1919: The Year In-Between

1919: The Year In-Between

Bellwork

Chalk Talk: What lesson did WWI teach the world? What

was its legacy?

Around the World…• Ghandi begins his nonviolent resistance against Britain

(imperial rule) in India• The March 1st Movement against Japanese colonial rule in

Korea is formed• Einstein's theory of general relativity is tested/confirmed by

observing a solar eclipse• The first NFL team for Wisconsin (the Green Bay Packers) is

founded by Curly Lambeau• Woodrow Wilson gets the Nobel Peace Prize• October 2nd: President Woodrow Wilson suffers a serious

stroke, making him an invalid until he died in 1924• Teddy Roosevelt dies

The Treaty of Versailles• The rest of the Allied powers agreed on the Treaty of Versailles

in 1919 after months of negotiations– Germany was left with war guilt, forced to pay reparations, and had its

army greatly limited– A lot of territory and borders were moved around; new countries were

created– The League of Nations was created as a method for maintaining

international peace (and going to war against aggressive nations if necessary)

– The French people didn’t feel like it punished Germany enough– The British thought the French were being too greedy– Various groups within America didn’t like it for different reasons, many

because the rule within the League of Nations that allowed it to go to war without approval of Congress. The US Senate did not ratify the treaty.

Prohibition

• 18th amendment ratified• Manufacture, sale, and importation of alcohol

was made illegal by this amendment• People continued making their own liquor• This led to a strong underground network to

make, process, and sell alcohol– Gangsters! – Al Capone!

Labor Tensions High• Many labor groups were still working for union rights

and were striking in 1919 to demand them• During one strike, 250 strikers were labeled as

“anarchists” and “communists” and deported to Russia• September 9th: Boston Police Strike– ¾ of the force went on strike– There was looting, riots, and violence in Boston as a result– Governor (head of the state of Massachusetts) Calvin

Coolidge stopped the strike, declaring that no one has a right to strike against public safety

– Coolidge soon became president!

Racial Tensions High• There were 26 race riots in big cities like

Washington, DC and Chicago, IL• What may have tipped the racial balance in cities or

led to riots? – The Great Migration– Soldiers came home to find their jobs taken, though

many of the women and African Americans were fired when the soldiers came home

The Economy• Agriculture wasn’t doing well, which was a problem that would continue and

help cause the Great Depression• Unemployment was RIDICULOUSLY low: 1.4%

– That’s unnatural, but it means that pretty much everyone that wanted a job had one– That leads to more money in pockets and happy people

• The US loaned money to Germany to help them pay their super-high reparations… Germany paid France and Britain…and then France and Britain paid back the US for money they had borrowed during the war

• Gross National Product nearly doubled from 1916 to 1920• Average factory worker got almost $100 more dollars a year ($751 to $828)

from 1916-1920• Revenues of the American government (in Millions):

– 1916: 930 – 1917: 2,373 – 1918: 4,388 – 1919: 5,889 – 1920: 6,110

Black Sox Scandal• Taft: “The game of baseball is a clean, straight game”• Baseball had become REALLY popular over the past 20 years or so to the point

where it was nearly a national obsession• Lots of people had fun betting on games and the World Series had the biggest

games of the season. If you knew who would win, you could bet a lot and win a lot of money

• World Series came down to the Chicago White Sox and the Cincinnati Reds – They play 7 games and the first one to win 4 wins the pennant– 2 guys (one a former player, the other a big gambler) talked to the pitcher and first

baseman from the White Sox…who then added 6 more players to the plan to fix the World Series

• The plan: they all bet on the Reds, the White Sox players lose on purpose, and each player that was in on it splits $100,000 (about what they would make in a year)

• They had to get a lot of money (and people with money) together for their bet to make them rich. Those people didn’t tell the cops, but they did all tell their friends (so they could get rich, too!)…and it got a bit suspicious

• The 8 players that were in on the bet accomplished their goal and lost…and the fans couldn’t tell they lost on purpose.

• Rumors abounded, however, and eventually the guys got caught and renamed the “Black Sox”

• If it was proven that they threw the game, the 8 would never play baseball again. They were all banned from professional baseball.

• All confessed except one guy: “Shoeless” Joe Jackson – he went to the owner and tried to confess before the games but was ignored– AND had asked to be benched during the game so that he couldn’t take part.– He did admit to “letting up” at key points during the game, so he’s not totally

innocent• Fans continued to support Shoeless Joe and, after he died, he was let

into the Hall of Fame (Field of Dreams?)• I am going to meet the greatest umpire of all -- and He knows I'm

innocent. --"Shoeless" Joe Jackson• This scandal really upset a lot of people at the time. Many today are

still fascinated by it and all the mysteries of exactly who was involved and to what extent

1920• Warren G. Harding was elected as president and gave a

famous speech in which he urged a “return to normalcy.” • "America's present need is not heroics, but healing; not

nostrums, but normalcy; not revolution, but restoration; not agitation, but adjustment; not surgery, but serenity; not the dramatic, but the dispassionate; not experiment, but equipoise; not submergence in internationality, but sustainment in triumphant nationality....“

• America was done with war and with international affairs for awhile, but “normal” is always changing.

1920s Project Topics• Communism and the Red Scare: What is communism? How were communists or suspected

communists treated? What did the communist cause accomplish? Who were some of the most important people involved in this?

• Prohibition and the Mafia: What is prohibition? What culture developed because of prohibition? How did prohibition lead to smuggling? Who were some of the most important or famous members of gangs/the mafia during this time?

• Sports and Fads: What sports were popular in America during the 1920s? Why did sports become more popular in general? Who were some of the biggest sports stars of the 1920s? What weird fads caught on during the 1920s? How did many people spend their free time?

• Jazz: What is jazz music? Where, when, and why did it develop? Who were the most

popular jazz musicians during the 1920s? How did jazz music shape the culture of the 20s?

• Dance and fashion: What were the popular dance styles of the 1920s? Why was dancing important? What is a flapper? What fashions were popular during the 1920s? How did the older generation react to differently to this than the younger generation?