Unit VIII – Boom Unit VIII – Boom Times and Challenges Times and Challenges

(1919-1945) (1919-1945)

Chapter 24 Section 1Chapter 24 Section 1

Boom TimesBoom Times

Boom TimesBoom TimesThe Big Idea

American industries boomed in the 1920s, changing many Americans’ way of life.

Main Ideas

President Harding promised a return to peace and prosperity.

Calvin Coolidge supported a probusiness agenda.

American business boomed in the 1920s.

In 1928, Americans elected Herbert Hoover, hoping he would help good financial times continue.

Main Idea 1:Main Idea 1:President Harding promised a President Harding promised a return to peace and prosperity.return to peace and prosperity.

The end of World War I impacted the American economy.

Factories cut back on production.

Millions of soldiers left military.

Unemployment rose sharply.

Prices soared

Wages could not keep up with rising prices.

Workers went on strike.

Voters blamed Wilson’s Democratic Party for the hard times.

Warren G. Harding (04:43) Warren G. Harding (04:43)

1920 Presidential Election1920 Presidential Election Republicans chose Warren G. Harding as their

candidate.

Harding chose Calvin Coolidge as his running mate.

Campaign strategy: promise to return country to stability and prosperity. Return to Nomalcy.

Harding won a landslide victory with 60 percent of the popular vote.

Immediately worked to strengthen the economy

However, the presidency faced problems.

Corruption of presidential appointees

Teapot Dome scandal involved the first cabinet member ever to be convicted of a crime for his actions while in office.

President Harding and Return to NormalcyPresident Harding and Return to Normalcy

President Harding was out of his depth in dealing with most foreign affairs. But he tried to be decisive. He would not join the League of Nations and ignored the Versailles Treaty. Instead the U.S. made a separate peace with Germany- July 2, 1921.

When the world was at war no one could feel at peace.

Harding’s Scandal and Sudden Harding’s Scandal and Sudden DeathDeath Harding compensated for his poor governing skills by hiring highly skilled

cabinet members.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Andrew Mellon reformed the tax system.

Secretary of State Charles Evans Hughes and Commerce Secretary Herbert Hoover were also incredibly successful cabinet members.

Some cabinet members, however, were old friends from Ohio, called the Ohio Gang, who were later convicted of taking bribes.

Secretary of the Interior Albert Fall was convicted and jailed for accepting bribes to allow oil companies to drill federal reserves on government land called the Teapot Dome in Wyoming.

Harding, distressed by rumors, took a trip to Alaska, and collapsed after giving over 85 speeches in Alaska and died not too long after.

Harding’s popularity was high when he died, but his own failings and the corruption of his administration soured his reputation over time.

The Washington Naval ConferenceThe Washington Naval Conference

The Conference

• Countries cut back the size of their navies and scrapped existing ships and some under construction.

• The conference also led to an agreement on several issues threatening world peace, including plans to avoid competition among the world’s military powers for control of China.

• Many Americans thought the conference was a success, including Secretary of State Charles Evans Hughes.

Public Pressure

• Peacetime brought pressure to reduce the size of U.S. armed forces to save money and reduce war threats.

• But people feared world naval powers, including Great Britain and Japan, were in an arms race, when competing nations build more and more weapons to avoid one nation gaining a clear advantage.

• Hoping to stop an arms race, the U.S. organized the Washington Naval Conference, inviting all major naval powers.

Though the conference was somewhat successful, it was not long before world tension rose again and more ships were built for war.

Return to Peace and ProsperityReturn to Peace and Prosperity

ExplainExplain – What caused unemployment – What caused unemployment at the end of World War I?at the end of World War I?

Identify Cause and EffectIdentify Cause and Effect - Why did - Why did Mellon believe tax cuts for the wealthy Mellon believe tax cuts for the wealthy would benefit all Americans?would benefit all Americans?

RecallRecall – Why did Harding’s friends – Why did Harding’s friends keep him “walking the floor nights”?keep him “walking the floor nights”?

Main Idea 2:Main Idea 2:Calvin Coolidge supported a Calvin Coolidge supported a

pro-business agenda.pro-business agenda. Calvin Coolidge became president in August 1923

after Harding died of a heart attack. Fired all of the officials involved in corruption scandals

during Harding’s administration.

Gained popularity for his work

Coolidge elected president in 1924 election.

Moved forward on a pro-business agenda Lowered taxes for wealthy

Raised tariffs on foreign goods to decrease domestic competition

Vetoed Congressional attempts to provide aid to farmers through price regulation

Calvin Coolidge (04:38) Calvin Coolidge (04:38)

Coolidge in Office

• As president, he got rid of officials suspected of corruption under Harding.

• Thought business helped society, and government should be limited

• Lowered taxes, reduced federal spending, would not help farmers or war veterans

Calvin CoolidgeCalvin Coolidge

Coolidge the Man• Serious and

straightforward, known as “Silent Cal”

• He liked playing practical jokes on White House staff but hated small talk.

• He was popular at the time but did not run for re-election in 1928.

• Vice President Calvin Coolidge took the office of president in the early hours following Harding’s death.

Upbringing

• Raised in a modest rural Vermont home; his father ran a store and liked politics.

• Graduated from college in Amherst, Massachusetts, and took up law and politics in the Republican Party

• Elected governor of Massachusetts and gained fame for stopping the Boston Police strike

Returning to ProsperityReturning to Prosperity Europeans wanted to avoid another devastating

war.

In 1928, the United States and 14 other countries signed the Kellog-Briand Pact. Agreement that outlawed war

Eventually signed by 62 nations

Some complained that the pact was unenforceable.

Others saw the pact as a sign that most countries wanted to prevent another global conflict.

The Kellogg-Briand PactThe Kellogg-Briand Pact

• Though the U.S. refused to join the League of Nations, a strong interest in preventing war remained.

• The French proposed a treaty with the U.S. outlawing war between two nations, but the U.S. responded with a bigger idea.

• Secretary of State Frank Kellogg proposed an agreement that would involve many countries.

• The Kellogg-Briand Pact resulted, stating that all countries who signed it renounced war as a solution for international controversies.

• The pact presented a high ideal for a war-torn world, and more than 60 nations signed on.

• Yet the pact had no system for enforcement, only the nations’ promises, and soon after, the world would realize that it was not enough to stop war from happening again.

Coolidge’s Pro-business AdministrationCoolidge’s Pro-business Administration

RecallRecall – Under what circumstances – Under what circumstances did Vice President Coolidge become did Vice President Coolidge become president?president?

Draw ConclusionsDraw Conclusions – What was the – What was the result of Coolidge’s firing of all result of Coolidge’s firing of all officials who had been involved in the officials who had been involved in the bribery scandals?bribery scandals?

EvaluateEvaluate – What is your opinion of the – What is your opinion of the Kellogg-Briand Pact?Kellogg-Briand Pact?

Main Idea 3:Main Idea 3:American business boomed in the American business boomed in the

1920s.1920s.

Between 1921 and 1929, U.S. Between 1921 and 1929, U.S. manufacturing doubled.manufacturing doubled.

As jobs and wages increased, so did As jobs and wages increased, so did people’s ability to buy new products.people’s ability to buy new products.

New products changed the way New products changed the way Americans lived.Americans lived.

2. Make the process smooth, using interchangeable parts and moving belts.

Ford Revolutionizes Ford Revolutionizes IndustryIndustry

3. Determine how workers should move, and at what speed, to be the most productive.

• The first cars appeared in the U.S. in the 1800s, but only the rich could buy them, until Henry Ford began selling the Model T in 1908.

• Ford’s vision combined three main ideas.

1. Make cars simple and identical instead of doing highly expensive custom manufacturing.

• These ideas formed the first large-scale moving assembly line, a production system in which the item being built moves along a conveyor belt to workstations that usually require simple skills.

• By the 1920s Ford made a car every minute, dropping prices so that by 1929 there were about 22 million cars in America.

• Ford raised his workers’ wages so they could also buy cars, but he opposed unions, and assembly lines were very boring.

Rise of the AutomobileRise of the Automobile Henry Ford, allowed customers to buy cars

using an installment plan.

Other automobile companies began to offer installment plans.

The automobile changed the way Americans lived.

Could take jobs farther away from where they lived

Gave people a sense of freedom and adventure

Henry Ford: Changing the Way Americans Worked, Played, and Traveled Henry Ford: Changing the Way Americans Worked, Played, and Traveled (02:42) (02:42)

Life in the Jazz Age - Life in the Jazz Age - AutomobileAutomobile

As the end of the decade neared, Ford and As the end of the decade neared, Ford and Chevrolet locked horns in a fierce pricing Chevrolet locked horns in a fierce pricing battle that continued through the Thirties. battle that continued through the Thirties. Other automakers, such as Cadillac, Packard, Other automakers, such as Cadillac, Packard, and Chrysler, began to have an impact on the and Chrysler, began to have an impact on the market.market.

Virtually every household in America owned Virtually every household in America owned an automobile, and it quickly became an an automobile, and it quickly became an integrated part of American life. Parents would integrated part of American life. Parents would drive to work in their automobiles. Families drive to work in their automobiles. Families could visit friends and family who lived farther could visit friends and family who lived farther away. And young people found a whole new away. And young people found a whole new way to have fun. Entertainment and recreation way to have fun. Entertainment and recreation as well as work.as well as work.

A wide variety of new industries were A wide variety of new industries were spawned- petroleum, manufacturing, road spawned- petroleum, manufacturing, road construction, etc.construction, etc.

The Magnificent DobleThe Magnificent Doble The Doble steamers of the 1920's were almost

miracles of precision, workmanship, performance, reliability and power. They simply ran away from the best of the competition -- Cadillac's, Lincoln's, Packard's, Pierce-Arrows, Rolls Royce, or what have you.

As for durability and reliability the Doble had no match. Doble did not guarantee his steam engines for just 10,000 miles, or a year. He guaranteed them for 100,000 miles!!

Abner Doble, creator of the magnificent Doble steam car, born in 1890, descended from an early California family, Young Abner built his first car when only 16 years of age.

PERFORMANCEMax Speed MPH 95 Max RPM 1300 Max Sustained Speed 75 0 to 75 14.68

sec Breaking Poor PRICE

$ 9750.00 in 1924

A DOBLE E19 was driven 186,000 miles over a 20 year period by Chas T. Briar requiring only three sets of tires, two batteries and a patch on the nicrome firebox,

obtaining 10 to 14 miles per gallon on fuel oil.  

Growing IndustriesGrowing IndustriesFactory employment rose as parts were needed for automobile production.

Government spent millions improving roads.

New business opportunities arose along roadways to serve travelers, including gas stations, restaurants, and motels.

Advertising industry boomed as companies competed to sell their goods.

Electricity was more widely available, and companies began creating electrical appliances to make household chores easier.

InventionsInventions• Henry Ford was one of several people in the 1900’s whose

inventions changed Americans’ lifestyles.

• The first practical dishwasher was invented by Josephine Garis-Cochrane, a socialite concerned with protecting her 17th century tableware, which was becoming chipped at the hands of her servants.

• When her husband died, she turned to manufacturing them full time.

• The Columbian Exposition of 1893 used her new machines in it enormous kitchens.

• Upon her death, the company was sold and in 1940 became the Kitchen Aid division of the Whirlpool Corporation.

Car Effects

• Demand for steel, rubber, glass, and other car materials soared.

• Auto repair shops and filling stations sprang up.

• Motels and restaurants arose to meet travelers’ needs.

• Landowners who found petroleum on their property became rich.

Cities and Suburbs

• Detroit, Michigan, grew when Ford based his plants there, and other automakers followed.

• Other midwestern cities, like Akron, Ohio, boomed by making car necessities like rubber and tires.

• Suburbs, which started thanks to trolley lines, grew with car travel.

Industry Changes SocietyIndustry Changes SocietyTourism

• Freedom to travel by car produced a new tourism industry.

• Before the auto boom, Florida attracted mostly the wealthy, but cars brought tourists by the thousands.

• Buyers snatched up land, causing prices to rise.

• Some Florida swamps were drained to put up housing.

The New ConsumerThe New Consumer

Creating Demand

• Advertisers became the cheerleaders of the new consumer economy.

• Persuasive advertising gained a major role in the economy.

• Advertisers paid for space in publications, and companies sponsored radio shows.

• Advertising money made these shows available to the public, and ads gave the products wide exposure.

• During the 1920s, an explosion of new products, experiences, and forms of communication stimulated the economy.

New Products

• New factories turned out electrical appliances like refrigerators and vacuum cleaners, as more homes were wired for electricity.

• The radio connected the world, and by the late 1920s, 4 homes in 10 had a radio, and families gathered around it nightly.

• The first passenger airplanes appeared in the 1920s, and though they were more uncomfortable than trains, the thrill excited many Americans.

New Ways To PayNew Ways To Pay In the early 1900s, most Americans paid for items in full when they

bought them, perhaps borrowing money for very large, important, or expensive items like houses, pianos, or sewing machines.

Borrowing was not considered respectable until the 1920s, when installment buying, or paying for an item over time in small payments, became popular.

They bought on credit, which is, in effect, borrowing money.

Consumers quickly took to installment buying to purchase new products on the market.

By the end of the decade, 90 percent of durable goods, or long-lasting goods like cars and appliances, were bought on credit.

Advertisers encouraged the use of credit, telling consumers they could “get what they want now” and assuring them that with small payments they would “barely miss the money.”

The RadioThe Radio Most radio historians assert that radio Most radio historians assert that radio

broadcasting began in 1920 with the historic broadcasting began in 1920 with the historic broadcast of KDKAbroadcast of KDKA

Radio became a product of the mass marketRadio became a product of the mass market

Between 1923 and 1930, 60 percent of American Between 1923 and 1930, 60 percent of American families purchased radios. Families gathered families purchased radios. Families gathered around their radios for night-time entertainmentaround their radios for night-time entertainment

Radio stations broadcast things like popular Radio stations broadcast things like popular music, classical music, sporting events, lectures, music, classical music, sporting events, lectures, fictional stories, newscasts, weather reports, fictional stories, newscasts, weather reports, market updates, and political commentary.market updates, and political commentary.

The Federal Radio Commission was set up in The Federal Radio Commission was set up in 1926; the Radio Act of 1927 organized the 1926; the Radio Act of 1927 organized the

Federal Radio Commission.Federal Radio Commission. Crystal radios, like the one at left, were among Crystal radios, like the one at left, were among

the first radios to be used and manufactured.the first radios to be used and manufactured.

The PhonographThe Phonograph The phonograph or Victrola was The phonograph or Victrola was

developed as a result of Thomas Edison's developed as a result of Thomas Edison's work on two other inventions, the work on two other inventions, the telegraph and the telephone.telegraph and the telephone.

Uses of the Phonograph- according to Uses of the Phonograph- according to EdisonEdison Letter writingLetter writing dictation dictation Phonographic books, Phonographic books, The teaching of elocution. The teaching of elocution. Reproduction of music. Reproduction of music. The "Family Record"--a registry of sayings, reminiscences, The "Family Record"--a registry of sayings, reminiscences,

etc., by members of a family in their own voices, and of the etc., by members of a family in their own voices, and of the last words of dying persons.last words of dying persons.

Music-boxes and toys. Music-boxes and toys. Clocks Clocks The preservation of languages The preservation of languages Educational purposes. Educational purposes. Connection with the telephoneConnection with the telephone

Washing machinesWashing machines In 1922 The Maytag Company introduced a system of forcing In 1922 The Maytag Company introduced a system of forcing

water through the clothes by means of an agitator rather water through the clothes by means of an agitator rather than dragging the clothes through the water. This system is than dragging the clothes through the water. This system is most commonly used now. most commonly used now.

Even as early as 1875 there had been more than 2,000 patents Even as early as 1875 there had been more than 2,000 patents issued for various washing devices. Not every idea worked, of issued for various washing devices. Not every idea worked, of course. One company built a machine designed to wash only course. One company built a machine designed to wash only one item at a time. one item at a time.

What may have been the first "laundromat" was opened in What may have been the first "laundromat" was opened in 1851 by a gold miner and a carpenter in California. Their 12-1851 by a gold miner and a carpenter in California. Their 12-shirt machine was powered by 10 donkeys. shirt machine was powered by 10 donkeys.

Earliest washers were hand powered by means of a wheel, Earliest washers were hand powered by means of a wheel, pump handle or similar device. One, was driven by twisted pump handle or similar device. One, was driven by twisted ropes which powered the washer by "unwinding" somewhat ropes which powered the washer by "unwinding" somewhat like the use of a rubber band to power model airplanes. One like the use of a rubber band to power model airplanes. One washer contained rollers which were pushed back and forth washer contained rollers which were pushed back and forth by hand to squeeze out dirt. Several featured "stomping" by hand to squeeze out dirt. Several featured "stomping" devices and one - called a "Locamotive" was moved rapidly devices and one - called a "Locamotive" was moved rapidly back and forth on a track washing the clothes by slamming back and forth on a track washing the clothes by slamming them against the walls of the tub.them against the walls of the tub.

Business BoomsBusiness Booms RecallRecall – Which manufacturer helped – Which manufacturer helped

make the automobile more affordable?make the automobile more affordable? Identify Cause and EffectIdentify Cause and Effect – What – What

resulted from the increase of jobs and resulted from the increase of jobs and wages in the 1920’s?wages in the 1920’s?

InterpretInterpret – In what way did Ford cut – In what way did Ford cut costs of production?costs of production?

JudgeJudge – Why do you think Ford – Why do you think Ford wanted his automobile to be more wanted his automobile to be more affordable?affordable?

Business BoomsBusiness Booms ExplainExplain – From a worker’s point of – From a worker’s point of

view, what was good about working view, what was good about working for Ford?for Ford?

CompareCompare – How did people buy – How did people buy expensive items before Ford’s expensive items before Ford’s installment plan?installment plan?

Make GeneralizationsMake Generalizations – In what ways – In what ways did the growth of industries improve did the growth of industries improve the lives of Americans?the lives of Americans?

Main Idea 4:Main Idea 4:In 1928, Americans elected In 1928, Americans elected Herbert Hoover, hoping he would help good Herbert Hoover, hoping he would help good financial times continue.financial times continue.

1928 Election

Herbert Hoover was the Republican candidate. Public support was strong.

Promised that he would maintain economic prosperity

New York governor Alfred E. Smith was Democratic candidate. Campaign focused on issues facing city-dwellers.

Religious faith was also an issue; he was the first Catholic to run for president.

Hoover elected with 58 percent of the popular vote.

Hoover’s Campaign SloganHoover’s Campaign Slogan

One campaign slogan that is One campaign slogan that is still often quoted is a promise still often quoted is a promise made by candidate Herbert made by candidate Herbert Hoover in the 1928 presidential Hoover in the 1928 presidential election. He promised election. He promised Americans Americans ““a chicken in every a chicken in every pot and a car in every garage.”pot and a car in every garage.”

Hoover ElectedHoover Elected RecallRecall – What caused the public – What caused the public

to support the Republican Party?to support the Republican Party? IdentifyIdentify– Who was Hoover’s – Who was Hoover’s

opponent in the election?opponent in the election? PredictPredict – Do you think Hoover – Do you think Hoover

was correct in saying that was correct in saying that America would see “the final America would see “the final triumph over poverty”?triumph over poverty”?