Standard 6 Conflict between traditionalism and progressivism in the 1920s and the economic collapse and the political response to the economic crisis in.

Standard 6

Conflict between traditionalism and progressivism in the 1920s and the economic collapse and the political

response to the economic crisis in the 1930s

Day 1Monday

6.1 6 slides

• Economic, social, and cultural changes in the 1920s– Mass production– Home appliances– Installment plan– Transportation– Mass culture– Harlem Renaissance

Changing Economy• After WWI, the US entered

a period of economic growth and cultural change– Both positive and negative

consequences– Did not extend to all

Americans

Changing Economy• The growth of electric energy

hurt the coal industry• Farmers faced surpluses due to

lack of troops to ship their crops to

• Mass production marginalized the skilled worker

• Workers were still underpaid due to ineffectiveness of labor unions

• Widening gap between the ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’

Changing Economy• The assembly line mass produced

radios, refrigerators, and new appliances– Introduced by Henry Ford in 1913

• The installment plan (credit) encouraged consumers to ‘buy now, pay later’

• Washing machines, electric irons, and vacuum cleaners were labor-saving devices– Working women could not afford the

appliances– Middle class women started doing their

own house work instead of hiring help

Changing Society and Culture• Women had very little change

in society or the economy– The flapper’s attempted to use

freedom to change cultural attitudes towards the role of women

– Most women continued the traditional roles as wife and mother

• Advertising, radio and the movies reinforced traditional gender roles

Changing Society and Culture• Transportation helped change

urban life– Automobile changed living

patterns for those who could afford one

– Automobiles lessened the isolation of rural life

– Street cars increased the gap in living and working conditions

– Suburbs grew– Aviation had little impact due to

cost

Changing Society and Culture• The Great Migration led to segregated

neighborhoods• A black middle class developed

– Supported African American writers, musicians, and artists

• The Harlem Renaissance recognized black artists and musicians– James Weldon Johnson and Langston Hughes– Celebrated ties to African culture and black

pride– Questioned the 2nd class citizenship of blacks

• The radio helped spread jazz to white audiences and promoted a shared national culture– Luis Armstrong

Day 2Tuesday

6.2 8 slides

• Social change and conflict between traditional and modern culture– Role of women– “Red Scare”– Ku Klux Klan– Immigration– Prohibition– Scopes trial

Role of Women• The role of women changed

somewhat – Took new jobs while men were

fighting during WWI– Home front efforts during WWI

led to the 19th amendment– No new opportunities in the

workplace (teachers, nurses, secretaries, telephone operators)

– Earned less money than men– The flapper represented

change but posed little threat to traditional roles

“Red Scare”• WWI propaganda promoted

“100 percent Americanism”– Exacerbated nativism and

turned into xenophobia (hatred or fear of foreigners)

• Postwar inflation and job competition led to labor unrest– Strikes, the Russian

Revolution, and European socialism frightened middle and upper class

“Red Scare”• The Red Scare resulted

from Communism, Socialism, Anarchist bombs, and labor strikes

• Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer led the Palmer Raids against suspected communists– 4,000 alleged communists

were held without bond– 100s were deported

Ku Klux Klan• The KKK gained new

followers due to the Red Scare– Added radicals, immigrants,

and Catholics to the target list

• Klansmen saw themselves as moral regulators, targeting bootleggers and gamblers

• Used public beatings, lynchings, and cross burnings

Immigration Quotas• Anti-immigrant sentiment

turned to xenophobia– Resulted in Congress limiting

immigration– Eastern and Southern

European was limited and Asians were barred entirely

Prohibition• The temperance movement

advocated prohibition since the 1830s

• Anti-German sentiment and grain shortages led to the 18th amendment– Prohibited the sale and

distribution of alcohol, but not its consumption

• Neither federal nor local governments had the manpower to stop illegal activity

• The 21st amendment repealed the 18th and ended prohibition

Scopes Trial• Conflict between traditional

religious beliefs and science caused anxiety– Religious fundamentalism (literal

truth of the Bible) vs. Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution

• The Scopes Trial (Monkey Trial) resulted from a Tennessee law that forbade the teaching of evolution in public schools– Biology teacher purposefully

broke the law to teach evolution

Day 3Wednesday

6.3 10 slides

• Causes and consequences of the Great Depression– Wealth gap– Farm economy– Dust Bowl– Limited regulation– taxes and investments– Stock market speculation– Federal Reserve System

False Prosperity• The tradition of

government not regulating the economy was reflected in the practices of the 1920s– Encouraged Big Business– Not protecting the interests

of laborers and farmers

• The Great Depression would question this role

False Prosperity• The 1920s seemed

prosperous with high employment and low inflation– Huge wealth gap– Most Americans earned less

than $2500 per year– Wages were stagnant despite

the company’s prosperity – When installment payments

stopped, so did consumer spending

– Less demand caused lay-offs

Farm Sector Collapse• The farm economy

collapsed– International competition– Lower crop prices – High debts and taxes– Defaulted on bank loans

• Farm defaults caused banks to fail due to lower supply of currency– Limited the number of loans

available

Laissez-Faire Economics• Republican presidents returned

to a laissez-faire policy– Powerful corporations– High tariffs– SCOTUS overturned child labor

and minimum wage laws

• The wealthy invested their earnings in the stock market– Didn’t open new factories– Increased speculation (buying

stock in bulk then selling individually)

– Made a company look profitable (caused prices to increase) when it really wasn’t

Laissez-Faire Economics• Stock market speculation was

fueled by a “get rich quick” mentality– Led to inflated stock values

• Lack of regulations allowed people to buy on the margin (buying stock with a small % of personal $ and borrowing $ from the bank to pay off the rest)– Investors would pay the bank back

with profits earned

• On “Black Tuesday” the market experienced the greatest crash in history– October 29, 1929

Day 4Thursday

Government Mistakes• Poor decisions of individual

companies, consumers, investors, and the Federal Reserve worsened the economic climate

• The Fed is able to regulate the money supply– Make loans to banks-> make

loans to businesses-> hire workers-> buy products

– They attempted to stop speculation by charging high interest rates on loans but ended up discouraging bank lending

Government Mistakes• Congress attempted to

protect American industry by imposing a high tariff in 1930– Caused more damage to the

economy– Halted international trade

• President Hoover urged companies to voluntarily maintain wages and hours– Low consumer demand made

this impossible– Companies laid off workers

and cut hours

The Great Depression• The Great Depression was

the worst economic disaster to ever hit the US– 25% unemployment– People faced eviction and

foreclosure– Wages and hours were cut– People stopped buying

anything but the most essential goods

– Bank “runs” occurred when people rushed to the banks to withdraw their savings

The Great Depression• Soup kitchens formed to help feed

the poor• The lines for soup kitchens were

called bread lines• Hoovervilles were shanty towns or

shacks where the homeless lived• Schools closed• Fewer marriages• Lower birthrate• Men abandoned their families• The “Bonus Army” of unemployed

WWI veterans marched on DC seeking an early payment of a promised bonus

The Great Depression• The farming community suffered an

economic and environmental disaster– The plains were damaged by

overgrazing– Mechanized farm equipment and

greater demand during WWI caused overplanting

• The Dust Bowl occurred when drought and high winds during the 1930s blew away the rich top soil– Evicted tenant farmers– Migrant workers roamed searching

for work– Okies left the plains for California and

jobs

Work Day- Friday

Day 6Monday

6.4 9 slides

• Effectiveness of FDR’s New Deal Programs– Relieving suffering– Achieving economic recovery– Protecting the rights of minorities

Government Intervention• During the 1932 election,

Americans demanded federal aid

• Franklin Delano Roosevelt immediately initiated a series of relief and recovery measures

• The New Deal alleviated some suffering and offered hope to Americans

The New Deal• FDR’s initial goal was to

stabilize the economy and relieve human suffering– Banks were closed for a

holiday-> stopped runs– Government insured bank

deposits-> instilled confidence in banks [Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation]

– Stock market regulations-> prevent pre-crash conditions [Securities and Exchange Commission]

The New Deal– Government subsidies to farmers who

produced less crops-> stabilized prices and raised income [Agricultural Adjustment Act]

– Rural electrification programs built dams-> brought electricity, 1000s of jobs, and stimulated the economy [Tennessee Valley Authority]

– Federal government employed young men and veterans-> built national parks, bridges, hospitals, schools, and air fields [Civilian Conservation Corps]

– Federal support of the arts-> employed writers, artists, and actors[Works Progress Administration]

The New Deal– A national insurance policy->

provided aid to the unemployed, disabled, elderly, and dependent children [Social Security Act]• Workers would pay into the plan

for future protection• Did not provide immediate relief• Critics cite the SSA as laying the

groundwork for the “welfare state”

The New Deal– Minimum wage and

maximum hour standards [Fair Labor Standards Act]

– Recognized the rights of labor unions and collective bargaining [Fair Employment Practices Act (Wagner Act)]

– FDR increased taxes for wealthy individuals and businesses to pay for the New Deal programs

Day 6Tuesday

Criticism of the New Deal• Liberals and conservatives criticized the New Deal– Political left- workers and labor unions claimed FDR was not

doing enough to redistribute income and help the elderly and the poor

– Political right- wealthy business owners claimed the New Deal was too expensive and socialist

– FDR was accused of taking too much power for the federal government

– SCOTUS undermined programs by ruling several of them unconstitutional

– Deficit spending (government spending $ so Americans can earn $) provided millions of dollars in relief but caused an unbalanced budget

Opposition in Government• FDR responded to the SCOTUS by

proposing a plan to increase the size of the Court– This would give him the opportunity to

nominate Justices who supported the New Deal– The “court-packing” plan fueled conservative

criticism but prevented the SCOTUS from overturning any other programs

Failures of the New Deal• The New Deal programs did not help African

Americans– 1933- 48% of blacks were unemployed– The CCC was racially segregated– The AAA hurt tenant farmers and sharecroppers

• FDR formed a “Black Cabinet” to consult for race issues

• Due to discrimination, blacks threatened to march on DC-> commission was established to protect black workers in wartime industries [Fair Employment Practices Commission]

Failures of the New Deal• The New Deal programs did not help women– Women had to “use it up, wear it out, make it do or do

without”– Faced job discrimination– The CCC did not hire women– Other programs hired mostly men– Lower minimum wage for women [National Recovery

Administration]

• FDR appointed the first woman to the Cabinet (Frances Perkins)

• FDR relied on Eleanor Roosevelt for information and advice