WWI and the 1920’s

1. WWI and the 1920’s Review Created By: Michael Crews

2. American Neutrality • Wilson hoped to avoid conflicts in Europe • Propaganda from Europe eventually arrived inside U.S. • This split public opinion • Sinking of the Lusitania and Sussex • U.S. and Germany maintained political relations after these attacks by U-boats • Unrestricted submarine warfare • Caused us to cut off diplomatic relations with Germany • Zimmerman Note • Telegram that basically granted Mexico U.S. territory if they joined forces with the Germans and invaded U.S. • Wilson forced to declare war (April 1917)

3. Mobilizing for War • Selective Services Act (1917) - required all able bodied men ages 21-30 to register for the military • The military drafted nearly 3 million men to prepare for WWI • Liberty Bonds were sold to finance the war effort • War Boards created under Army Appropriations Act (1916) • Council of National Defense (oversee the production of food, fuel and railroads) • War Industries Board (coordinated military purchases) • National War Labor Board (settled disputes between labor and industry) • Committee on Public Information • Produced propaganda in favor of the war effort • Espionage Act (1917) and Sedition Act (1918) • Effectively banned public criticism of governmental policy during the war • Over 1,000 people convicted under these acts (Eugene V. Debs)

4. Domestic Labor • Women in the labor force • Women assumed the positions vacated by men who were off fighting • This helped them gain influence in their quest for suffrage • Ultimately their role during this time would lead to Congress passing 19th Amendment = women’s right to vote (1920) • African Americans in the workforce • Many African Americans migrated to northern urban centers during this time

5. America in the War • Inclusion of American troops quickly ended the war • Wilson gives his 14 points speech • Freedom of the seas • Armament Reduction • Open Diplomacy • Free Trade • Impartial Negotiation regarding Colonies • Creation of a League of Nations • Paris Peace Conference • Germany faced harshest punishments • Accept full responsibility for war • Pay $33 billion in reparations for entire cost of the war • Accept foreign troop presence for 15 years • Give up some of its territory • Abandon its overseas colonies • U.S. did not initially accept peace agreements • Had to formally end the war through a joint resolution in 1920

6. 1920’s • Presidents = Harding, Coolidge, and Hoover • Harding promised a return to ‘normalcy’ after the horrors of war • There was significant resistance to the League of Nations • Harding wanted to reduce and avoid future dealings in Europe • Scandal would tarnish the Harding administration • Tea-pot Dome Scandal = secretary of interior allowed private companies to drill for oil on public land • Top cabinet members routinely accepted bribes • Coolidge took over after Harding died in 1923 • He was re-elected in 1924 • His support of big business and higher tariffs and de-regulation of business and the economy ended Progressivism • Hooverelected in 1928 on a similar platform of big business and small government • He was President at the beginning of the Great Depression (more on him later)

7. Prohibition • 18th amendment (1920) = outlawed the production, sale and transportation of all intoxicating beverages • Instituted as a result of growing complaints against alcohols destruction of ‘decent society’ • Led to the development of a lucrative black market for alcohol • Speakeasies were illegal bars • Bootleggers were people who smuggled alcohol to speakeasies • Home distillery became common in rural America (Moonshine) • Organized Crime greatly increased • Primary bootleggers of alcohol and developers of speakeasies • ‘Scarface’ Al Capone basically controlled Chicago, Il. In the 1920’s • His gang executed the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre on a rival gang • Prosecuted for federal tax evasion in 1931 • Prohibition repealed by 21st amendment (1933)

8. Modernism • Radio – became wildly popular during the 1920’s • Softened regional differences • Brought news, sports, politics, music, talk-shows and advertising to a much wider audience • Motion Pictures – also gained tremendous popularity • Provided an escape from everyday life • By the end of the decade most people visited the movies weekly • ‘Movie-stars’ became a figure of fame and glamor • Mass produced automobiles • 23 million cars were on the road by the end of the 1920’s • Henry Ford and Ford Motor Company developed the idea of mass producing cars so that everyone could afford them • Citizens in rural areas could now take advantage of nearby cities • Many small towns disappeared and some small businesses died as a result of increased competition

9. Aviation was brought to civilian life by Charles Lindbergh • His flight across the Atlantic in 1927 foreshadowed the introduction of commercial airline companies • Modernist Literature • Lost generation = Hemingway, Stein, and Pound • Lived in Europe • Wrote cynical pieces about U.S. potential for progress and perceived misguided values • Southern Renaissance • Faulkner, Wolfe, Tate, and Glasgow • Wrote about the transformation of the south from agrarian to modern

10. Ethnic Issues • The Red Scare – fear of communist and socialist ideas corrupting America • Emergency Quota Act (1921 – limited the amount of immigrants to 3% of foreign born members of any given nationality • Immigration Act (1924) – reduced it to 2% • Sacco and Vanzetti trial • Italian anarchists who were convicted of robbery and murder 1920 • Judge was openly bigoted • Did not offer a fair trial • Never offered a retrial • Executed in 1927 • KKK – reemerges as a misdirected effort to protect American values • Still targeted blacks, immigrants, Jews, Catholics, other minorities • Had more political power compared to 19th century Klan • Fizzled out by the end of the decade • Scopes “Monkey” Trial – John Scopes, a biology teacher in Tennessee was placed on trial for teaching the theory of evolution • His defense lawyer was Clarence Darrow • Scopes lost and was forced to pay a fine of $100

11. Impact of Black Culture • Jazz became a very popular form of musical entertainment • Helped reduce racial barriers among musicians • Marcus Garvey led the “Negro Nationalism” movement • Celebrated black history and culture • Created United Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) • National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) – sought to resolve the racial issues • Introduced a bill that helped end lynching • Harlem Renaissance – Claude McKay, Langston Hughes, Neale Hurston and Alain Locke • Exposed the cultural heritage of blacks from urban Manhattan to rural Georgia

12. “New Woman” of the 1920’s • Traditional roles rapidly changed during the 1920’s • Traditionally socially unacceptable female behaviors such as drinking, smoking, sexual promiscuity became more accepted • Women’s fashion also changed • Short hair • Short skirts • Bold make-up • Dangling jewelry • 19th Amendment passed in 1920 = women gained theright to vote • New contingency had very little impact on voting trends • Many female southerners and immigrants chose not to vote • They did not want to challenge traditional authority of their husbands

13. Market Crash • October 29, 1929 – Black Tuesday • Stock market crashed • More on this later