Chapter 17- the Boom and the Bust of the 1920s

The Red ScareAs the war kicked up many could not forget what had happened during the Russian Revolution.

The American public feared there may be communist trying to cause a revolution already in the country.

Specifically Labor unions were thought to be a hive of Communism.The Scare for Mitchell Palmer.As the war drew to a close in June of 1919 Eight were detonated within moments of each other.

It made people believe there must have been a conspiracy

One of the bombs damaged the home of Attorney General Mitchell Palmer. Palmer RaidsTo strike back against this fear the FBIFederal Bureau of Investigation

Began to hunt down possible communist threats.These Raids were ordered by Mitchell PalmerJ. Edgar Hoover.Hoover was head of many of the investigations.HE went after radical organizations and socialist parties.

States began to pass laws to stop people from joining revolutionary groups.

Eventually 600 citizens were deported from the U.S.Chapter 17- the Boom and the Bust of the 1920s

Major themesPolitical

Economic

Clutural The election of Harding As Warren G. Harding was elected President on the idea that he would be less like the Progressive Presidents before him.

The Harding CabinetHarding placed a mix of talented candidates for his cabinet along with those he had selected, because of past friendships

Qualified NomineesFormer supreme court Justice Charles Evans Hughes

Food Administrator and Future President Herbert Hoover

Business Tycoon Andrew Mellon

Unqualified NomineesThe following were all friends or associates of Warren G. Harding.

Campaign Manager Harry M. Daugherty

Boyhood Friend Daniel Crissinger

Many of those in the cabinet positions sold jobs, pardons and positions.

The First Scandal Another member of the Harding Cabinet, Forbes Sold Medical supplies from Veteran , and kept the profits from the sales.

Harding was displeased by this scandal feeling betrayed.

Harding left to tour the west dying of a heart attack on June 1923, and was replaced by Calvin Coolidge

Teapot Dome ScandalThe most famous scandal of the Harding administration.Albert B. Fall secretly allowed private interests to lease lands containing U.S Navy Oil reserves.Fall received 300,000 dollars in bribes for this.After an investigation and a Supreme Court ruling Fall was the first Cabinet member to be sent to prison.

Economic policiesMellon argued to lower tax rates allowing consumer to have more money to spend on products.This known as supply side economics or trickle down economicsCongress would drastically lower taxes.

Cooperative Individualism The idea involved encouraging businesses to form trade associations that would share information with the Federal Government.This idea was proposed by Herbert HooverHe believed this system would reduce costs and promote economic efficiency.

Built the Bureau of aviation and Federal Radio commission, which lead to the growth the air and radio industry.

Overseas interestsAt this time Isolationism began to growIsolationism: The belief that America should deal with issues witihin their own borders,and not overseas.

At the same time the Coolidge administration did believe in helping the European economy.Dawes PlanIn attempt to help the European economy the U.S. passed the Dawes Plan.

The plan used American banks to loan money to Germany to help them pay repartitions, as long as Britain and France accepted less money.

Mass productionThe original idea for mass production came about with Henry Ford and the assembly line.The assembly line gave every worker a specialized task as they moved a product down the line. Lead to the quick production of Fords Model T the first successful car.Eventually lead to mass production.AviationIn the early 1900s the U.S. invested aeronautic research.

Charles Langley was in charge of this operation, that would eventually be shut down.

Three days later the Wright Brothers had their first successful flight.AviationAfter the successful flight the U.S. continued to invest in aeronautic research.

Eventually Charles Lindbergh would have his first successful solo flight over the Atlantic in the Spirit of Saint Louise.ProductsAs the amount of money or deposable income increased in the country so did products.

Electric Razors, Refrigerators were just a few of the many products being bought.

Consumers would normally purchase larger items on credit and slowly pay the debt off over time.Social unevennessNot everyone was fortunate enough to enjoy all that benefits of the 1920s.

African Americans were pushed out of their jobs they had obtained during WWI, some moved back south, while others struggled to maintain employment in the north.We also saw that those with lower income could not afford such a lifestyle.Farming Difficulties Farmers began to see a drop in the prices of their products.

Instead of slowing down their production Farmers continued to grow more of the same crop to try cover their production cost.

The continued production of such crops drove the prices down even lower on the market.