1920s

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Unit 6

• 1920s the Great Depression 1919-1940

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Chapter 20

• Politics of the Roaring Twenties

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Section 1 Americans Struggle with Postwar
Issues MAIN IDEA A desire for normality after the
war and a fear of communism and foreigners led to
postwar isolationism.  Fear Communism
1. Palmer formed a new agency in the Justice Department to find and punish radicals. His agents arrested Communists, Socialists, and anarchists, who opposed any government at all. 2. The agents often disregarded the rights of the people they arrested. Hundreds of radicals were sent out of the country without a trial. But Palmer never found evidence of a conspiracy to overthrow the government, and the fear passed.
3. Klan leaders opposed African Americans, Jews, immigrants, and Catholics. By 1924, KKK membership numbered about 4.5 million, and the Klan helped elect officeholders in many states. 4. Its popularity declined with increased criminal activity.
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Fear Labor Unions encouraged communism
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Noted Red Scare Result A celebrated case
involved two Italian immigrants, Nicola Sacco and
Bartolomeo Vanzetti. The pairboth admitted
radicalswere arrested for a double murder during
a robbery in Massachusetts. Although the case was
not strong, they were convicted and executed.
Protests poured in from around the world. Section
3 The Business of America MAIN IDEA Consumer
goods fueled the business boom of the 1920s as
America's standard of living soared.
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American business was transforming American
society, and the automobile led the way. America
became a car culture. By the late 1920s, about 80
percent of all motor vehicles in the world were
in the United States. States and cities built an
elaborate network of new roads and highways. As
cars made it possible for workers to live farther
from their homes, cities grew larger. Cities in
Ohio and especially Michigan grew as major
centers of automobile manufacturing. The airplane
industry grew as well. Planes carried the
nations mail, and passenger service was
introduced.
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Another major change was the spread of
electricity. Whereas electricity had been found
only in central cities before, it now stretched
to the suburbs although farms still lacked
electric power. Electrical appliancesradios,
washing machines, and vacuum cleaners among
thembegan appearing in homes across America. To
convince people to buy these new appliances,
businesses adopted new methods of advertising. No
longer content only to give information about
products, they now used ads to sell an image.
Widespread advertising meant that certain brand
names became nationally known. A new form of mass
entertainmentradioprovided advertisers a way of
reaching huge audiences. The prosperity that
business was generating seemed unstoppable.
National income rose from 64 billion in 1921 to
87 billion in 1929.
Prosperity lead to Problems

• Businesses began producing more goods than they
  could sell
• Income gap was growing
• Mining companies, railroads, and farms were
  suffering.
• Consumer debt rose to alarming levels (buying on
  credit installment plans).

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Chapter 21

• The Roaring Life of the 1920s

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• Carpe DiemWith the war over, many Americans
  begin to celebrate life by enjoying a freer
  lifestyle.
• Characteristics
• Rebellion against prohibition led to massive
  parties, promiscuous behaviors, speakeasies, and
  organized crime.
• New social class of womenFlappers
• Improvements and expansion of public schools
• New modes of mass media and entertainment
• Heroes like Babe Ruth Charles Lindberg
• New forms of music and literacy
• Harlem Renaissancere-emergence of African
  culture mixed with American culture.

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• Back to valuesMany Americans grew disgusted at
  the new American behavior and pushed for many
  moral reforms.
• Characteristics
• Enforcing Prohibition
• Dismantling organized crime
• FundamentalismGod is our creator
• Monkey Scopes Trial
• Flapper behavior needed to end and women should
  go back to housewives
• In the South there were increased efforts to
  enforce segregation

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Chapter 22

• The Great Depression Begins

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Section 1 The Nations Sick Economy
         
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Section 2 Executive Action President Hoover's
conservative response to the Great Depression
drew criticism from many Americans. President
Hoover at first believed that the Depression was
simply another slowdown that would end. Officials
in his administration thought it best to do
nothing and let the economy heal itself. Hoover
believed government should take action, but be
careful not to take too much power. Hoover
thought that the governments role should be to
help different groups work together to improve
the economy. He also believed that the government
should encourage private groups to provide
benefitsfood and shelterto the needy and
jobless. He did not think that the government
should provide direct aid to people, however.
Hoover met with bankers, business leaders, and
labor leaders. He urged them to work together to
revive the economy. Despite these efforts, the
economic situation simply got worse. Farmers
destroyed some food or refused to work. People
without homes began to call their shantytowns
Hoovervilles. Hoover did not change his
principles and offer direct aid to the jobless
and hungry. He did take steps to have a more
active government role in the economy, however.
He began a program of major public works,
including building roads, bridges, and dams, to
provide jobs. He launched a program to try to
raise food prices and urged bankers to join a
credit organization that would shore up ailing
smaller banks.
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By 1932, the economy had still not improved.
Congress passed a law to lower the rates for home
mortgages, hoping to spur the construction
industry. Hoover created the Reconstruction
Finance Corporation, aimed at funding projects
that would create jobs. The RFC was a major
change in policy, but it came too late to help.
Hoovers popularity plummeted even further in
1932 when World War I veterans came to
Washington. They demanded early payment of the
bonuses they had been promised. This Bonus Army
began to live in tents near the Capitol building.
Hoover helped them, but after Congress voted down
the bill they had requested, he told the veterans
to leave. About 2,000 stayed, and Hoover ordered
the army to remove them. The sight of U.S. army
troops gassing American citizensincluding
childrenoutraged many people. Hoover faced the
1932 presidential campaign more unpopular than
ever.
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Chapter 23

• The New Deal

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Section 1 The New Deal MAIN IDEA After becoming
president, Franklin Delano Roosevelt used
government programs to combat the Depression. In
the 1932 election, Franklin Delano Rooseveltor
FDRwon a landslide victory, and Democrats took
control of the House and Senate. His policies
were called the New Deal.
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• 1st New Deal Policies
• EBRAEmergency Banking Relief Act-- The new
  president tried to end the crisis by temporarily
  closing banks and passing a number of new laws
  aimed at re-establishing the solidarity of the
  banks.
• AAAAgricultural Adjustment ActAided farmers by
  destroying food and raising food prices.
• NIRANational Industrial Recovery Actsought to
  promote Industrial Growth.
• TVATennessee Valley Authority brought flood
  control and electricity to a poor region.
• CCCCivilian Conservation CorpsProvided jobs to
  unskilled men.
• PWA CWAPublic Works Civil Works
  Administrationprovided jobs to skilled men to
  improve the nations architectural make-up.
• HOLCHome Owners Loan Corporationsought to keep
  middle class families in their homes.

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• Section 2 Impact of New Deal
• restored peoples faith in government
• increased the power of the Executive
• created Social Security
• provided a scare of socialism
• FDR court packing scandal
• 2nd New Deal