The Roaring Twenties ( Harding, Coolidge, & Hoover )

Unit IV D: The Roaring Twenties ( Harding & Coolidge )

The Harding Administration (1921 – 1923 ) :

Warren Harding won on a platform of a “______” for the country in 1920. It suggested a return by the U.S. to neutrality and ______.

Some of Harding’s appointees to public office were honest officials, but others were corrupt. Sec. of Treasury ______cut taxes to encourage economic growth and thus create greater tax revenues ( ______economics ). He also got the federal budget cut, reducing the federal debt.

However, friends from Harding’s home state, the so called “______”, used their positions to make money. In the ______Scandal, Sec. of the Interior ______leased public oil lands reserved for the navy to private businesses in exchange for bribes.

In 1921, eight other nations attended the ______Conference to discuss naval disarmament. The meeting led to three treaties :

______Power Treaty – ______recognized each other’s territories in the Pacific ______Power Treaty - U.S., Japan, France, ______agreed to limit building of warship ______Power Treaty – All agreed to respect China’s independence / follow “Open Door” policy

Harding died of a heart attack in 1923 and was succeeded by ______.

The Coolidge Administration ( 1923 – 1929 ) :

Coolidge believed that “the business of ______business” and the government should interfere with business as little as possible ( ______policy ). Coolidge twice vetoed the ______Farm Bill that would have aided farmers by having the ______buy surplus crops and sell them abroad.

The U.S. demanded that its WWI allies pay their loans from the war, but their economies were slow to recover from the war. Under the ______Plan, U.S. banks lent money to ______to pay its ______( damages ) to France and Britain so they in turn could pay their loans to the U.S. This did not help the ______.

In 1928, the ______Pact was ratified by 62 nations who agreed not to use war as a means to carry out their nation’s goals. There was no means to enforce this, however.

The Roaring Twenties Economy : Mass Production and a Consumer Society

______used the ______in the ______of ______to increase production and lower costs to the consumer. This created a greater market for his cars. The automobile industry led to the growth of ______and allowed people to live farther from work. More people moved from cities to ______.

Ford also paid a higher wage to ______and ______as some could not handle the repetitiveness of the work. Many companies began to offer benefits such as medical care and pensions to make unions seem unnecessary ( ______). Employers promoted the ______shop where workers would not be required to join unions. The spread of electricity led to many home electric appliances. Other ______became popular with increased ______making them seem necessary by linking products to emotional appeal. ______became a new means for companies to advertise.

Consumers had greater access to ______, allowing them to buy goods on installment plans.

Progress vs. Tradition : A Clash of Values

Traditional rural America clashed with modern urban America. The 1920s was the first decade in which the majority of Americans lived in ______areas.

Political / Racial Intolerance :

The 1920s were a period of rising intolerance in America. Post-war suspicion of communists led to the ______.

There was also increased ______as Americans feared cultural changes brought by immigrants. Pseudo-scientific theories such as ______improving hereditary traits ) argued that non-Anglo-Saxon races were inferior. The ______of 1921 and the ______Act of 1924 restricted ______with quotas that favored immigrants from “old immigrant” nations of northern and western Europe.

In the ______and ______case, two Italian immigrants received an unfair trial for murder due to their ethnicity and because they were ______( believed in no government ).

During the 1920s, the ______was revived. It opposed immigrants, blacks, Catholics, and Jews. It claimed to uphold American values but used tactics of intimidation and lynching. It gained political power in some states but eventually declined due to scandals within its organization.

New Morality vs. Fundamentalism :

Though not typical of women, the ______was a young woman who defied ______by drinking, smoking, and wearing shorter hair and more revealing clothing. Many other women entered the workforce in mostly traditional jobs such as ______and retail clerks. ______advocated that families could improve their standard of living by having fewer children. She went on to found the ______.

New technology, urbanization, and the relaxation of gender based ______on women caused concern among many Americans who held traditional values. They feared that the nation’s morals were declining. A religious movement known as ______became popular, especially in rural areas and was spread by radio evangelists such as ______and Aimee Semple McPherson.

Fundamentalists believe in a literal interpretation of the Bible and opposed the teaching of ______theory of ______in the schools. In the ______Trial, John T. Scopes had been arrested for violating Tennessee state law by teaching evolution and was convicted. The trial brought public media attention and ridicule on the issue and led to a decline in political activism of fundamentalists. The ______movement secured the ban of alcohol in 1920, known as ______, with the ____ th Amendment. It was put into effect by the ______Act but was difficult to enforce. Secret bars called ______sold illegal “______” liquor and the black market trade made organized crime rich and powerful. The greatest of crime bosses was Chicago’s ______but he was eventually brought to justice by Treasury agent Elliot Ness on tax evasion charges. Culture of the 1920s : Modern Age

Art and Literature :

______– Writer and poet. Coined the term “lost generation” to describe the generation of young people disillusioned by WWI.

______- Writer whose stories reflected disillusionment with the world, as in For Whom The Bell Tolls and A Farewell to Arms

______- Writer whose novels, such as The Great Gatsby, captured the superficiality of the “Jazz Age”

______- Writer who criticized conformity in Babbitt and small town attitudes in Main Street

______- Painter of scenes conveying a sense of isolation in the modern world such as Nighthawks, a late night scene in a city diner

______- A modern style of architecture and design as seen in the Chrsyler Building in N.Y. City

Popular Culture :

Sports were popular and ______was a baseball hero. Radio broadcasts began in 1920 and radio quickly came into a majority of American homes. Hollywood produced silent films until the first “talky” The Jazz Singer premiered in 1927.

______became a national and world hero when he became the first to fly an airplane solo across the Atlantic Ocean.

Harlem Renaissance : Flowering of African-American arts and politics

Writers included :

______- Poet who attacked racism ______- Wrote about the African-American experience *

Music and Theatre :

______- Jazz trumpeter * ______- Jazz composer and band leader * ______- Blues singer ______- Singer and actor ______- Singer and dancer

Politics :

W.E.B. DuBois continued his work as editor of the N.A.A.C.P.’s paper the Crisis. The N.A.A.C.P fought against segregation and ______( hanging ).

______advocated black nationalism with his Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) by encouraging education, economic power, and separation from whites. He encouraged a “back to Africa” campaign.