Unit VIII

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Unit VIII Boom Times and Challenges (1919-1945)

• Chapter 24 Section 1
• Boom Times

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Boom Times

• The 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.

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Main Idea 1President Harding promised a 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 Wilsons Democratic Party for the
  hard times.

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Warren G. Harding (0443)
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1920 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.

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President 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.

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Hardings Scandal and Sudden Death

• 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.

Hardings popularity was high when he died, but
his own failings and the corruption of his
administration soured his reputation over time.
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The Washington Naval Conference
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Return to Peace and Prosperity

• Explain What caused unemployment at the end of
  World War I?
• Identify Cause and Effect - Why did Mellon
  believe tax cuts for the wealthy would benefit
  all Americans?
• Recall Why did Hardings friends keep him
  walking the floor nights?

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Main Idea 2Calvin Coolidge supported a
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 Hardings 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

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Calvin Coolidge (0438)
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Calvin Coolidge
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Returning 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.

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The Kellogg-Briand Pact
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Coolidges Pro-business Administration

• Recall Under what circumstances did Vice
  President Coolidge become president?
• Draw Conclusions What was the result of
  Coolidges firing of all officials who had been
  involved in the bribery scandals?
• Evaluate What is your opinion of the
  Kellogg-Briand Pact?

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Main Idea 3American business boomed in the
1920s.

• Between 1921 and 1929, U.S. manufacturing
  doubled.
• As jobs and wages increased, so did peoples
  ability to buy new products.
• New products changed the way Americans lived.

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Ford Revolutionizes Industry
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Rise 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

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Henry Ford Changing the Way Americans Worked,
Played, and Traveled (0242)
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Life in the Jazz Age - Automobile

• As the end of the decade neared, Ford and
  Chevrolet locked horns in a fierce pricing battle
  that continued through the Thirties. Other
  automakers, such as Cadillac, Packard, and
  Chrysler, began to have an impact on the market.
• Virtually every household in America owned an
  automobile, and it quickly became an integrated
  part of American life. Parents would drive to
  work in their automobiles. Families could visit
  friends and family who lived farther away. And
  young people found a whole new way to have fun.
  Entertainment and recreation as well as work.
• A wide variety of new industries were spawned-
  petroleum, manufacturing, road construction, etc.

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The 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.

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PERFORMANCE Max 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.
 
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Growing Industries
Factory 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.
Electricity was more widely available, and
companies began creating electrical appliances to
make household chores easier.
Advertising industry boomed as companies competed
to sell their goods.
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Inventions

• Henry Ford was one of several people in the
  1900s 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.

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Industry Changes Society
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The New Consumer
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New 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.
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The Radio

• Most radio historians assert that radio
  broadcasting began in 1920 with the historic
  broadcast of KDKA
• Radio became a product of the mass market
• Between 1923 and 1930, 60 percent of American
  families purchased radios. Families gathered
  around their radios for night-time entertainment
• Radio stations broadcast things like popular
  music, classical music, sporting events,
  lectures, fictional stories, newscasts, weather
  reports, market updates, and political
  commentary.
• The Federal Radio Commission was set up in 1926
  the Radio Act of 1927 organized the Federal Radio
  Commission.
• Crystal radios, like the one at left, were among
  the first radios to be used and manufactured.

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The Phonograph

• The phonograph or Victrola was developed as a
  result of Thomas Edison's work on two other
  inventions, the telegraph and the telephone.
• Uses of the Phonograph- according to Edison
• Letter writing
• dictation
• Phonographic books,
• The teaching of elocution.
• Reproduction of music.
• The "Family Record"--a registry of sayings,
  reminiscences, etc., by members of a family in
  their own voices, and of the last words of dying
  persons.
• Music-boxes and toys.
• Clocks
• The preservation of languages
• Educational purposes.
• Connection with the telephone

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Washing machines

• In 1922 The Maytag Company introduced a system of
  forcing water through the clothes by means of an
  agitator rather than dragging the clothes through
  the water. This system is most commonly used now.
  
• Even as early as 1875 there had been more than
  2,000 patents issued for various washing devices.
  Not every idea worked, of course. One company
  built a machine designed to wash only one item at
  a time.
• What may have been the first "laundromat" was
  opened in 1851 by a gold miner and a carpenter in
  California. Their 12-shirt machine was powered by
  10 donkeys.
• Earliest washers were hand powered by means of a
  wheel, pump handle or similar device. One, was
  driven by twisted ropes which powered the washer
  by "unwinding" somewhat like the use of a rubber
  band to power model airplanes. One washer
  contained rollers which were pushed back and
  forth by hand to squeeze out dirt. Several
  featured "stomping" devices and one - called a
  "Locamotive" was moved rapidly back and forth on
  a track washing the clothes by slamming them
  against the walls of the tub.

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Business Booms

• Recall Which manufacturer helped make the
  automobile more affordable?
• Identify Cause and Effect What resulted from
  the increase of jobs and wages in the 1920s?
• Interpret In what way did Ford cut costs of
  production?
• Judge Why do you think Ford wanted his
  automobile to be more affordable?

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Business Booms

• Explain From a workers point of view, what was
  good about working for Ford?
• Compare How did people buy expensive items
  before Fords installment plan?
• Make Generalizations In what ways did the
  growth of industries improve the lives of
  Americans?

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

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Hoovers Campaign Slogan

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

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Hoover Elected

• Recall What caused the public to support the
  Republican Party?
• Identify Who was Hoovers opponent in the
  election?
• Predict Do you think Hoover was correct in
  saying that America would see the final triumph
  over poverty?

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