Unit 4: the 1920s
Calvin Coolidge
president after Harding who promoted business and was re-elected in 1924; his policies were: pro-business, cut taxes and government spending, and use regulatory agencies; signed the Kellog-Briand Pact in 1928
Herbert Hoover
republican president 1928; wrote "American Individualism", was head of the FDA in 1921, believed in "Associationalism", promoting business by bringing industry leaders together to improve economic efficiency; was Harding's Secretary of Commerce
ACLU
the American Civil Liberties Union; formed to protect freedom of speech
AFL
the American Federation of Labor; focused on securing higher wages, better working conditions, and shorter work weeks for its members
ERA and women's rights/roles
the Equal rights movement; was not passed but led to the 19th amendment being passed and giving women the right to vote later on; Jeannette Rankin = first woman in Congress; Margaret Sanger= birth control & planned parenthood
IWW
the International Workers of the World; a union formed by the Wobblies in order to fight for better pay, shorter hours, and better working conditions
Dawes Plan
the US's economic plan to solve Germany's WWI war reparations money problem
Nativism
the advocation for tighter immigration laws in the US
Intelligent Design
the argument that some features of the natural world are too complex to have evolved by natural selection; it must have been designed by an intelligent agent; evolution is not the whole story
The Roaring Twenties
the era in the 1900s United States in which dramatic social and political changes occurred
Ku Klux Klan
the group formed after nativism and competition from immigrants occurred post-WWI; white supremacy group
Ohio Gang
the group of Harding's buddies involved in Teapot Dome
Anti-Semitism
the hostility and prejudice towards Jewish immigrants in America
Bootlegging
the illegal business of smuggling alcoholic beverages where it is forbidden by law
Consolidation
the merging or combining of two businesses
Red Scare
the movement in the US sparking the Palmer Raids and convincing millions of America that anyone who did not believe what the government believed was a communist
Volstead Act
the national prohibition act in 1919 which supported prohibition and the 18th amendment
Palmer Raids
the raiding of any home of a radical in the United States; these were done without a warrant, causing them to be illegal due to violating the civil liberties act
Civil Liberties
the rights that were violated during the Palmer Raids
"back to normalcy"
the saying used to describe the return to pre-war life in the United States; focus on prosperity at home, not foreign affairs
Recession
the slow down of economic activity in the US after World War One causing unemployment, bankruptcy, inflation, increased crime rates, and a fall in agricultural production
Jazz Age
the term used for 1920s music; jazz is a mix of ragtime and the blues born in New Orleans; famous artists include Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Bessie Smith
Mass production
the term used to describe the production of something in a large quantity in a small amount of time
Demobilization
the transition from wartime to peacetime in the US contributing to economic tensions
Scopes Trial
the trial in which whether or not the teaching of the theory of evolution should be taught in schools; ruled as illegal and Scopes was found guilty
Lost Generation
the white counterpart to the Harlem Renaissance; disillusioned by war and America and many moved to Europe, Paris in particular; includes EE Cummings, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Sinclair Lewis
Radicalism
the word used to describe people who did not have the same political beliefs as everyone else in the US
Florida Land Boom
when real estate developers sold Florida coast lots to speculators, creating rapid price rises
Consumer Culture
when supply exceeds demand, advertising is needed to increase profit; introduced credit and installment buying
Flapper
young women in the 1920s who went against typical societal rules for women by cutting their hair, shortening skirt length, and wearing makeup
Washington Naval Conference
1921 naval conference called by President Harding to discuss naval disarmament and ways to relieve growing tensions in Asia
Warren Harding
1921 president who coined the term "return to normalcy"; domestic policy: laissez-faire, cutting taxes and raising tariffs; foreign policy: stay out of League of Nations and collect German Reparations(Dawes Plan)
Harlem Renaissance
African American community of writers, artists, and musicians centered in Harlem, New York explaining what its like to be black; people include Langston Hughes, James Weldon, Zora Neale Hurston
Alvin Fuller
Governor of Massachusetts involved in the Sacco and Vanzetti case; he appointed the Lowell Committee, a committee questioning clemency for the two men; clemency was not granted.
Al Smith
Governor of New York who was a US Democratic presidential candidate in 1928 who opposed prohibition
Teapot Dome
Harding fills the government with his friends and Teapot Dome, Wyoming had government-owned oil fields; secretary of interior Albert Fall leased the land to oil executives who bribed him $360K and he went to jail
free enterprise and taxes
Harding's two main domestic policy focuses
Back-to-Africa
Movement created by Marcus Garvey trying to get African Americans to move back to Africa due to not having equal opportunities in America because of racial tensions
Sacco and Vanzetti
Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, Italian American immigrants involved in a murder trial with a relatively unfair trial against them; ultimately Sacco was found guilty and Vanzetti was innocent
Anti-Defamation League
Organization formed by Jewish people to fight anti-semitism
Lowell Committee
The committee formed by Governor Alan T Fuller to address the question of granting Sacco and Vanzetti clemency in their murder case
Mitchell Palmer
US Attorney general who received a bomb in the mail and suspected it to be radicals; started the Palmer Raids
the Charleston
a 1920s dance originating from African American folk dance that became popular in the US and Europe
Lemon Test
a 3 point test to determine when and whether a government action violates the first amendment; 1. have a secular purpose 2. not help OR hurt religion 3. not result in an "excessive entanglement" of church and religion
Ponzi Scheme
a form of fraud in which belief in the success of a nonexistent enterprise is fostered by the payment of quick returns to the first investors from money invested by later investors
Stocks
a part of the stock market; a quick way to make money
Kellog-Briand Pact
agreement signed in 1928 by the Coolidge (US) and France to outlaw war between their countries; 62 other nations also signed this
Unions
became more prominent post WWI; wages were low, factories were unsafe, and the government set regulations which caused union membership to skyrocket and caused class tension; strikes were very common
Communism
created a scare in the US during the 1920s post-Russian Revolution when bombs were sent through the mail linked to radical groups and Attorney General Mitchell Palmer received a bomb; caused the Palmer Raids and 30 states to extend the Sedition Act laws
Quota System(Acts)
created when the Emergency Immigration Act was created; capped off the number of immigrants allowed into the US
Creationism vs Evolution
creationism: the idea that god created the universe as described in the bible evolution: the belief that all plants and animals had evolved from simpler forms of life(humans & apes example)
Marcus Garvey
creator of the Back to Africa Movement
Henry Ford
creator of the assembly line and first affordable family car
Speakeasies
forbidden establishments that sell alcohol
Spectator Sports
in the advent of leisure time, Americans were looking for other interests; created 1/4 of national income; includes Jack Dempsey, Babe Ruth, and Jim Thorpe
Installment Buying and Credit
making a down payment and then monthly payments to complete the payment; contributed to the need for new things to show prestige
Modernist
people who embraced new ideas, styles, and social trends
Traditionalist
people who respected long-held cultural and religious values
Fundamentalist
people who take every word of the bible by its literal interpretation
