Transcript Roaring 20s Powerpoint

NEW
UNIT: The
Roaring
Twenties
Return to Normalcy following World War 1
• 4.7 Million Americans served in World War 1.
• Base Salary for each of these soldiers was $50
per month of service.
• This money was not spent during the war.
• Each soldier came home with a bank account
flush with money which they could spend on
any number of new goods (cars, radios etc.)
produced in post-war America.
• What effect does this have on the American
economy?
• GDP stands for
“Gross Domestic
GDP: 1919-1929 Product”
Based on this graph, how do you• Gross is a word
think the American economy meaning TOTAL.
was doing after World War 1? • A nations “GDP” is a
good indication of how
it’s economy is doing.
• If it is increasing, it
means the economy is
doing well, if it is
decreasing, the
economy is NOT
doing well.
Post-War President – Warren G. Harding
• "I am not fit for this office
and never should have been
here" – President Harding
• He was not necessarily
qualified for office, however
a powerful political backer
once claimed that despite his
lack of qualifications he
“looks like a president…”
• He was a popular President
who advocated keeping the
governments hands OFF of
the economy.
Scandal in the Harding Administration
• Teapot Dome Scandal – The Government set aside
a Wyoming Oil Reserve for use by the Navy. In 1923
Harding’s Secretary of the Interior, Albert Fall,
handed over the reserve to a private company in
exchange for a $400,000 personal “loan.”
• Justice Department Scandal – The government
hired the Wright-Martin Aircraft Company to produce
airplanes for the military. The company knowingly
overcharged the government by $2.3 million. The
justice department NEVER prosecuted anyone for
this. It was revealed that the head of the Justice
Department was a part-owner of the company.
Scandal in the Harding Administration
• Jess W. Smith – A justice Department Official who
took bribes in exchange for government pardons,
paroles of criminals, manipulation of government
files and permits to sell alcohol for “medicinal
purposes.” (alcohol was illegal at the time.)
• Veterans Bureau Scandal – Head of Bureau took
bribes in exchange for government contracts
• Shipping Board Scandal – Board President
appointed by Harding had NO prior experience, was a
major campaign donor to Harding.
Life and Society in the 1920s
Prosperity in the 1920s
• Newspaper Headlines:
– BUSINESS PROFITS JUMP HIGHER
– NUMBER OF MILLIONAIRES SKYROCKETS
– TOTAL AMERICAN INCOME UP 45%
– PRESIDENT ANNOUNCES: “We’re close to
wiping out poverty”
– STOCK MARKET RISES THROUGH THE ROOF
– SALES OF RADIOS JUMP FROM $60
MILLION TO $842 MILLION BETWEEN
1922-1929
The Automobile
The Effects of the Automobile
• The first real automobile appeared in our town
in 1900. Today(1923) there are over 6,000. The
automobile is changing our values. Some people
in fact are taking out loans on their homes to
buy cars. The car has upset our habit of saving.
Part of the money we spend on the car would
normally go in the bank. A mother of nine said:
“We’d rather do without clothes than give up
our car.
The Effects of the Automobile
• Many families feel that the automobile brings
them closer together. “I never feel as close to
my family as when we are all together in the
car,” said the mother.
• However, students in the high school tell us that
the use of the automobile is one of the major
causes of disagreement between them and their
families.
The Effects of the Automobile
• A minister complained: “It’s tough preaching on
a hot, Sunday afternoon in the summer,
especially when people have automobiles – they
go off motoring on Sunday instead of going to
church.”
• Above all, the car has changed leisure time more
than anything else. It is making leisure activity a
daily routine rather than an occasional event.
The Effects of the Automobile
• The Model T
• Produced in the 1920s by
Henry Ford using an
assembly line.
• It was a cheap, mass
produced automobile.
• “Any customer can have a
Model T painted any color
he wants so long as it is
black.”
Sports and Entertainment –
Quick: Who are these guys?
What about this guy?
What might this picture have to do
with the Babe Ruth image?
Women’s Sports – How might this
cause controversy?
Social and Political Issues
• What is happening in
these images?
Social Freedom for Women
Social Issues Prohibition
New York City’s “21 Club”
Speakeasies – Secret bars which
required a password to enter
How did Speakeasies get their booze?
Bootleggers – People who illegally manufacture or transport alcohol
Like my Great-Grandma…
The police fought back…
• Law enforcement
officials made it their
priority to stop
bootlegging.
• They would conduct
raids of speakeasies and
attempt to catch and lock
up suspected
bootleggers.
• But Grandma DeMarco
got away…
The birth of organized crime
• Criminals like Al Capone
and other organized
gangs took control of
the bootlegging
operations in major cities
like Chicago.
• As a result, the violent
crime rates skyrocketed.
This era in American history has
often been referred to as the
“Roaring Twenties.” In your
opinion, why do you think it is
called this?
Do you think this is an
appropriate name?