Transcript Chapter 7 Lesson 4 - Guthrie Public Schools

Discussion
 Wartime job growth largely came from the
production of military-related goods.
Discussion
 What do you think has changed about
the soldiers’ hometowns while they were
gone?
Some places will have new factories,
shipyards, and other signs of wartime
growth. New entertainment venues may
have also appeared, such as restaurants,
movie theaters, and shops.
Economic Unrest
 Inflation Workers wanted higher wages to keep up with the inflated
prices caused by the removal of price controls. But inflation was also
causing companies’ operating costs to soar. Adding wage hikes would
have made those costs even worse.
 Strikes In 1919 more than four million workers were involved in strikes
across the United States. Reasons for these strikes included demands
for higher wages, shorter hours, and union recognition. Shipyard
workers, steelworkers, and police officers are just a few examples of
groups that went on strike.
 Racial Unrest Many returning veterans blamed their economic
problems on African Americans, who had migrated to the North during
the war. In 1919 race riots broke out in 25 cities.
Discussion
 How did government action lead indirectly to
the conflict between workers and business
leaders?
The sudden removal of price controls caused
inflation to soar. Soaring inflation caused prices to
rise and goods and services to become more
expensive. To keep up with the higher cost of
living, workers demanded higher pay.
Discussion
 Who besides African Americans could
veterans have blamed for the problems
they encountered?
They could have blamed the government for
not creating public-service jobs, or they
could have blamed business owners for
refusing to hire more workers.
Strike
 The word Strike has different meanings. The
word in relation to baseball or bowling is in
reference to hitting something. Strike, as
used in this lesson, means “to refuse to
continue to work until certain demands are
met.”
Lynchings
 Lynching of African Americans was fairly
common. Dozens of lynchings—killing a
person without trial, usually by hanging—
took place in 1919 alone.
CAUSES OF THE RED SCARE
 Bombs in the Mail The postwar strikes involved immigrant laborers
and created a panic that became known as the Red Scare. In 1919,
more than 30 homemade bombs were sent through the mail,
addressed to well-known Americans. Eight mail bombs exploded in
eight different cities. One of them destroyed part of the home of A.
Mitchell Palmer, the nation’s attorney general.
 Palmer’s Raids Palmer set up a special branch of the Justice
Department to fight radicals, which eventually became the Federal
Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Under leader J. Edgar Hoover, agents
targeted foreign-born workers and radical organizations.
 Effects on Civil Liberties Many immigrants were deported and others
arrested, their civil liberties often ignored. In spite of Palmer’s failure to
uncover any solid evidence of a Communist conspiracy, the Red Scare
led Congress to severely limit immigration.
Discussion
 How do you think Americans’ state of
mind was influenced by the Red Scare?
People became frightened about the thought
of a Communist revolution.
Discussion
 In what ways was the terror of the Red Scare
similar to the terror after the attacks of 9/11? In
what ways was it different?
Similarities were the civilian targets and the
unpredictability of the attack. Differences were that
the attacks of 9/11 were carried out on a single
day and the attackers claimed responsibility.
Normalcy
 Election of 1920 Democrats focused on progressive ideals
and the ratification of the Treaty of Versailles. Republicans
focused on returning the United States to “normalcy,” which
meant prewar days.
 Uncertainty Helps Republicans Republican candidate
Harding became popular with a public that had grown
fearful of economic change through strikes and social
reform through progressive legislation. The campaign
came during the Red Scare and the women’s suffrage
movement. By this time, many people had had quite
enough change.
Discussion
 Why was Harding’s campaign slogan “Return
to Normalcy” timely?
It came only two years after the most horrific war
the world had ever seen and during a time of
economic uncertainty, terrorism, and racial unrest.
Many people were fearful about the future and
recalling a more peaceful past, whether it truly
existed or not, appealed to voters.
Discussion
 What political shift does Harding’s
landslide victory suggest to you?
A shift away from policies based on
progressive ideals toward more
conservative policies—what he called
“normalcy”)
Discussion
 What region of the country voted for the
Democrats in both elections?
the Deep South
Discussion
 What region voted Republican in both
elections?
the Northeast and northern Midwest
Discussion
 What region of the country changed its
vote between 1916 and 1920?
the West