Harding “Return to Normalcy” meant a return to

three political trends:IsolationismNativismPolitical

Conservatism

Warren G Harding29th US President

1865 - 1923

Peacetime in America

War leaves Americans exhausted Cost of living doubles; farm, factory

orders downsoldiers take jobs from women,

minoritiesfarmers, factory workers suffer

The Red Scare

Fear of Communism after the Russian Rev.

Communism—economic, political system, single-party governmentruled by dictatorno private property

Fear of Communism

Vladimir I. Lenin, Bolsheviks, set up Communist state in Russia

U.S. Communist Party forms; some Industrial Workers of

the World join Bombs mailed to government,

businesses; people fear Red conspiracy

Vladimir Lenin1870 – 1924

The Palmer Raids

Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer takes action

Hunt down Communists, socialists, anarchists

Raids trample civil rights, fail to find evidence of conspiracy

Sacco and Vanzetti

Red Scare feeds fear of foreigners, ruins reputations, wrecks lives

Sacco and Vanzetti, Italian immigrants, anarchists, arrestedcharged with robbery, murdertrial does not prove guilt

Jury finds them guilty; widespread protests in U.S., abroadSacco, Vanzetti executed 1927

Sacco & Vanzetti

The Klan Rises Again Bigots use anti-communism to harass

groups unlike themselves KKK opposes blacks, Catholics, Jews,

immigrants, unions, saloons1924, 4.5 million members

Klan controls many states’ politics; violence leads to less power

A Time of Labor Unrest

Government doesn’t allow strikes in wartime; 1919 over 3,000 strikes

Employers against raises, unions; label strikers as Communists

Boston Police Strike

Boston police strike over raises, right to unionize

Calvin Coolidge ends strike, replaces strikers with new policemen

The Steel Mill Strike Steel workers strike; companies use force,

later negotiate Talks deadlock; Wilson appeals; strike ends

report on conditions leads to 8-hour day

The Coal Miners’ Strike John L. Lewis becomes head

of United Mine Workers of America

Leads strike; defies court order to work; accepts arbitration

Miners receive 27%

wage increase; Lewis becomes national hero

John L. Lewis

Labor Movement Loses Appeal

Union membership drops from over 5 million to 3.5 million

Less than 1% of African Americans, just over 3% whites in unions

The Harding Presidency

Appeals to America’s desire for calm and peace after the war, but results in scandal.

Hosts Washington Naval Conference; invites major powers, not Russia

Secretary of State proposes disarmament, others agree

High Tariffs and Reparations

Fordney-McCumberTariff raises taxes on U.S. imports to 60%Britain, France cannot repay U.S.

Germany defaults on reparations Dawes Plan—U.S. investors lend

reparations money Britain, France repay; resentment

on all sides

Limiting Immigration

Anti-Immigrant Attitudes Nativists: goal is to limit immigration Think immigrant anarchists and

socialists are Communist

The Quota System 1919 - 1921, number of immigrants grows

almost 600% Quota system sets maximum number can

enter U.S. from each countrysharply reduces European immigration

National Origins Act

European arrivals cut to 2% of number of residents in 1890

Discriminates against southern, eastern Europeans

Prohibits Japanese immigration; causes ill will between U.S. & Japan

Does not apply to Western Hemisphere; many Canadians, Mexicans enter

Country of Origin

Year Total Entering

U.S. Great BritainEastern Europe* Italy

1920 430,001 38,471 3,913 95,145

1921 805,228 51,142 32,793 222,260

1922 309,556 25,153 12,244 40,319

1923 522,919 45,759 16,082 46,674

1924 706,896 59,490 13,173 56,246

1925 294,314 27,172 1,566 6,203

1926 304,488 25,528 1,596 8,253

*Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey.

Scandal Hits Administration

Has capable men in cabinet Also appoints Ohio gang—corrupt

friends who cause embarrassment Harding does not understand all

issues facing nation Corrupt friends use their positions to

become wealthy through graft

The Teapot Dome Scandal

Teapot Dome scandal—naval oil reserves used for personal gain

Interior Secretary Albert B. Fall leases land to private companies

Takes bribes; is first person convicted of felony while in cabinet

The Teapot Dome Scandal

Calvin Coolidge August 1923, Harding dies

suddenly VP Calvin Coolidge assumes

presidency, restores faith in government

Consumer goods fuel the business boom of the 1920s as America’s standard of living soars

Average annual income rises

over 35%, from $522 to $705

Calvin Coolidge30th US President

1872 - 1933

Coolidge’s Policies

Coolidge favors minimal government interference in business (laissez-faire)

“The business of America is business” Kellogg-Briand Pact -- nations

renounce war as national policy

Signing the Kellogg-Briand Pact 1928

Leisure Time and Spectator Sports

Many people have extra money, leisure time to enjoy it

Crowds attend sports events; athletes glorified by mass mediaBoxing: Jack DempseyBaseball: Babe RuthTennis, Golf: Babe ZahariasFootball: Red Grange

Jack Dempsey“The Manassas Mauler”

Babe Didrickson Zaharias

George Herman “Babe” Ruth

Red Grange“The Galloping Ghost”

Mass Media

Mass media shapes mass culture; takes advantage of greater literacy

Expanding News Coverage Local newspapers replaced by

national chains Mass-market magazines thrive;

Reader’s Digest, Time founded

Reader’s Digest CoverNovember 1929

Time Magazine CoverNovember 1931

Radio Entertains

Radio is most powerful communications medium of 1920s

Provides shared national experience Programming paid for by advertisers 90% of households have a radio;

families listen together every day Dramas, variety shows, soap operas,

children’s shows, immediate news coverage

1920’s Golden Age of Radio

Movies

Silent movies already a national pastime

Silent movies give way to “talkies”Introduction of sound leads millions

to attend every weekFirst “talking film” was the Jazz

Singer

Movie Poster for the first “talkie”The Jazz Singer

Jazz Jazz born in New Orleans, spreads across U.S. Trumpeter Louis Armstrong - most influential

musician in jazz history Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington—jazz

pianist, orchestra leaderone of America’s greatest composers

Cab Calloway & Armstrong popularize scat (improvised jazz singing)

Bessie Smith—blues singer, perhaps best vocalist of decade

Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington Cabell “Cab” Calloway

Bessie Smith

Louis Armstrong

Lost Generation Writers Soured by American culture, society of

greed & corruption, and war settle in Europe (esp. Paris)

Sinclair Lewis --criticizes conformity, materialism

F. Scott Fitzgerald (The Great Gatsby) reveals negative side of era’s gaiety, freedom

Ernest Hemingway (The Sun Also Rises) introduces simple, tough, American style

Transportation

Airplane industry starts as mail service for U.S. Post Office

Weather forecasting begins; planes carry radios, navigation tools

Charles A. Lindbergh makes first solo nonstop flight across Atlantic

Amelia Earhart – disappeared trying to fly around the world

Charles A. Lindbergh

Amelia Earhart

The Impact of the Automobile

Cars change life—create new jobs and new industries: paved roads, gas stations, motels, shopping centers, etc.

Give mobility to rural families, women, young people

Workers live far from jobs, leads to urban sprawl (spread of cities)

By late 1920s, 1 car for every 5 Americans

1928 Model A Ford

1920’s Gas

Station

Electricity

Factories use electricity to run machines Development of alternating current gives

electricity to suburbs More homes begin to have electrical

appliances Appliances make housework easier, free

women for other activities Appliances coincide with trend of

women working outside home

1920’s Electric Stove

Rural and Urban Differences

In 1920s, people caught between rural, urban culturesclose ties, hard work, strict morals

of small townsanonymous crowds, moneymaking,

pleasure seeking of cities

The Harlem Renaissance The New Negro -- express pride in African-

American experience Rebirth of African-American art, literature,

and music Claude McKay’s poems urge blacks to

resist prejudice, discrimination Langston Hughes’s poems describe difficult

lives of working class Zora Neale Hurston shows folkways,

values of poor, Southern blacks

Claude McKay Langston Hughes

Zora Neale Hurston

Harlem’s Cotton Club 1927

Prohibition

18th Amendment launches Prohibition era

Prohibition—production, sale, transportation of alcohol illegal

Volstead Act – law to enforce Prohibition.Government does not budget enough

money to enforce the law

Organized Crime Prohibition contributes to organized crime

in major cities Rise in violence and corruption Al Capone – Chicago (most violent city) 18th Amendment -- repealed by 21st

Amendment in 1933

Speakeasies and Bootleggers

Speakeasies - hidden saloons, nightclubsPeople distill liquor, buy prescription

alcohol, sacramental wine Bootleggers smuggle alcohol from

surrounding countries

1920’s Speakeasies

1920’s Bootleggers

&Stills

Flappers

American women pursue new lifestyles and assume new jobs and different roles in society during the 1920s.

Flapper—emancipated young woman, adopts new fashions, attitudes

The Double Standard

Elders disapprove new behavior and its promotion by periodicals, ads

Casual dating begins to replace formal courtship

Women subject to double standard (less sexual freedom than men)

New Work Opportunities After war, employers replace female

workers with men Female college graduates become

teachers, nurses, librarians Many women become clerical workers as

demand rises Some become sales clerks, factory

workers Few become managers; always paid less

than men

The Changing Family

Birthrate drops partly due to more birth-control information (Margaret Sanger)

Manufactured products, public services give homemakers freedom

Working-class, college-educated women juggle family, work

Margaret Sanger

Science and Religion Clash

Fundamentalism—movement based on literal interpretation of Bible reject theory of evolutionbelieve all important knowledge can

be found in Bible Fundamentalist preachers -- Billy

Sunday and Aimee Semple McPherson

Evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson

Billy SundayIn 1922 Photograph

The Scopes Trial Against the law to teach evolution in Tenn. Biology teacher, John T. Scopes, challenges

law Clarence Darrow defends Scopes Fundamentalist William Jennings Bryan is

special prosecutor Scopes trial—debates evolution, role of

science, religion in school Scopes found guilty, given a fine – later

overturned

1925 NY Times Cartoon “Evolution Trial”

Clarence Darrow & William Jennings Bryan

Marcus Garvey and the UNIA

Marcus Garvey founds Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA)believes African Americans

should build separate society Garvey promotes black

pride, black businesses, return to Africa

Marcus Garvey1887 - 1940

NAACP

Important Founder: W.E.B. DuBois Protests racial violence NAACP leader James Weldon

Johnson fights for civil rights legislation

NAACP anti-lynching campaign leads to drop in number of lynchings

W.E.B Du Bois1868 - 1963

James Weldon Johnson1871 - 1938

Modern Advertising Tells us what to buy and why we should buy

it. Makes brand names familiar nationwide;

pushes luxuries as necessities

Consumer Spending

Buying Goods on Credit Installment plan—pay for goods over

extended period with interest Banks provide money at low interest

rates Problems: Debt -- don’t really own

items, layoffs, pay cuts, etc. affect ability to pay debts

A Superficial Prosperity

Producing Great Quantities of Goods Most Americans believe prosperity will

last forever Productivity increasing, businesses

expanding Chain stores develop; national banks

allowed to create branches Income gap between workers,

managers grows

Image from 1920’s Woolworth’s Store

1920’s Prosperity

Difficulties of Farmers

Demand for U.S. grain declines after warprices drop

Farmers boost production to sell moreprices drop further

Farm income declines; farmers default on loans; rural banks fail

Farms lost through foreclosuremany become tenant farmers

Farm Foreclosure Sale1930

The Dust Bowl

Farmers in Great Plains exhaust land through overproduction

1930s, drought, windstorms hit; soil scattered for hundreds of miles

Many farm families migrate to Pacific Coast states

Causes of Stock Market and Depression

Dow Jones Industrial Average tracks state of stock market

1920s, stock prices rise steadily; people rush to buy stocks, bonds

Speculation, buy on chance of a quick profit

Buying on margin—pay small percent of price, borrow rest

Causes (cont.)

Overproduction – both consumer and agricultural

Living on Credit:buy now, pay laterBusinesses give easy credit;

consumers pile up large debtsConsumers have trouble paying off

debt, cut back on spending

Causes (cont.)

Uneven Distribution of Incomerich get richer, poor get poorer

Unfavorable Balance of Trade Weak Banking System

The Stock Market Crashes

September 1929 stock prices peak, then fall; investors begin selling

October 29 or Black Tuesday, market, nation’s confidence plummet

Shareholders sell frantically; millions of shares have no buyers

People who bought on credit left with huge debts

Others lose most of their savings

Depression Hits

Bank and Business Failures Unemployment skyrockets -- 25% of

workers jobless; those with jobs get cuts in hours, pay

After crash, people panic, withdraw money from banks

Banks that invested in stocks fail; people lose their money

Depression (cont.) Homelessness Hoovervilles

Shantytowns, consisting of shacks, arise in cities

Hunger Soup kitchens offer free or low-cost

foodBread lines—people line up for food

from charities, public agencies

Worldwide Shock Waves

Great Depression limits U.S. ability to import European goods

Hawley-Smoot Tariff Act sets highest protective tariff ever in U.S.

Other countries cannot earn American currency to buy U.S. goods

International trade drops; unemployment soars around world

Social and Psychological Effects

Suicide rate rises People give up health care, college, put off

marriage, children Stigma of poverty doesn’t disappear;

financial security becomes goal Develop habit of saving and thriftiness

Psychological Impact

Family is source of strength for most Americans

Some families break apart under strain of making ends meet

• Men in the Streets• Many men used to working &

supporting families have difficulty coping• cannot find jobs

• About 300,000 hoboes wander country on railroad box cars

• No federal system of direct relief (cash or food from government)

Psychological Impact

1930’s Hobos

Psychological (cont)

Women Struggle to Survive Homemakers budget carefully,

can food, sew clothes Women work outside home;

resented by unemployed men Many women suffer in silence,

ashamed to stand in bread lines

Psychological (cont) Children Suffer Hardships Poor diets, health care lead to

serious health problems in children

Lack of tax revenue leads to shortened school year, school closings

Teenagers leave home, ride trains in search of work, adventure

Hoover: Rugged Individualism

Hoover’s conservative response to the Depression draws criticism from many Americans.

Tells Americans the economy is soundbelieves depression is a normal

part of business cycle People should take care of own

families, not depend on government (no direct relief)

Herbert Hoover31st President of the US

1874 - 1964

Hoover (cont) Reconstruction Finance Corporation—

emergency funds for businesses Hoover’s measures don’t improve economy

before presidential election (too little, too

late)

The Bonus Army March Veterans go to D.C. to ask

Congress to pay bonus now not later.

Hoover opposes bill; Senate votes it down

Hoover fears violence, calls on U.S. Army to disband Bonus Army

Infantry tear gas over 1,000 people, including children; many injured

Public is stunned, outraged by government’s actions

Roosevelt’s New Deal

Franklin Delano Roosevelt uses gov’t programs to combat the Depression.

“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself”

New Deal Goals—relief for unemployed, recovery of the economy, reform conditions that caused the Depression

Franklin D. Roosevelt’s First Inauguration 1933

“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself”

The First Hundred Days “Brain Trust” -- experts in their

fields, called upon to give adviceFrances Perkins – 1st female cabinet

member – Sec. of Labor Bank Holiday -- Emergency

Banking Relief Act closes banks until they are inspected

FDR gives fireside chats—radio talks explaining New Deal measures

Frances Perkins

FDR’s Fireside Chats

New Deal Programs

Glass-Steagall Act establishes Federal Deposit Insurance Corporationinsures individual bank accounts

Securities and Exchange Commission created to regulate stock market

21st Amendment repeals prohibition by end of 1933

New Deal (cont.) Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA)

pays farmers not to grow cropsraises food prices, lowers supply

Tennessee Valley Authority creates

jobs building damscheap hydro-electric powermost controversial – seems like socialism to some

critics Civilian Conservation Corps

jobs for young menoutdoor, conservation, parks,

TVA Hydroelectric Dam under construction

1941

CCC Worker plants trees

US Forestry Service Workers

1937

Programs (cont.) Works Progress Administration—

construction jobs, roads, bridges, libraries, airports, etc.

NIRA establishes codes of fair

practice for industries NRA sets standards, prices, limits

production Federal Housing Administration

gives loans for mortgages, repairs Federal Emergency Relief

Administration—direct relief to needy

Programs (cont.)

Social Security Act – money for retirees 65 or older, unemployment compensation, aid to disabled, families with children Is funded from payroll deductionsLongest-lasting program, has affected most

# of people

Programs (cont.)

National Labor Relations Act (Wagner Act) – legalizes unions and collective bargaining

Fair Labor Standards Act – minimum wage and maximum hrs.

Rural Electrification Administration (REA) – brings electricity to the farms

Opposition to the New Deal

Deficit spending—spending more money than government takes in

Liberals: New Deal does not do enough to help poor, fix economy

Conservatives: New Deal used to control business, socialize economy

Court Packing Scheme

Supreme Court strikes down some programs as unconstitutional

FDR proposes “Court-packing bill”wants to add judges to Supreme

Court that favor New DealCongress, press protest

Demagogues

Father Charles Coughlin -- wants guaranteed income, banks nationalized

Dr. Francis Townsend devises pension plan for elderly

Presidential hopeful, Senator Huey Long has popular social program – Share Our Wealth

Senator Huey Long of Louisiana

Father Charles Coughlin

Dr. Francis Townsend

Reelecting FDR

1936, Democrats win presidency, large majorities in both houses

First time most African Americans vote Democratic

First time labor unions support presidential candidate

The New Deal Coalition New Deal Coalition - different groups that

support Democratic Party

FDR Wins in 1936

Political organizations in large Northern cities support FDR

Urban, religious, ethnic groups also support FDRFDR appoints officials

of urban-immigrant background

Labor Unions Flourish

Pro-labor legislation leads unions to donate money for FDR re-election

Union membership grows from 3 million to over 10 million

American Federation of Labor traditionally craft unions only

Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) – organizes industrial unions

Labor Disputes

Sit-down strike important bargaining tactic of 1930sprevents owners from hiring

strikebreakers Some labor disputes violent

Republic Steel Strike 1937

Native Americans 1924, Native Americans receive full

citizenship John Collier, commissioner of Indian

affairs, changes policies Indian Reorganization Act favors native

autonomy, mandates changes:lands belong to entire tribe; government

can’t sell unclaimed areaschildren can attend schools on reservationstribes elect tribal councils to govern

reservations

John Collier

Secretary of Interior Harold Ickes signs Indian Reorganization Act

Motion Pictures and Radio

About 65% of population goes to movies once a week

Films offer escape from reality; show wealth, romance, fun

Gone With the Wind—perhaps most famous film of era

Musicals—live action or animated—way to forget problems

Comedies, realistic gangster movies especially popular

Artists Decorate America Federal Art Project pays artists to make art,

teach in schools Aim to promote art appreciation, positive image

of America Murals typically portray dignity of ordinary

people at work Many outstanding works painted by artists,

including Grant Wood Federal Theater Project hires actors, artists Woody Guthrie Sings of America Singer, songwriter Woody Guthrie sings of plight

of poor

Woody Guthrie1912 - 1967

Grant Wood

American GothicBy Grant Wood

Diverse Writers Depict American Life

Federal Writers’ Project supports many who become major writers

Richard Wright, African-American author, writes Native Son

John Steinbeck writes The Grapes of Wrath about Dust Bowl migrants

Some writers examine difficulty of life in 1930s

Others show dignity of ordinary people, values of small-town life

Richard Wright

John Steinbeck

The New Deal Ends

By 1937, economic improvement convinces many Depression is ending

Congress wants to cut back programs;

by 1939, New Deal over

Supporters and Critics of the New Deal

Conservatives think FDR made federal government too largestifled free enterprise, individual

initiative Liberals: didn’t do enough to socialize

economy, end inequalities Supporters: did help country recover

from economic difficulties

Expanding Government’s Role in the Economy

FDR expands power of federal government, president

New Deal does not end Depression; does reduce suffering, give hope

Federal government goes deeply into debt to create jobs, give aid

Massive spending on equipment, supplies for WW II end Depression

Child Laborers in Textile Mills

Contour Farming1930