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US Opts Not to Join the League of Nations
The United States just got out of World War 1 a year earlier and they just wanted everything to return to normal. America had supported the creation of the League of Nations but they were debating whether to join or not. Congress was afraid that the power of the US would be compromised and that the US would have to be drawn into wars that is not any of their business. No reservations were accepted and no compromises could be made so the United States never agreed to join. -
Period: to
1920's
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18th Amendment Passed
The 18th Amendment was paased as an act of the Progressive movement. It was the answer to what the social reformers advocating temperance and prohibition were looking for. This amendment made the sale, production, and transferring of alcohol illegal. This amendment was later repealed. -
19th Amendment Ratified
Women were now guaranteed the right to vote. Voting rights can no longer be prohibited based on gender. It was a monumental movement for Women's Rights and those who actively worked for suffrage (like Alice Paul and Susan B. Anthony) can now be proud. It will open many doors for women. -
Time Magazine
Time Magazine was a magazine that provided news on various topics so that "busy men" could read. For many years, since the very first cover featuring John G. Cannon was published, Time has used pictures or art of a single person on their covers. It has grown tremendously since its first release and has gone on to create other magazines and works. Now it provides weekly news everywhere in the United States. -
Calvin Coolidge is Elected
President Coolidge's slogan was: "Keep Cool with Coolidge". He had become President after President Harding passed away in 1923. In this election, he was renominated to run for the Republican party after he bacame popular while serving as President. He and his party supported tax reductions, protective tariffs, and worldwide reduction of arms. The President won the election easily. -
Locke publishes "The New Negro" leading to the Harlem Renaissance
The Harlem Renaissance was originally called the New Negro Movement. Alain Locke showed that this was the time for African Americans to culturally express themselves as a group. The time after the war and before the Great Depression was the time for the change and growth. The Harlem Renaissance was born in the Harlem neigborhood in Manhatten after the Great Migration sent many Blacks up there in search of better economic opportunities. The social, literary, musical, and cultural expression began -
"The Great Gatsby" is published
This book is the third published by F. Scott Fitzgerald and was considered a big accomplishment in his career. This book showed the Jazz Age and centered around a man named Jay Gatsby. He was a famous gangster who participated in the illegal distribution of alcohol along with other bootleggers of the time. He became somewhat notorious for this and other crimes. -
Scopes Monkey Trial
This trial was centered around a group of teachers in Tennessee choosing to test the Butler Law by letting Mr.John T. Scopes teach a class on the theory of evolution. He was arrested and tried in court and defended by a man who brought out a point that seemed to end the whole case in their favor. Mr. Scopes lost but he was not punished heavily and the case was soon overturned. This trial brought up an important topic that sets other movements in motion. -
KKK Marches on Washington
The Klu Klux Klan was an organization that arose from the Reconstruction Era and was based off of White supremacy and deep-seated racism. The group used violence like lynchings to show that they will remain supreme and to intimidate colored men. On August 8, 1925, a massive group of the KKK members marched on Pennsylvania Avenue while wearing their white sheets to show their power. -
Langston Hughes Publishes The Weary Blues
"The Weary Blues" was a book of poems written by Langston Hughes. The poems in this book were unlike any that anyone has ever read. It was influenced by the Harlem Renaissance and incorporated the lively rhythm of the jazz and blues music of that time. -
“Talkie” Movie- The Jazz Singer is released
The Jazz Singer was the first talkie movie. Even though 1927 was the time for the first motion pictures with sound, this movie was not the first. It just featured dialogue and music. This film was still considered to be a first in the making of movies with sound even though the result of the production was not actually actors speaking and acting as we know it today. However, it was still loved by movie-goers of the '20's. -
Charles Lindbergh Solo Transatlantic Flight
Charles Lindbergh became the first man to fly alone across the Atlantic Ocean. He took his aiprlane, the Spirit of St. Louis, and flew nonstop for thrity- three hours from New York to Paris. He was nicknamed "Lucky Lindy". After his amazing flight, he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor by President Coolidge. He then spent much of his days informing other Americans about aviation. -
Babe Ruth hits 60 home runs in one season
Babe Ruth's long streak of home runs was one of the first records ever set in babseball history. He set a standard for everyone to try to accomplish. Another player named Bambino previously set his own records then beat them twice until Babe Ruth came along in 1927 and got 60 home runs over his 59. Babe Ruth became a legend from then on. -
Duke Ellington plays at The Cotton Club
Duke Ellington and his orchestra livened up The Cotton Club with his Jazz music. The Cotton Club was looking for a replacement for the band when one of its band members dies. Duke Ellington and his crew were able to get the job. They gained their fame from being broadcasted on the radio nationwide. -
Al Capone- Active Bootlegger
Al Capone is widely known for being a gangster, a mobster, and a bootlegger. He was notorious and even considered successful at the time and he was in the very risky business of the illegal sale of alcohol. All of his work in the 1920's was due to the new Prohibition law. He was the head of the Valentine's Day Massacre and he made a fortune by having his own bootlegging business. -
The US signs the Kellogg-Briand Pact
This pact, also known as the Pact of Paris, was an agreement in attempt to take war out as a national resource. It was signed after World War 1 in order to steer everyone away from any thoughts of war to bring peace and a feelng of ease back. It was multilateral due to the involvement of many countries and it aimed towards rational diplomacy and not turning straight to war as an answer to a conflict. Because of certain reasons, the agreement was deemed ineffective. -
The Election of President Herbert Hoover (1st Term)
President Hoover was popular among many of the social groups so he was likely to make the nomination for the Republican party. President Hoover was well regarded and carried a great name for himself and didn't even clash with his opponent. The Republican party already had a great advantage due to the booming economy. President Hoover's opponent, Al Smith, led himself down the wrong path by constantly taking a strong stand for repealing the 18th Amendment. President Hoover won. -
First Mickey Mouse Cartoon: “Steamboat Willie” Premiers
This cartoon was a major first in cartoon, Mickey Mouse, and animation history. This cartoon debuted Mickey Mouse and was the first animation with synchronized sound. Disney was beginning to feel a little run down as competitors such as the film "The Jazz Singer" was striking it large with their acting accompanied by sounds. He figured that the answer was in the sound and when he added that to his animations, everyone was captivated. -
Black Tuesday- Stock Market Crash
Black Tuesday was actually Day 4 of the stock market crash of 1929. The stock market had already lost everything it had made for the year and from this point, the stock market kept losing value rapidly which caused so much money to be lost. This was an event that led to the Great Depression and it ruined the trust everyone had for the economy. -
Amelia Earhart's Solo Transatlantic Flight
Amelia Earhart was an incredible world-record setting pilot. She has had many firsts in her time as a pilot and making a name for herself as the first woman to fly non-stop across the Atlantic Ocean just as Charles Lindbergh had done the year before. This was in the year 1928. It reportedly took her about twenty hours and forty minutes to go from the US to Wales, England which became the time that made her famous. Her solo flight was in 1932. -
The Election of President Herbert Hoover (2nd Term)
President Hoover was more on the on the ineffective side when the Great Depression hit the country. He was not a great leader and couldn't handle the problems that arose. It was unlikely that President Hoover would win the election of 1932. The Democratic Party was very hopeful this time. President Hoover could not salvage what he had left as President Franklin Roosevelt inspires many with his "New Deals". FDR won the election and the Great Depression was now his problem to deal with.
