money at
the time of purchase.