2. Traditionalism vs. Modernism
● Mostly in rural areas
● Didn’t participate in the
“consumer culture”
● Don't value education
beyond the early stages
● Religious fundamentalism
grew in this area
o Emphasized teaching
that every word of the
Bible is literal truth
● Mostly Urban Areas
● Modernist: emphasizes
science and secular
values over traditional
views of religion
● Education very important
for new jobs, up to and
including college
● Tended to be more
secular, or non-religious
3. Education Becomes More Important
● In rural areas, education remained
unimportant; they were taught the basics
(reading, writing, math) through elementary
school, then taught on the farm
● Formal education was more important in
Urban areas, especially for new jobs
o By 1930, high school graduation rates were higher
than ever
4. Scopes Trial
● Centered on the Theory of Evolution
o In 1925, a law in Tennessee made it illegal to teach
Evolution
o Teacher John Scopes challenged the law
o Clarence Darrow defended Scopes, while William Jennings
Bryan was an expert for the prosecution of Scopes
Bryan stated he believed the Bible to be absolute truth,
and refused to accept any scientific evidence to the
contrary
o Scopes was found guilty of breaking the law (which was
never really in question)
5. Restricting Immigration
● Nativists opposed immigration, and used
residual fear from WWI and of Communism
to push through immigration restrictions
o This includes a literacy test, where immigrants must
demonstrate the ability to read and write in their own
language
6. Quota Laws
● The US Set up a Quota System: limits the
number of immigrants from a certain country
o The formula was that the number of immigrants
could not be more than 2% of the number of people
of that nationality living in the US in 1890
Note: 1890 is before a massive wave of immigration from
South and East Europe
Example: if 100,000 Italians lived in the US in 1890, then
only 2,000 could Italians could enter America a year
7. New Mexican Immigration
● Mexican immigrants were not subject to the
quota, as European Immigrants were
● Many worked in fields in Texas and
California, or moved to cities in the north for
factory work
● Still faced discrimination and competed with
native-born Americans for jobs
8. The New Klan
● The Klan re-emerged, stronger than ever
● Focused their hatred on more than just African Americans -
Also prejudiced against Catholics, Jews, and immigrants
● Biggest Klan stronghold was in Indiana, where Klan leader
David Stephenson ruled with an iron fist and controlled many
Indiana politicians
9. Americans Oppose the Klan
● Anti-defamation groups rose up against the
Klan, including:
o NAACP
o Jewish Anti-defamation league
● The Klan was corrupt, bribed politicians, and
even David Stephenson went to prison for
assault and murder
● The Klan lost influence, but remained
10. Prohibition
● Prohibition refers to the banning of alcohol
by the 18th Amendment to the constitution
o Believers, called “Drys,” tried to emphasize that the
ban would help families and improve individuals
o Opponents, dubbed “wets,” argued it only increased
crime
11. Organized Crime
● The reality of prohibition was that it did not
stop drinking, only made it more difficult
o Many Americans would have homemade stills to make their
own alcohol
o Others attended a “speakeasy” where they could drink freely
o Bootleggers sold illegal alcohol to consumers, making a
huge profit
o Bootleggers took their alcohol profits and spread their
business into gambling, prostitution, and murder
12. Prohibition Divides the Nation
● Like other topics, the argument over
prohibition tended to be drawn on Urban vs.
Rural lines:
o Urban: Against prohibition
o Rural: In favor of Prohibition
● The 18th Amendment was repealed by the
21st amendment in 1933, ending the
experiment of Prohibition
