Chapter 32

Political Philosophies

Radical (Socialist, Communist, or Anarchist)

Conservative—keeping the status quo Reactionary—desire to move society

back into a past society, usually idealized

Liberal—advocating changes in society’s institutions to reflect changing conditions

Americanism

Red Scare Bolshevik Revolution in Russia sparked

paranoia that communism would spread to the US.

Large #s of strikes occurred post-WWI b/c of inflation during war

Progressed b/c Wilson out of country due to Treaty of Versailles, which led to Red Summer of 1919

“Come unto me, ye opprest!”

Strike One

Seattle General Strike (Jan. 1919) 35K shipyard workers on strike b/c of

failed wage increase Other workers across in Seattle joined

in the strike Though peaceful, conservatives feared

a European-style labor takeover Seattle mayor called for federal troops

to head off the “anarchy of Russia”

Strike Two

Boston Police Strike (Sept. 1919) 70% plus of B-Town’s policemen went

on strike seeking wage increases & right to unionize

Gov. Coolidge called out the National Guard stating there was “no right to strike against public safety”

Gompers offered to settle strike, demanding police had no right to form a union

Strike Three

Palmer Raids After bomb scares post-United Mine

Workers of America Strike (Nov. 1919), Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer got $500K from Congress to “tear out the radical seeds”

Identities of person who sent bombs never IDed—radicals, Bolsheviks & Wobblies blamed

Bombings included Wall Street (38 dead) and Palmer’s Washington home

“These attacks will only increase the activities of our crime-detecting forces”

Palmer Raids, Part Two

Teachers had to sign loyalty oath “Radicals” deported to Russia;

mostly anarchists Jan 1920—5K suspected

communists arrested in 33 cites; most seized w/o warrants or just cause 550 Russians deported; many US

citizens

“It is more blessed to give than to receive”

Public Reaction to Palmer Raids

Most Americans condoned Palmer’s actions

Many began to question the compromising of individual rights

Members of state legislatures were denied seats b/c they were Socialists

Conservatives used the “red scare” to break the backs of fledgling unions

Sacco and Vanzetti S & V charged &

convicted of killing 2 people in a robbery in Massachusetts

Jury & judge probably prejudiced: S&V were Italians, atheists, anarchists, & draft dodgers

Radicalism became issue during the trial

S&V Case, Part Two Evidence not

conclusive; many believe sentence was due to prejudice

Repeated motions for a new trial were DENIED by Judge Thayer & MSC

Thayer sentenced the men to death by electric chair

Ku Klux Klan

KKK Resurgence of KKK began in South

but quickly spread to SW & Midwest Total membership as high as 5

million 1915 movie Birth of a Nation Resembled nativist “Know-

Nothings” than the anti-black terrorist organization of the 1860s

KKK Targets Opposed

immigration, Catholics, blacks, Jews, Communists, bootleggers, gambling, and discussion of birth control

Pro-WASP

Demise of the KKK

1925—Stephenson jailed for 2nd degree murder

Embezzlement of Klan officials

KKK Impact

Race riots of 1919 (Charleston, Chicago)

Anti-immigration legislation 1921 Immigration Act: ended open

immigration w/ a limit and quota system

1924 National Origins Act: reduced # of immigrants (esp. eastern/southern Europe); banned Asians completely

Scopes Trial (aka Monkey Trial) Fundamentalists:

Believed teaching Darwinism evolution was destroying faith in God and Bible and causing a breakdown in America’s youth

Numerous attempts to pass laws prohibiting the teaching of evolution in public schools

1925—Dayton, TN—HS bio teacher John Scopes indicted for teaching evolution, thus breaking a TN law banning the teaching of the evolution

Scopes Trial…Part Two

ACLU wanted to fight the Butler Law, Scopes volunteered; huge public following of the case via radio

Scopes was defended by Clarence Darrow Prosecutor was William Jennings Bryan Darrow placed fundamentalism on trial VERDICT: Scopes found guilty and fined

$100 IMPACT: Fundamentalism suffered a

setback, but strong in Baptist and Church of God; WJB died a week after the trial

Prohibition & the 18th Amendment

Supported by churches and women, in Midwest and South

Volstead Act of 1919 implemented the amendment; opposed in larger eastern cities b/c of “wet” foreign-born peoples

Problems with enforcement: Federal authorities had never

satisfactorily enforced a law were many were hostile to it.

Most drinkers ignored “dry” laws. Lack of enforcement officials. Alcohol could be sold by doc’s Rx &

necessary for industrial uses Alcohol could be manufactured in small

amounts almost anywhere (700 million gallons of home brew made in

1929!)

Results of Prohibition: Rise of organized crime:

Huge profits in “bootlegging” Al Capone and John Dillinger; increased

violence in Chicago in 1920s Gov officials accepted bribes Organized crime spread to other crimes

Rise of speakeasies Disappearance of saloons Many Americans became used to

casually breaking the law Prohibition repealed in 1933

Mass Consumption Economy Glorification of business Booming economy post-WWI

“trickle down” tax policies Buying on credit

Industrial productivity rose 70% Wages @ all-time high. Electric power increased & new applicances New technology: electric motors & assembly

lines New industries: light metals; synthetics;

movies; auto industry (petroleum, steel, rubber, concrete)

1920s Inventions & Innovations

Telephoto & television (not widely available until late 1940s)

Medical breakthroughs Iron lung (respirator) Life expectancy rose from 49 to 59

Construction Skyscrapers Empire State Building

Chain stores became common

New Workers:

White Collar Workers Demand of consumer products created

need for advertising and sales people Women entered the work force

Typists Teachers Shop clerks Cashiers Switchboard operators

Advertising in the 1920s Helped find mass markets for goods Used persuasion, allure & sexual

suggestion

Sports in the 1920s

Babe Ruth and Jack Dempsey famous due to “image making”

Assembly Line 101

Frederick Taylor—started movement of using more efficient methods to increase production in the workforce

Henry Ford used it in his plant, followed by other car makers (GM and Chrysler) Ford realized his workers were potential

consumers; paid $5/day Used the assembly line to build car in 1.5

hrs making the Model-T a staple in American life

Automobile Impact: New “king industry” in America Supporting industries such as rubber,

glass, fabrics, highway construction, service stations/garages

Nation’s standard of living improved RR industry declined b/c of cars,

buses, and trucks; schools consolidated b/c of buses

Leisure time spent traveling Sprawling suburbs

Radio’s Impact

Created a new bustling industry Added to American leisure life Nation more closely-knit Advertising perfected as an art Sports further boomed Politicians used the airwaves Newscasts informed millions @ once Music filled the airwaves

Jazz Music & its impact

Pre-WWI popular in African American culture influence by old slave spirituals and folk music

New Orleans Dixieland Jazz— “modern jazz”; faster tempos

Louis Armstrong Center moved from N.O. then Chicago Jazz clubs popped up in American cities

Harlem Renaissance

Development Came out of NYC neighborhood of Harlem Significance: HR produced a wealth of A-A

poetry, literature, art, & music that expressed the pain, sorrow, and discrimination blacks felt at this time

Poets & writers: Langston Hughes, Claude McKay, Zora Neale Hurston

Jazz: Duke Ellington & the Cotton Club Marcus Garvey & “Back to Africa

Movement”

Need to know also:

Impact of the airplane Impact of the movie industry Flapper Revolution Changes in working conditions 1920s Literature & the “Lost

Generation” Architecture: Frank Lloyd Wright,

Art Deco

Essay Questions for Review:

Analyze the factors that led to a rise of “Americanism” in the U.S. during the first thee decades of the 20th century.

How did Americanism play out in American society during the 1920s?

Analyze the issues that brought modernists and traditionalists into conflict during the 1920s.

How did the booming economy of the 1920s alter American society?

How did culture (e.g. radio, movies, music & literature) reflect American society in the 1920s?