Transcript The Punitive Expedition

The Road to World War I through The
Roaring 20’s
1916-1929
Unit 5
Bell Work
 On a sheet of paper.
 Name all the times you can think of that
the United States has been invaded/
attacked by another country on our
own soil
Before We Start With The Lesson Keep
These In Mind
 Theodore Roosevelt
Calling The SpanishAmerican War “Our Merry
Little War”
 American Attitude After
The Smashing Of Spain In
Cuba And The Pacific
 United States Becoming A
More Globalized Country
 We Will Soon Be Talking
About “The War To End All
Wars”
Key Players
American
Mexican
 Woodrow Wilson,
 Doroteo Arango a.k.a
President of United States
of America
 John J. “Blackjack”
Pershing, General in U.S
Army
 George S. Patton, Captain
in U.S. Army
Poncho Villa, Mexican
bandit/ Revolutionary
Woodrow Wilson
Originally
From Staunton,
Virginia
Serves as
President of
Princeton
University
Supports
Elements of
Mexican
Revolution
John “Blackjack” Pershing
School teacher in
Nebraska before
entering United
State Military
Academy at West
Point
Serves with 10th
U.S Cavalry
known a “Buffalo
Solders” where he
is given nickname
“Blackjack”
Commands U.S
forces during
Punitive
Expedition
George S. Patton
Enters West
Point after
attending
Virginia
Military
Institute
Begs Pershing
for days to be
allowed on
Pershing’s staff
for Punitive
Expedition
World Class
Pistol Shot
Poncho Villa
Has his first run in
with Mexican
authorities in his
early teens for
supposedly killing
the man who
attacked his sister
Becomes involved
in Mexican
Revolution
Forms a group
known as Villistas
that roam
Northern Mexico
and become
powerful part of
Mexican
Revolution
Columbus, New Mexico
Before March 9th
Columbus, New Mexico
After March 9th
U.S Troops
In Camp
In The Field
See The Differences?
Horse Powered
Horsepower
U.S Cavalry Patrolling For Poncho Villa
Notice the troops are leading their remounts
The PE’s Combat Planes
Now Do You See The Change?
Punitive Expedition
World War I
The End
 The bulk of American forces were withdrawn in January
1917.
 Pershing publicly claimed the expedition was a success,
although privately he complained to family that President
Wilson had imposed too many restrictions, which made it
impossible for him to fulfill his mission
Before We Leave The Punitive
Expedition
Colonel LeRoy Reeves
• Johnson City Native
• Practiced Law before
joining Tennessee National
Guard
• Served on the Mexican
Border from 1916 until 1917
• Designed Tennessee State
Flag
• The Reeves Home is
located at 1205 Buffalo St.
Johnson City, Tennessee
Grave in Oak Hill Cemetery
in Johnson City
Concluding Questions
 Can you see the American attitude in phrases like
“Our Merry Little War” “The Punitive Expedition”
and “War To End All Wars”?
 Do you see the changes from The Punitive
Expedition to World War I?
State Standards
 EH 7.4.2 Identify causes of U.S involvement in WWI
 EH 7.10.3 Analyze U.S isolationist v. interventionist
arguments
 EH 7.3.1 Recognize progress of political/social reforms
1890-1930
 EH7 LE 5.1 Understand the role of U.S. in world affairs
 EH7 LE 6.1 Understand
effect of WWI on American
people
World War I (The Road to War)
Assignment:
Draw and label map pg 763
Make sure to color code according
to key
The Road to War:
 Europe was no stranger to war--- young men expected it and
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many looked at it honorably.
Two countries that were bitter enemies France and Germany
Alsace-Lorraine (France had lost to Germany)
Imperialistic arguments power struggles
Militarism aggressive military buildup in which the military gained
more control of the government & foreign affairs---most
European powers engaged in this
Ethnic & cultural differences (nationalism) many political
boundaries divided ethnic lines
Secret treaties and alliances
The Road to War:
 By 1890 Britain was considered the most powerful country in
the world… however many countries could challenge.
(Germany, U.S. Russia, France, Japan)
 You make alliances—Britain very popular in US. Germany
thought it would make an alliance with Great Britain (France
and Russia already aligned)
 Britain shocked the world and made an alliance with
France/Russia
Europe Pre-War
 There had not been a major war in Europe for almost 100
years
 Since then, countries scrambled to gain as much power and
territory as possible.
 Nationalism and militarism led to alliances being made
 These would keep many of the powers at bay for the time
being
Ways To Remember the Alliances
 TRIPLE ALLIANCE
 TRIPLE ENTENTE
 George (Germany)
 Friends (France)
 Akers (Austria)
 Rarely (Russia)
 Hates (Hungry)
 Get
 Indiana Jones (Italy)
 Bored (Great Britain)
Encirclement:
 Germany felt surrounded, noose was being drawn around
them alliance w/ Austria-Hungry very important.
Spark that started the war June 28, 1914:
 Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
 He was heir to the throne in Austria-Hungary
 Killed in Sarajevo, Bosnia which was a province of
Austria-Hungary
 Bosnia really wanted to be part of Serbia (the two
shared the same ethnic background)
 Bosnia had been a focal point between AustriaHungary & Serbia
 Serbia was blamed for the death of the Archduke
The Archduke Causes All The Problems
 On June 28, 1914 the Archduke of Austria FRANCIS
Ferdinand (heir to the Austrian Empire) was shot by
Gavrilo Princip (a Serbian Anarchist)
 Princip is commonly associated with the freedom
movement Mlada Bosna, which was a group that called
for the destruction of the Austrian-Hungrarian (A-H)
empire
Ferdinand and Princip
A Quick Explination
 A-H against Serbia (over assignation)
 Germany against Russia (because of Serbia)
 France against Germany (because of Russia)
 Germany against Belgium (to attack France)
 Great Britain against Germany (because of Belgium and
France)*
 Austria-Hungary declared war on Tiny Serbia--
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Serbia was an ally of Russia (1914)
Russia goes to aid Serbia---then comes Germany--- in comes
France
Germany plans to hit France quick and hard to knock them
out of war so they do not have to fight a 2 front war.
To reach France as quickly as possible---German Army had to
pass through Belgium
Great Britain was protector of Belgium b/c they enter the
war
The Powers of Europe were drawn into
this war took about a week.
 The Powers of Europe were drawn into this war took about a week.
Divided in two sides
 Central Powers: Germany, Austria-Hungary, & Ottoman Empire (sick man
of Europe)
 Allies: Russia, France, Great Britain, Serbia eventually Italy & U.S.
 Excitement in Air---young men to war
 Short war (few months)
 Both sides were confident
 Germany moves quickly through France come within about 30 miles of Paris &
are stopped near Marne River (by combined French & British Forces)
 Both sides dig in--- a stalemate—neither can gain advantage
A new kind of war--- The first modern war
 Trench Warfare--- trenches dug, filled w/ water , mud,
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disease, rats (Trench foot)
No Man’s Land---- area between the trenches bomb craters,
barbed wire, dead bodies
The weapons----- machine guns, hand grenades, poison gas,
submarines , tanks, airplanes
Machine gun ate bodies like flames consume dried wood
In one battle British suffer 60,000 casualties (20,000 deaths)
Trench Warfare of WWI
Problems of Trench Warfare
 Bad conditions for soldiers-
 The most deadly problem
trench foot, lice, rats
 Fear of being picked off by
snipers
 These were only minor
problems when compared
to going “over the top”
in WWI was the combining
of old tactics with modern
weapons
 Troops would attack in
waves against machine gun
emplacements and artillery
pits
The U.S Remains Out Of The Fight
 Early on GB had blockaded
 In 1916 German subs again
Germany
 Germans countered the
blockade with this new
thing called a submarine
 In February of 1915,
German submarines
attacked the Lusitania off
the coast of Ireland
attacked an “unarmed” ship
the Sussex
 This would seal the deal for
the United States and bring
them into the war- much
against PresidentWoodrow
Wilson’s best advice
In America
 Some Americans were shocked
 Many immigrants & children of immigrants felt personally
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involved German/Irish side w/ Central powers
Most Americans identified w/ Great Britain (Kaiser Wilhelm
was an autocrat (ruler w/ unlimited power)) offended
supporters of democracy
British propaganda designed to sway Am View
Bottom line 1914 U.S. declares neutrality (U.S. can make
money)
President Wilson starts a preparedness movement get ready.
Factors that led the United States to War
 Economic relationship to Great Britain
 German U-Boats--- used to break British blockade & sop
supplies to Great Britain---unrestricted sub-war--- would file on
ships w/o warning (cargo included)
 War Information--- Britain cut trans-Atlantic cable from
Germany War news came from London
 Lusitania---- (British) passenger liner sailing from United States
to Britain--- attacked & sank by U-Boats (nearly 1200 people die,
128 Americans) Germany promised to give warning to
passengers---Sussex France Passenger Ship sank---- American’s
threatens to end relations
 Sussex pledge promise to warn before U-boats attack only last
about 1yr & unrestricted war continues.
Factors that led the United States to War
 Zimmerman note: letter to Mexico--- encouraged to
attack U.S. enters war against Germany--- Mexico
encouraged to attack U.S. (promises them Southwest
territory- angers most Americans)
 Czar Nicholas II losses power in Russia--- Wilson says,
“World must be made safe for Democracy”
 April 1917 U.S. enters the war
Building Up The Army
 The U.S military was a
fraction of the size of
European armies
 In May of 1917 Congress
passed the Selective Service
Act which established a
draft
The Draft
 On June 5, 1917, more
than 9.6 million American
men were registered for
the draft
 Throughout the war 24
million men registered and
2.8 million were drafted*
Conscientious Objectors
 Two major groups- German and Irish Americans- tended to
oppose being drafted into the military
 To quiet these differing opinions, the U.S government would
trespass on individual civil liberties…
 Some would refuse to
 Resisting the draft could
cooperate with the
Selective Service Act
 Many times this was due to
religious beliefs
 These men were often
court-marshaled and sent
to prison at Fort
Levenworth, Kansas
cost you prison time and
other limits on your
freedom
 It is said that somewhere in
the neighborhood of 12%
of men that were drafted
did not report for duty
The Most Famous CO of WWI
 Alvin York intially resisted
the draft for religious
opinions but later served
 He was convinced that it
was his patriotic duty to do
so
 In Europe he became the
most decorated soldier of
the war
War on European Front:
 Before the war U.S. had begun a Preparedness
Movement--- get ready, but we are still not ready in 1917.
 Army was not big enough had about 100,000 men in
uniform
 Military far from Europe mainly in South America
& Pacific
 Untrained national guard
War on European Front:
 At first we send loans & supplies (Europe needs
men)
 Troops sent commanded by John J. Pershing about
15,000--- Black Jack says he needs 1 million
 Selective Service Act Passed---- wide spread
acceptance---“This is the War to end all Wars”
 By 1918 24 million men register & 3 million were
drafted
War on European Front:
 Many others will volunteer
 11,000 women volunteered to serve in uniform
(nurses, clerks)
 American soldiers called doughboys
 African Americans most assigned to non-combat
roles
 Segregated army but Harlem Hell-Fighters earn
highest French honors.
THE U.S ENTERS THE WAR
 European leaders, for the
most part, had two
different ideas about the
U.S. entering the war
 The first, mostly of the
Triple Entente, was “It’s
about time.”
 The second, of just about
everyone, was to dismiss
the United States as a
bunch of people who could
not get along with
themselves much less raise
an effective army
THE FIRST JOB
 Because the U.S had been building it’s Navy the most, (thanks
to who?) the first job given to the U.S was to protect supply
ships coming from the U.S going to Europe
 This was done with great effectiveness and thrust the U.S
Navy on the world stage as an effective navy
Convoy Ships
German U-Boats
 The U.S declared war on Germany in April of 1917
 Combat troops start flowing into Europe and taking over
portions of the Western Front shortly there after
 The bulk of U.S forces would not arrive until early in 1918
General of the Armies
John J. Pershing
 Pershing refuses to split the
 U.S Marines take part in
American forces up among
the French and British
armies
 Eventually the army takes
part (on their own) in the
Second Battle of the Marne
and the Battle of Cantigny
the Battle of Belleau Wood.
 The battle (Commanded by
Maj. General Omar
Bradley) was to resist the
German offensive and was
the first true combat test of
the U.S
Future Generals in WWI
The Class The Stars Fell On
Bradley, Eisenhower, and
Patton
 Of the 164 graduates, 59
earned at least one star
(attained the rank of general),
the most of any class in the
history of the United States
Military Academy
 Two would earn the highest
rank in the military and one
would be President
On the Home Front
 taxes go up
 War bonds called liberty bonds---can redeem plus interest (raised
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20 billion dollars)
Industry shift to producing war time goods
Government regulations--- Government manages foods & Fuels
vital to the war effort
Some items were rationed (mostly people volunteered)
Government hoped people would volunteer cut back
Meatless Mondays, heatless Thursday, gasless days
Reduce waste, plant victory gardens
“Food will win the war
On the Home Front
 Daylight Savings Time: move clocks ahead one hour
 News & Information controlled by the Federal
Government
 one film banned because of how British Troops portrayed in
Am. Revolution
 Committee of Public Information (CPI): headed by
George Creel makes pamphlets, films, posters, promotes war
Hysteria over the possibility of spies:
 “Hate the Huns Movement”
 California board of education bans the teaching of the
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German language
German musicians blacklisted
German books removed from Libraries
Liberty Measles, Liberty Cabbage
German Shepherds= Police dogs
Civil Liberties Attacked:
 Espionage Act: makes it illegal to interfere with the draft
 Sedition Act: sedition refers to incitement or resistance
against a cause--- designed to stop any rebellion about 1000
convictions (Eugene Debs-10yr jail sentence)
 Upheld by the Supreme Court (Schenck v. U.S.) Charles
Schenck urged those drafted not to report for duty. Violated
the espionage act. Court said government justified in
silencing speech when there is a clear and present danger.
 African Americans and Latin Americans recruited into the
workplace
 Women get jobs that were once only open to men & some
get management positions
 These are steps toward Equality
Assignment:
 Write a letter to Europe about home front
Facts and Figures For The U.S In World
War One
By June 1917, there were 14,000 U.S.
soldiers in France, and by May of
the next year there were one
million American troops
 During the Battle of Saint-Mihiel,
Pershing commanded the American
First Army, more than 500,000
men
 This was followed by the MeuseArgonne offensive, during which
Pershing commanded more than
one million American and French
soldiers.
 The United States by the
summer of 1918 was sending
10,000 fresh soldiers to
France every day
 American forces sustained
about 360,000 casualties,
including 116,000 dead
 Some 50,000 of them were
killed in action or died of
wounds—and 234,000
wounded
The War Ends
 Just as U.S troops start to
gain more experience
fighting the war ends
 One the 11th hour of the
11th day of the 11th month
the Germans surrendered
in a railway car in
Compiegne, France
End of War: The War Toll
 Nov. 11, 1918: Fighting Ends on the 11th day, 11th hour, 11th month.
 It is estimated that about 10 million men died on the battlefield (about 5,000 a
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day)
It is estimated another 20 million died of things related to the war (disease)
6 million were left crippled:
Russia: 1,700,000
France: 1,375,000
Germany: 1,800,000
Britain: 900,000
U.S.: 100,000
“An entire generation was wiped out”
Wilson Peace Plan:
 would promote “peace between equals
 Plan would be knows as: 14 Points
 End secret alliances
 Respect colonial populations---self determination
policy
 Nations join an association
 “God only has 10”
 Rest of Allies looking to permanently weaken
Germany
Wilson Steps In With His Fourteen
Points
 Wilson created the points as an answer to the growing
spectualtion of the Europeans as to the aims of the U.S after
the war
 They stressed a peace inspired by noble ideals and not of
greed and veneance
The Peace Conference
 Held in Paris-Wilson himself attends. (Wilson
claims no interest in the spoils of war)
 Treaty would be established by the big four: U.S.,
Great Britain, France, & Italy
The Peace Conference: The Treaty
of Versailles
 The Treaty of Versailles –Wilson does not get what he
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wants but gets:
League of Nations an organization in which nations
of the world would join to secure peace & security.
Attack on one is an attack on all
US refuses to join politics
France gains Alsace-Loraine
The Peace Conference: The Treaty
of Versailles
 Germany must shoulder full blame of the war
 Germany must surrender all overseas colonies
 Germany must pay reparations of 33 billion dollars
 Germany’ rearmament is to be limited
 Allies take control of the German economy
 This was designed to humiliate Germany
 This will make US the World’s Strongest Country
League of Nations
 As part of the peace
agreement, Wilson proposed
the idea of a League of
Nations
 The league would work as a
police force to keep a world
war from never occurring
again
 Despite Wilson proposing the
idea, the U.S never joined.
Assignment:
 Students should work in groups to prepare a peace
treaty (if time permits)
Post War America:
 Demobilization: shift from war time to peace time
 Difficult Process
 Soldiers look for jobs
 Cost of living goes up (demand more than supply)
 Recession: war industries no longer needed
 Farmers lose European Markets cannot pay debts
Labor Strikes in U.S.(1919 total of 3,600)
 After the war prices were high, workers were angry they lost
gains made during war
 Seattle General Strike: 60,000 laborers go on strike from
Garbage collectors to carpenters
 Steel Strike: 365,000 steelworkers, harsh working
conditions, 7 days a week, 12 hr days, 24 hr shifts
 Boston Police Strike: 75% of Boston Police forces go on
strike. (Governor Calvin Coolidge called out the National
Guard)
All Strikes Fail:
 Press blames immigrants
 People believe communist behind strikes (Revolution in
Russia, Communist called for a world wide revolution)
 Less than 1% of Americans Support (Communist Ideas)
The Red Scare: A period of Anti-Communist hysteria
 Causes
 Labor Strikes of 1919
 Revolution in Russia (Communist call for worldwide
overthrow through worker revolts)
 Terrorist Activity
 40 mail bombs intercepted
 Senators maid (GA Senator maid got mail and blew up in her hands)
 The Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer: bomb
damages front of his house (looking for an excuse to gain
popularity wants to run for president)
Palmer Raids:
 all out crusades against communist many immigrants are
targeted.
 About 6000 immigrants rounded up
 Deports about 600 some had already gained citizenship,
some were not given trials
America becomes scared of immigrants (Fear)
 1921 Emergency Quota Act: cuts # of people
admitted to U.S. ; reduced again in 1924, worked to
limit eastern & southern Europeans (Communist)
Nativist
 There had been long standing Nativist feeling in the United
States going back to the Chinese restriction acts
 On the eve of WWI Congress was able to pass a law
requiring immigrants to take literacy tests
 Those who could not read and write in their own language
were not allowed in the U.S
QUOTA LAWS AND SYSTEMS
 WWI, Russia’ Revolution,
and the Red Scare all added
to this Nativist fervor in
America
 Two important laws passed
in the 20’s that put into
action those nativist
feelings
 The Emergency Quota Act
of 1921 and the National
Origins Act of 1924
established the quota
systems to govern
immigration for specific
countries
National Origins Act
 The NOA was set up on a simple formula: The number of
immigrants of a given nationality living each year could not
exceed 2% of the number of people of that same nationality
in the United States in 1890
 1890 was chosen for a specific reason, what reason do you
think it is?
An Example
 Say there are 100,000 Irish living in America in 1890
 This would mean that only 2,000 Irish could come in each
year after the NOA was passed
 In reality the acted allow roughly 65,000 immigrants from
England and Northern Ireland, but only 5,000 from Italy
Sacco & Vanzetti:
 2 Italian anarchist believe society should be without
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government
Why??? Blamed government for war, poverty, evil In 1921
against them
Italian
Immigrants
Anarchists
Accused of Robbery & Murder based on eye witness account
“they looked Italian” bias judge.
Sacco-guilty; Vanzetti-Innocent
Polarization in the 1920’s:
 Examples:
 Wets v. Dry’s
 1919 18th Amendment made the manufacture, sale, or transport of
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alcohol illegal.
Wets: wanted to do away with prohibition
Dry’s: supported it
Prohibition Fails Why?????
Hard to enforce: bootleggers, moonshiners, rumrunners etc…
Many deaths: bath tub gin, speakeasies
Boosted organized crime: did not help morality
Polarization in the 1920’s:
 Examples:
 Rural America v. Urban America
 Urban Americans more liberal with different set of values
Polarization in the 1920’s:
 Examples:
 The 1920 census reported that for the first time in American history
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more people lived in urban area that rural areas
This showed in the openness to change in social and scientific values
Fundamentalism v. Modernism:
Fundamentalism: movement that believed in the literal interpretation of
the Bible
Modernism: modern scientific learning could go hand in hand w/ the
Bible
Fundamentals: opposed dancing, card playing, drinking
Example: Scopes Monkey Trial
1925 Dayton, TN John Scopes teaches evolution in school
The Scopes Monkey Trial
 The "Scopes Trial“, often called the "Scopes Monkey
Trial") was an American legal case that tested the Butler
Act, which made it unlawful, in any state-funded
educational establishment often in the South
 Butler Act “to teach any theory that denies the story of the
Divine Creation of man as taught in the Bible, and to teach
instead that man has descended from a lower order of animals."
 The case was a critical turning point in the United States'
creation-evolution controversy.
The Case
 John Scopes, a high school
teacher, was charged on May
5, 1925 with teaching
evolution from a chapter in a
textbook which showed ideas
set out in Charles Darwin's
book On the Origin of Species.
 Three-time presidential
candidate, Congressman and
former Secretary of State
William Jennings Bryan
headed up the prosecution,
while prominent trial
attorney
 Clarence Darrow spoke for
the defense.
 The highlight of the trial
came when Darrow called
Bryan to the stand as an
expert of the Bible.
 Byran supported the idea
that the Bible held the
literal truth
 Scopes was later found
guilty of breaking the law
and fined 100 dollars
The Trial
 Hot July, Circus atmosphere, scientific testimony is ruled
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out, Bryan was called to the stand as an expert on the Bible.
Scopes found guilty 100 dollar fine
Based on Butler law---around until 1967
Hillsboro-Dayton
Bert Cates-John Scopes
Henry Drummond-Clarence Darrow
Matthew Harrison Brady-William Jennings Bryan
E.K. Hornbeck- H.L. Menmen
Why This Matters
 After World War One, the economy grew like it had never
before.
 This doesn’t mean the best for women and African Americans
who were displaced by returning veterans
 The boom changed the lives of millions of people and helped
create the modern consumer economy that we still see today
The Auto Industry Takes Off
• Much of the growth was
• Henry Ford was at the
caused by the auto
industry that has grown
during the war.
• Factories quickly changed
back their production
from tanks and heavy
truck for the army to car
for the comsumer
forefront of this
revolution.
• Though he did not invent
the idea of mass
production, he expand
the idea
• Mass production was used
on everything from
typewriters to cigars.
So Long As It Is In Black
 Early cars had been
marketed to the people,
but Ford was the first to
take a very reliable car to
the American people.
 The first Model T Ford
sold for $850 and came in
any color you wanted “so
long as it was black”
• The assmebly line
reduced the cost and time
it took Ford Motor
Company to build a car
• In two year the time it
took to build a Model T
from 12 hours to 90
minutes
• The cost of the Model T
fell from $350 in 1916 to
$290 in 1927
 In 1919 only 10% of
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American had a car
By 1927, 56% did.
This meant more money
for the auto worker too.
Wages went up from $2.35
to $5 in a day
Ford reduced the work day
from 9 to 8 hours
And for the first time
workers received the
weekend off
Spin-Off Industries
• While business in railroads, and taxies declined, others went
through the roof
• The steel, glass, timber, coal, gasoline, oil, and rubber
industries all benefited from the boom in the auto industry
• Also families started vacationing as they never had before
which lead to gain is the hospitality and recreation field.
• The automobile also effected suburban life as well, as families
moved farther out of the heart of cites, but remained close to
their jobs.*
Consumer Habits and Growth In Cities
• People who did not have cash
readily available to them began
purchasing in ways they had never
had before
• The first was through installment
buying-the buyer would put a small
down payment on a purchase, then
pay on it in regular installments
• The second was buying on marginbuying on credit.
• Finally you have consumers
investing in the stock market on a
higher level than ever before
• People also began flocking to cities
from the country to work in a
variety of industries.
• Many of these were African
Americans as part of the Great
Migration that we have talked about
• With the automobile, workers
could live farther out of the dirty
cities and drive into town to work
• This is much like it is today when
people live in suburbs and drive
into bigger cities to work
The Harding Administration
• Instead of pursuing reform as the progressives had, Harding
and later Calvin Coolidge favored more conservative policies
that aided growth in businesses
• Harding signaled a new economic notion by naming Andrew
Mellon as Secretary of the Treasury.
• Mellon was a wealthy banker, and in the future make
decisions that benefited the banking industry.*
Harding and Mellon
The Ohio Gang
The Tea Pot Dome Scandal
• Many say that Harding’s
friendliness did not make up
for his lack of understanding
for the demands of the
Presidency
• Harding surrounded himself
with a group of his friends
and other less than honest
public servants- “The Ohio
Gang”
• Over many late night poker
games, these “advisers” would
“help” Harding run the
country
• The Harding administration
faced it’s worst scandal with
the Teapot Dome scandal that
broke in 1923.
• Sec. of the Interior Albert Fall
arranged to transfer oil
reserves from California to
Teapot Dome Wyoming.
• Once in Wyoming, Fall leased
these reserves to private
investors for “loans” that later
turned out to be bribes
Poor Ole Harding
 Here is a quote Harding
gave to a newspaper while
President
 “I listen to one side and
they seem right..I talk to
the other side, and they
seem just as right, and here
I am where I started..What
a job!”
Harding to Silent Cal
 Returning from a trip to
Alaska Harding had a heart
attack and died on August 2
of 1924
 When new reached Vice
President Calvin Coolidge
he had his father, a justice
of peace, swear him in on
the family bible
Calvin Who?
• Coolidge’s presidency was a
mixed bag.
• He left Mellon in the
Treasury and followed many
of the same economic policies
of Harding
• However, Coolidge did very
little to help in labor
troubles, and racial
discrimination
• He felt that it was not the
government’s job to legislate
economic but not social
changes
Harding and Coolidge
On The World Stage
• Under Harding and
Coolidge the United States
continues to play and
increasingly important role
in world affairs and trade
• In 1921 and 1922
diplomates garther in
Washington D.C in order
to stop a growing Naval
Arms race- much like the
arms races before WWI
 These leaders agreeded to
limit construction of large
warships and formed a
settlement that came to be
known as the Washington
Naval Disarmament
Conferance It did very little but calmed
the fears and raise hopes
that the world could solve
problems without a war
The Kellogg-Briand Pact of 1928
• Sec. Of State Frank B.
Kellogg and French Foreign
Minister Aristide Briand
drew up a treaty to
“outlaw” wars.
• Eventually 62 nations
signed the treaty but
everyone knew that it
really had just a snowball’s
chance of ever working
The Culture Of The 1920’s
 Issues that we’re going to cover
 Prohibition
 1920’s Movies
 Sports
 Jazz, Ragtime, and Swing Music
 The Lost Generation
 The Harlem Renaissance
Prohibition
 Since the 1800’s temperance reformed has crusaded against
alcohol.
 In 1917 75% of Americans lived in “dry” counties
 Temperance was most supported by women, who often
experienced first hand the effects of too much alcohol
 In 1919, the United States
ratified the Eighteen
Amendment to the
Constitution, which
forbade the manufacture,
distribution, and sale of
alcohol anywhere in the
United States.
 Although it was highly
controversial, Prohibition was
supported by diverse groups.
 Progressives believed that it
would improve society and
the Ku Klux Klan strongly
supported its strict
enforcement as generally did
women, southerners, those
living in rural areas, and
African-Americans
 There were a few exceptions such as the Woman’s
Organization for Prohibition Reform who fought against it.
 Will Rogers often joked about the southern proprohibitionists: "The South is dry and will vote dry. That is,
everybody sober enough to stagger to the polls."
Bootleggers
 Often times bootlegger
(those who made alcohol
illegally) used creative ways
to not only make the hootch
but sell it
 Many government officials
originally hired to enforce the
Volstead Act would actually
take bribes to allow
bootleggers to conduct
business
The Real McCoy
 With the start of Prohibition
Captain William McCoy
began to bring rum from the
Caribbean to Florida through
Government Cut.
 The law caught up with him,
so he began to bring the
illegal goods to just outside of
the U.S. territorial waters
and let smaller boats take it
to the U.S
 McCoy installed mounted a
concealed machine gun on
his ships’, deck.
 McCoy’s ships hauled
mostly Irish and Canadian
whiskey, from Maine to
Florida.
 In the days of rum running, it
was common for captains to
add water to the bottles to
stretch their profits, or to relabel it as better goods.
McCoy became famous for
never watering his booze,.
This is one of several reputed
origins of the term "The Real
McCoy."
 The issue of Prohibition became a highly controversial one among
medical professionals, because alcohol was widely prescribed by
physicians of the era for therapeutic purposes. Congress held
hearings on the medicinal value of beer in 1921. Subsequently,
physicians across the country lobbied for the repeal of Prohibition
as it applied to medicinal liquors.
 While the manufacture, sale, and transport of alcohol was illegal in
the U.S., Section 29 of the Volstead Act allowed the making at
home of wine and cider from fruit (but not beer). Up to 200
gallons per year could be made, and some vineyards grew grapes
for home use
 Many of Chicago's most notorious gangsters, including
Al Capone and his enemy Bugs Moran, made millions of
dollars through illegal alcohol sales. By the end of the
decade Capone controlled all 10,000 speakeasies in
Chicago and ruled the bootlegging business from Canada
to Florida.
 Numerous other crimes, including theft and murder,
were directly linked to criminal activities in Chicago and
elsewhere in violation of prohibition.
Problems (besides bootlegging) of Prohibition
 Racketeering happened when powerful gangs corrupted law
enforcement agencies. Stronger liquor surged in popularity
because its potency made it more profitable to smuggle.
 The cost of enforcing Prohibition was high, and the lack of tax
revenues on alcohol (some $500 million annually nationwide)
affected government coffers.
 When repeal of Prohibition occurred in 1933, organized crime
lost nearly all of its black market alcohol profits in most states
(states still had the right to enforce their own laws concerning
alcohol consumption), because of competition with low-priced
alcohol sales at legal liquor stores
 Prohibition also resulted in illicit speakeasies becoming
lively venues of the "Jazz Age", an era when popular
music included current dance songs, novelty songs, and
show tunes.
 Jazz started to get a reputation as being immoral and
many members of the older generations saw it as
threatening the old values in culture and promoting the
new decadent values of the Roaring 20s
Dixieland or Rag Time in the ‘20s
 Many early jazz performers
played in the brothels and
bars of red-light district
around Basin Street called
"Storyville.“
 Small bands of self-taught
African American musicians,
many from the funeralprocession tradition of New
Orleans, played a seminal role
in the development of early
jazz-ocms
Swing Music
 Key figures in developing the
"big" jazz band included
bandleaders and arrangers
Count Basie, Cab Calloway,
Duke Ellington, Earl Hines,
Glenn Miller, and Artie Shaw.
 Though swing was more
popular in the 1930’s and 40’s
it got it’s start in the 1920’s*
count basie
Tie-Ins
 The 1920’s where a decade of social change.
 With economic laze-faire policies and the post-war boom
Americans had less to worry about and so focused more on
social change
 American will not see such a drastic social and cultural
change until the 1960’s
Terms of the Times:
 Flappers: New Age Woman of the 20’s; rebellious;
energetic; fun-loving; bold; smoked; drove cars; shorter
skirts; danced; wore make up
 -helped create modern America
 Small # of American Women (huge impact on fashion, dress,
& hair)
Demographics:
 statistics that describe a population Examples: race, income,
area where living
 1920 1st time in history more American’s in urban areas than
rural areas (life for farmers too hard after the war)
Heroes of the 1920’s:
 Charles Lindbergh 1927: flew the Spirit of St Louis 1st
flight across the Atlantic N.Y. to Paris 33.5 hrs
 -no auto-pilot, $25,000prize
 -soon after son kidnapped & murdered
Heroes of the 1920’s:
 Amelia Earhart 1928: first woman to fly across the Atlantic
(passenger) 1932 solo
 Also goes to Hawaii
 Tried to fly around the world & disappeared
Sports of The 1920’s
 The Roaring Twenties is seen as the breakout decade
for sports in America.
 Their exploits were loudly and highly praised in the
new "gee whiz" style of sports journalism that was
emerging; .*christabell
Heroes of the 1920’s:
 George Herman (Babe) Ruth: Baseball player Boston
Red Sox & N.Y.Yankees known as the Sultan of Swat
Baseball
 Baseball experienced what
some have called it’s
Golden Era during the
twenties.
 Babe Ruth, Joe Jackson,
and Lou Gehrig all
experienced great success
in the 1920’s
 A former bar room brawler named Jack Dempsey won
the world heavyweight boxing title and became the most
celebrated pugilist of his time.
 College football captivated fans, with notables such as
Red Grange, running back of the University of Illinois,
and Knute Rockne who coached Notre Dame's football
program to great success on the field and nation-wide
notoriety. *
Dempsey
The Four Horsemen
Mass Media :
 print & broad cast methods of communicating information to
large numbers of people.
 Movies, Newspapers & Magazines, 1922 500 radio stations
To Open Up The Cultural Aspects
 Like we talked about yesterday, the 1920’s saw a huge
cultural change in the United States
 Women and African American experience the most
change they have ever
 With the Harlem Renaissance African Americans come
into the public consciences for the first time in a positive
light
 Women also break down many doors with their new
ways of dress, language, and actions
The New Mass Culture
Intro
 While the automobile
helped change the
American culture, it
was not the only
component to the
Roaring ’20’s
 Radio, Sports, The
Movies and Music all
added to the rowdiness
of the decade
Felix The Cat
The Movies
 With free time like they’ve
never had before
Americans flocked to the
movies which was a very
new source of
entertainment
 Technologies in the movie
industry rose to new
heights during the 1920’s
 During the decade
anywhere from 60 to 100
million Americans went to
the movies each week
 They paid their five cents
and packed ornate movie
theaters
THE JAZZ SINGER
 The 1927 film THE JAZZ
SINGER was the first to
synchronize sound with
the movie
 Al Jolson was the first to
actually speak, not
pantomime on film
 Silent films, which had
dominated for year,
quickly faded from the
scene