2nd Period - Chapter 20

Table of ContentsSection 1 - American Struggle with Postwar

Issues

Postwar TrendsFear of Communism

The Palmer RaidsSacco & Vanzetti

Limiting ImmigrationThe Quota System

The Boston Police StrikeThe Steel Mill Strike

The Coal Miner's Strike

Section 2 - The Harding Presidency

Harding Struggles for PeaceThe Harding administration

Harding’s cabinetOhio gang

Teapot Dome Scandal

Section 3 - The Business of America

American Industries FlourishImpact of the Automobile

The Young Airplane IndustryElectrical Conveniences

Dawn of Modern AdvertisingBuying Goods on Credit

Section 1: American Struggle with PostwarIssues

Postwar Trends:After WWI, American lives had changed drastically. Soldiers came back from

war facing the problem that they had lost their jobs to women and theminorities. The cost of living had doubled. Farmers and factory workers

suffered as wartime orders decreased.Nativism, which is prejudice against foreign-born people, swept the nation.Isolationism is a policy of pulling away from involvement in world affairs.

Fear of Communism:Communism is an economic and political system based on a single-party ruled

by a dictatorship.The Red Scare: The panic in the U.S.A began in 1919, after Russia overthrewthe czarist regime. Vladimir I. Lenin and his followers established a new

Communist country.The red flag represents Communism which was a great threatto capitalism. A Communist Party formed in the United States and 17,000

people joined, including some from the Industrial Workers of the World. Thepublic grew fearful that the Communists were taking over because severaldozen bombs were mailed to government and business leaders. U.S. AttorneyGeneral Alexander Mitchell Palmer reacted to combat what was known as “Red

Scare”.

The Palmer Raids:In August 1919, Palmer appointed J. Edgar Hoover as his special assistant.

Palmer, Hoover and their agents hunted down suspected communists, socialistsand anarchists. They arrested suspects without legal counsel. Hundreds of

foreign-born radicals were deported without trials. Many thought Palmer waslooking for a campaign issue to gain support for his president aspirations.Therefore, the public decided that he didn't know what he talking about.

Sacco and Vanzetti:The two most famous victims in the Palmer Raids were Nicola Sacco andBartolomeo Vanzetti, a shoemaker and a fish peddler. They were Italian

immigrants and anarchists, both had evaded the draft during WWI. In May 1920,they were arrested for robbery and murdering a factory paymaster and hisguard in South Braintree, Massachusetts. Witnesses had said the criminalsappeared to be Italians. They were found guilty and sentenced to death.

Therefore, protests rang out in the U.S.A., Europe, and Latin America. Manypeople thought that Sacco and Vanzetti were mistreated because their radical

beliefs and some were arrested because they were immigrants. In 1962,newballistics tests showed that the pistol found on Sacco was in fact the oneused to murder the guard. However, there was no proof that Sacco had pulled

the trigger.

Vanzetti andSacco

Limiting ImmigrationAnti-immigrant attitudes had been growing in the U.S.A.. Many immigrants were

willing to work for low wages in industries. After WWI, the need forunskilled labor in the U.S.A. decreased. Nativists believed fewer immigrants

should be let into the country because there was fewer jobs available.The Klan Rises Again:

By 1924, KKK membership reached 4.5 million "white male persons, native-borngentile citizens". The Klan also believed in keeping blacks "in their place",destroying saloons, opposing unions and driving Roman Catholics, Jews, and

foreign-born people out of the country. The KKK members were paid to recruitnew members into their world. The KKK dominated state politics in many states

and by the end of the decade its criminal activity led to a decrease inpower.

The Quota System

Immigrants

From 1919 to 1921 the immigration population went up by almost 600 percent.Congress then responded with the Emergency Quota Act of 1921. The Emergency

Quota Act of 1921 set up a quota system that limited the number of immigrantsfrom each foreign country. The goal was to cut European immigration to theUnited States. By 1924, the law stated that two percent from the number of

people that were living in the United States in 1890 (later changed to 1920)from each country would be the maximum number of immigrants from thatcountry. This act discriminated against eastern and southern Europeans

because they didn’t start to migrate to the U.S. until after 1890.Furthermore, this act prohibited Japanese immigrants even though they were

keeping the Gentlemen's Agreement as negotiated. It insulted and angered theJapanese. In 1927, the total number of people who immigrated to the U.S.

decreased to 150,000.

The Boston Police Strike

The Boston Police

The Boston Police had not been given no wage raises since WWI and were notallowed to unionize. Because of that, representatives asked for a raise butthen they were fired; that was the spark that led to the decision to strike.Not much later, Massachusetts governor Calvin Coolidge called the NationalGuard and the strike ended. The policemen then were replaced with new ones

and Coolidge was praised for saving Boston.

Quote of Calvin Coolidge when he called out the National Guard, “There is noright to strike against the public safety by anybody, anywhere, any time".

The Steel Mill Strike

TheSteelworkers

The workers wanted shorter working hours, a living wage, union recognitionand collective bargaining rights. But when the U.S. Steel Company refused tomeet with their representatives, 300,000 of them just walked out on their

jobs. The response of this action was the hiring of strikebreakers, employeesthat worked during the strikes. Those workers were looked down on and beaten

by police, federal troops, and state militias. After that, the steelcompanies started a propaganda campaign saying that the strikers were

communists. When the strike ended, a report on the steel worker’s harshworking conditions was published and the workers gained eight-hour working

days, but still no union recognition.

The Coal Miners’ strikeThe coal miners also wanted higher salaries and shorter working days. John L.Lewis was the leader of their union and sent them on a strike on November 1,1919. Shortly after that, a court order was used to send them back to work.Lewis declared the strike to be over, but secretively told the strikers tokeep on going. President Wilson then told a judge to put an end to this

strike. After the strike, the coal miners gained a 27 percent salary increaseand John L. Lewis became a national hero.

Other improvements that the coal miners wanted to achieve through the strikewere shorter workdays and a 5-day working week. However, that was not

achieved until the 1930s.

Section 2The Harding Presidency.

1921-1923Republican

Name: Warren G. HardingBorn: 2 November 1865Died: 2 August 1923Birthplace: Corsica, OhioBest known as: President of the United States, 1921-23

Warren G. Harding

He was the 29th president of the United States. During his presidentialcampaign, in the aftermath of World War I, he promised a return to

"normalcy". At the Washington Naval Conference, Charles Evans Hughes(Secretary of State) led the way to world naval disarmament at the WashingtonNaval Conference of 1921–22. In 1922, America adopted the Fordney-McCumberTariff, which raised taxes on some U.S imports to 60 percent. The impact of

the Fordney-McCumber Act was considerable. Rising tariff barriers in the U.S.made it more difficult for European nations to conduct trade and,

resultantly, to pay off their war debts. To avoid another war, Americanbankers was sent to negotiate loans. Eventually, the United States arranged

to be repaid with its own money.

The Harding administration appealed to America’s desire for calm and peaceafter the war, but resulted in scandal. He helped the government more

efficiently, and appointed some well people as some important functions. TheHarding’s cabinet also included the so-called Ohio gang- it carries

connotations of self-serving, corrupt men hailing from Harding's home stateof Ohio, despite the fact that most Harding officials were neither Ohioansnor corrupt. Harding’s administration began to accept bribes: Charles R.

Forbes, the head of the Veterans Bureau, was caught illegal sellinggovernment and hospital supplies to private companies. Colonel Thomas W.

Miller, the head of the Office of Alien Property, was caught taking a bribe.The most spectacular example of corruption was the Teapot Dome Scandal.

Secretary of the Interior Albert B. Fall (a native of Kentucky, later of NewMexico) used his position to sell portions of the navy's strategic oil

reserves and leases - leading him and Denby to be embroiled in the TeapotDome Scandal. Fall was found guilty and became the first Presidential cabinetmember to serve time in prison. None of the other parties involved in Teapot

Dome were from Ohio.

Political cartoon of Teapot Dome ScandalOn August 2, 1923, he died suddenly, probably from a heart attack or stroke.

Warren G. Harding died in San Francisco, CA. He was 57 years old. He isburied in Marion, Ohio.

President Harding's Vice President was Calvin Coolidge (1921-1923)- arespected man of integrity, helped to restore people’s faith in their

government and in the Republican Party. The next year, Coolidge was electedpresident.

SECTION 3: THE BUSINESS OF AMERICAAmerican Industries FlourishAmerican Industries Flourish

The new president, Calvin Coolidge, fit into the pro-business of the 1920s.He and his successor, Herbert Hoover, favored government policies that wouldkeep taxes down, promote business’s profit, give businesses more availablecredit in order to expand. They continued to place high tariffs on foreign

import. Reducing taxes so that people had more money in their pockets.

PresidentCalvin Coolidge

Impact of the AutomobileImpact of the Automobile

The automobile changed the American landscape. Constructions of roads weresuitable for driving in all weather. The legendary, famous Route 66,

provided a route for people - from Chicago to California.Because of the changing of landscape, architecture also changed. New house

were designed with a garage or carport and a drive way, and a small lawn.

House, with a garage and a lawn, popular architecture in California

Automobile also launched a rapid construction of gasoline stations,repair shops, motel, and shopping centers. The first automatic traffic

signals began to blink in Detroit in 1920s.The Holland Tunnel, the first underwater tunnel designed specifically

for motor vehicles, opened in 1927 to connect New York and Jersey City,New Jersey

The Tunnel’s entrance in New York City Inside of the tunnel

The Woodbridge Cloverleaf, the first cloverleaf intersection, was builtin New Jersey, in 1929

Woodbridge Cloverleaf Today’s clover intersection

The automobile liberated the isolated rural family, who could nowtravel to city for shopping and entertainment. It also provided moreopportunities for several families to have a vacation in a farawayplace. It also allowed workers to live miles away from where they

worked. This created an urban sprawl, which are cities spread in alldirections.

The automobile even became a status symbol, for individual families tothe rest of the world. In Middletown, the social scientist Robert and

Helen Lynd noted that one woman’s comment: “I’ll go without food beforeI’ll see us give up the car”

The auto industries marked the success of the free enterprise systemand the Coolidge era. There was nowhere in the world where people hadlittle money in their pocket and could still own an automobile. In1920s, about 80% of the registered automobiles were in the United

States.

The Young Airplane Industry

Automobiles were not the only transportation that was successful.Airplanes began as the mail transportation for the U.S Post Office.

Although the first flight of 1918 was a disaster, a number ofsuccessful flights were established. Airplanes became the means of

transportation of the peaceful time, not only for mail. Airplanes alsocarried radio,and navigation instruments to serve the development of

weather forecasting.In 1926, Henry Ford made a trimotor airplane.

A Trimotor Airplane by Henry Ford

Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart flew over Atlantic to promotecargo and commercial airlines. In 1927, Lockheed Company presented asingle-engine plane, known as Vega. It was one of the most popular

types of airplanes.

The Vega

Founded in 1927, Pan American Airways began the first passenger flight.

ELECTRICAL CONVENIENCESELECTRICAL CONVENIENCESGasoline was the main source of electricity and powered much of the economicboom in the 1920s. Electricity was used to run machines in American factories

and much more. Another development was alternating electrical current;alternating electrical current made long distance distribution of electricitypossible, which meant that suburbs could have electricity,too. By the end of

1920s, more and more families used electrical utensils in the house andelectrical bills rose drastically, even though farms still lacked electricalpower. All of this made it easier on housewives and they were able to work

outside of the house.

THE DAWN OF MODERN ADVERTISINGAs technology rose, so did products. Massive goods were available in the

markets now and advertising agencies started to hire psychologists to studyhow to appeal to customer's desires. Slogans like "Say it with flowers"

doubled the sales rate of products and become popular. Businessmen were verywell liked during this period of time because they would sing songs and raise

money to donate to charities.

BUYING GOODS ON CREDITBUYING GOODS ON CREDITIn order to lure more customers into buying more products,industries invented the easy credit or "a dollar down and a

dollar forever." It was called the installment plan; it enabledcustomers to pay for their products over an extended period oftime without having to pay a lot of money in cash. Banks even

gave the money out at low interest rates.Not long after,economists and business owners grew concered and wondered if theinstallment plan was getting out of hand. Citizens were drivenby it and would rather buy an automobile than having a cook-stove. But since they can't live without a cook-stove, they

would just buy it on another installment plan that they couldn'tpay.

Conclusion/SummaryDuring the 1920s and the 1930s, the lives of Americans changed drastically.Soldiers that were back from the war faced unemployment or were desperate

enough to take away women and minorities jobs back. Economically, prices haverisen and Americans started to react to these changes. They started to have

the feeling of nativism and isolationism, in addition to that, communism wasspreading and so everything led to discrimination of every other race but the

American. Because of the strong feelings they had to immigrants, theEmergency Quota Act of 1921 was established and immigrants were treated

unfairly. But that wasn't all, workers started to have conflicts with theirmanagement, too; employers didn't want to give wage raises or shorten work

days, they tried to prevent their employees from joining unions and said thatthey were Communists trying to plan a revolution. Netherless, strikes stillhappened and many workers lost their jobs, though not all ended up empty

handed. Warren G. Harding was the president at that time and he wanted peace,and so the most powerful nations got together and decided to disarm. For thefirst time all the nations agreed, but as we know, peace doesn't hold very

long, so when it was time for Great Britain and France to pay back war debts,conflicts occurred. Resentment spread because Great Britain and France foundthe U.S. to be stingy for not paying some of the war debts. In addition tothat, the U.S. benefited from the defeat of Germany, and thought of Great

Britain and France as financially irresponsible. Harding also faced a lot ofproblems within, with his Ohio Gang. Scandals after scandals were sweepingaround the U.S., the most famous one was the Teapot Dome Scandal that ended

with the first man to be convicted of a felony and while working in thecabinet. Harding, not much later died from a stroke or a heart attack andCoolidge took over. With Coolidge’s help, private enterprises were able toexpand, high tariffs were set on foreign imports, income taxes were reduced

and wages were rising. With Coolidge came the automobile; it changed people'slives and made them better. Roads, gasoline stations, repair shops, public

garages, motels and much more were built because of the automobile. Not onlythat, but architectural styles changed also and houses that had a garage or

carport, a driveway, and a smaller lawn were created. Automatic trafficsignals, the Holland Tunnel, the first underwater tunnel for motor vehicles,and the Woodbridge Cloverleaf were created during this time and were helpingwith traffic. The automobile also made it possible for isolated families totravel to cities to go shopping or go on vacation. It gave women and youngadults independence through its mobility. It also benefited the workers andallowed them to take jobs that were further away from their houses. The autoindustry symbolized Coolidge’s success of the free enterprise system and hisown era. Automobiles were cheap and by the late 1920s about 80 percent of theregistered vehicles were in the United States. A humorous quote by Henry Fordwas, “It will take a hundred years to tell whether you helped us or hurt us,but you certainly didn’t leave us where you found us.” Furthermore, airplaneindustries were starting a mail carrying service for the U.S. post office.With this first step, more and more inventions and additional equipment

regarding the airplanes formed. Even transatlantic flights were possible now,thanks to Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart. Not long after that, thefirst transatlantic passenger airline was established, the Pan American

Airways. Because the United States had all these great inventions, they ownedaround 40 percent of the word’s wealth, and the annual income rose more than35 percent. With all the extra money that they earned, they started to buymore things. Electricity was widely used by now and with the alternating

electrical currents, the distribution of electrical power over long distanceswas possible. Therefore, the number of electrified households grew. Home

electronics were bought, such as an electric iron, electric refrigerators,cooking ranges, and toasters. The electrical bills were jumping off the page;however, with all these helpers in the house, housewives had more time andwere even able to work outside the home. In addition, with all these goods

coming into the markets, advertising agencies hired psychologist to studypeople’s desires and to make their products more appealing to them. Sloganswere everywhere and helped double most of its products. More and more peoplewanted to buy things and so everything was expanding. And industries providedeasy credits to help pay for the products. The installment plan gave people

the ability to buy products without having to pay a large amount in cash, andbanks also gave low interest rates, too. But everything has a downside to it,so not shortly economists and business owners were concerned about the well-being of the people. A conversation that was shown in the book tells how afamily had an automobile and couldn’t pay its second installment plan. What

they did was sell their cook-stove, which they couldn’t live without.Therefore, they bought a new cook-stove with another installment plan, just

to keep the automobile. Even though, Coolidge’s era was standing foreconomical and frugal way of life, the citizens didn’t bother with it. They

enjoyed their lives, but for how long can they enjoy it?

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