-
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Klu Klux klan from 1866 - early 1920's
Based in southern states (just been freed from slavery)
- Members had to be WASP's (white anglo Saxon protestant) & anti- jew, catholic, communist, foreigners
- Red scare made increase in members (1920 - 100,000 to in 1925 - 5 million)
- Dressed in white robes and hoods (white supremecy)
- They burnt crosses at night meetings and carried flags, mutilated, hung, branded, kidnapped, burnt non wasps
- Never punished as they had 'friends'. Politicians didn't speak out as were afraid to lose votes -
Jim Crow laws:
in 1910 12 million black people lived in USA, 75% in southern states. (slavery abolished there in 1860's)
But they still felt they should be 'separate but equal'. so the Jim Crow laws were introduced.
It stated that there must be separate schools, drinking fountains, pools, parks, hospitals, libraries etc.
Life in southern states for black people was hard because they were always being discriminated against and they couldn't vote and were denied the right to decent education or a good job. -
Treatment of Native Americans
Before Indian citizenship act in 1924, Native Americans:
- denied full US citizenship
- Forced to lice on reservations, with poor quality land (no animals or crops to eat)
- Encouraged to reject their own culture and integrate fully into white society
- Children were sent to boarding school: they were taught English, forced to wear western clothes and encouraged to become christian.
After the citizen act:
- allowed the right to vote
- But still treated very badly and were victims of racism. -
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immigration
Immigration was so popular in America due to push and pull factors.
40 million immigrants had arrived before 1919. There was a Melting pot of different races, cultures and religions.
Pull:
- open door policy (anyone could come in very easily - 70% immigrators processed at ellis island)
- sense of adventure
- fresh start
- meet friends and family
- live dream
Push:
- Escape devastation of war-torn Europe
- avoid further economic hardship and poverty
- escape religious/ political persecution -
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Groups to fight racial injustice:
NAACP - National association for the advancement of coloured people.
Founded in 1910 by William Du Bois
By 1919 had 90,000 members in 300 branches
Had legal, peaceful, non violent protests (marches/ court cases) UNIA - Universal Negro improvement association
Founded in 1914 by Marcus Garvey
By 1920, 25,000 members
They wanted: keep separated, embrace their blackness & for people to return to Africa
He was imprisoned in 1925 and when released he was deported to Jamaica (UNIA fell apart then) -
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US Economy 1910-1929
After war economy fell due to US soldiers coming back to be jobless. Europe recovery meant they didn't rely on USA's goods as much. Strikes of coal and steel and textile industries. By 1921 5 million men were registered as unemployed.
By 1922 - 1921 recovery and economic boom period. -
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growth of cinema (entertainment):
1910 - 1930 = 8,000 - 303,000 cinemas
Grew because:
- people had more time / money
- cheap, exiting experience which escaped reality (escapism)
- better transport
- range of films increased
- attraction of movie stars
- novelty of new technology (First talking film in 1927)
Hollywood became centre of film industry because:
- variety of different landscapes & hot climate
- emerging production companies eg. paramount
- Movie stars moved there
- Range of films produced there (eg. western, crime) -
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Movie stars:
Rudolf Valentino (1895-1926)
Romantic star, first male star to be sold on sex appeal. 100,000 fans attend his funeral Clara Bow (1905-65)
Glamorous star, referred to as 'it' girl as had sex appeal, represented in flapper image (a rebellious, fashionable young woman - wore short skirts, listened to jazz & challenged acceptable behaviour) Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977)
Resembled tramp like image, wore ill fitting suits, bowler cap and cane. made successful transition from silent movies to talkies -
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Women before WW1:
Led restricted lives
- Middle/ upper class had chaperones (elderly lady) if they were unmarried and went to a place where men were
- Considered unladylike to smoke, drink in public.
- Wore tight waited ankle length dresses with little to no makeup
- Working women were paid very low and only could get cleaning, dress making or secretarial jobs.
-They didn't have the right to vote. -
American society change with new consumer opportunities:
Advertising:
more investment in advertising to sell products
greater access to media (newspaper, magazines, radio, cinema)
sophistication (catch phrases, colour, targeting)
catalogues = mail order
credit - buy now, pay later (hire purchase)
New Goods:
1927 2/3 of US homes had electricity = demand for electrical goods
new inventions (washing machines, fridges, gramophones)
Consumer stores:
Sold wide ranges of things
First super market opened in 1916 (piggly wiggly store)
Chain stores appeared -
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Car industry growth causing growth in Economic boom:
Henry Ford = introduced new methods of production (electric conveyor belt transported materials & assembly line made men specifically build one part of a car)
Reduction of time = 13 hours to 1 hour 33 mins
Mass production made Model t (Tin lizzie) prices fall = (1914) $850 to (1926) $295
Workers did the same thing so wages doubled to $5 a day
Factory open 24/7, 3 x 8 hour shifts by 80,000 people
They also did hire purchase and used advertising
By 1925 had the cars in the world were Model T's -
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The great migration:
segregation didn't exist in northern states, & with racial tension in the south many migrated up north (hoping for jobs, to be involved in the new industries, & better living standards).1916 - 1920: almost 1 million migrated. But life there was often just as hard. Black Americans were still treated second class citizens. Were last to be hired, first to be fired, received low pay, lived in poor neighbourhoods (ghettos).
There were riots in 20 US cities in 1919, because of racial injustice. -
Flapper and growth of feminism/ independence:
ditched chaperone and went out alone
- wore makeup, perfume, revealing swimwear, short skirts and bright colours
- cut hair short 'bob'
- Smoked, drank, went to dance clubs and danced to jazz, went to speakeasies
- drove cars/ motor bikes Idols:
Clara Bow - actress
Joan Crawford - portrayed as typical flapper in films Older generation/ religious disapproved. Anti-flirt league protested. Some flappers were arrested for lawbreaking - bad for feminism. women who couldn't afford it, rejected it. -
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The red scare
People became scared that communism would spread, especially with immigration. Due to multiple things xenophobia grew dramatically:
- Bolsheviks revolution
- rise in immigration In result of this:
- 36000 strikes in 1919 (fear communism revolution was pending)
- bombs planted; 1919 - people tried to kill attorney General - Mitchell palmer after palmer raids, April 1919- in church in Milwaukee killing ten, September 1920 - on Wall Street killed 38) -
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Legislation introduced:
1917 - literacy act
All immigrants had to pass a literacy exam in English 1921 - Emergency quota act
3% of each ethnicity that was there in 1910 could enter enter per year (357,000 allowed in) 1924 - National origins act
Cut quota to 2% and it was from 1890 not 1910. but allowed more people from northern Europe to enter 1929 - immigration act
Only 150,000 per year. no asians, northern and Western Europeans allocated 85% of the places. -
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Women after WW1:
men left so women starting being employed for their jobs
- New labour saving gadgets saved women from time consuming chores
- advertising led to new fashions especially flapper style.
- By 1930 2 million more women were employed than in 1920, however many of those jobs were still low payed
- 19th amendment allows Women the right to vote.
- in 1924 Nellie Ross became the first elected woman to govern a state.
- Jazz influenced more flappers -
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Farmers lives in the boom:
Most people suffered in the Boom and over 60% of people were living below the poverty line.
The decline in foreign market areas made food prices fall
Over production due to increased speed from mechanics.
Many had to borrow money to just pay their mortgage
Those who lost their farms became hobos (unemployed wanderer)
Total income of farmers fell from in 1919 $32 billion to in 1928 $13 billion -
The palmer Raids
Because of the red scare, The palmer raids were organised by Attorney general Mitchell Palmer. They arrested 6000 suspected communists in 36 cities across America. They arrested people like Jews, Blacks and Catholics. They were held with no charge for several weeks and then many were deported. -
Impact on dance and seek easy after the war:
Slow traditional formal dances were replaces with upbeat ones such as:
- Charleston, The black bottom, the vampire, the shimmy and the bunny hug.
Dance halls arose and became highly popular. Such as the cotton club in NYC, which had lived jazz and people danced.
Many older generation or religious people found them offensive, too sexual, that they lowered moral standards and made night life behaviour scandalous. -
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Sport popularity increase after WW1:
Because...
- impact of the Radio
- Improved transport
- growth in sport journalism
- people had more leisure time
- improved wages
- more disposable income
- more opportunity to participate in sport
- Appeal of sport stars and hero
- Larger crowds attracted advertising and increased revenues for clubs
- building of bigger sport stadiums -
Organised crime:
Grew rapidly in 1920's. Prohibition provided opportunities to form gangs and do illegal things. (controlled speak easies, bootleggers and moonshiners, gambling dens, prostitute houses, supplying drugs) -
immigrants lives in Boom:
Were treated badly, seen as cheap labour, low wages, experienced prejudice and discrimination, most were unemployed -
Trade Union, how they were effected in the boom?
Trade union is a group to help ensure that workers can be payed more if they are not getting enough etc.
- Large number of strikes from Red scare damaged the amount of members
- Employers like Henry Ford wouldn't hire union members and were anti-union. -
demand to restrict immigration - starting to question open door policy:
devastation to countries due to WW1 meant rise in immigrants. increase in immigrants from Eastern Europe (13 million from 1900-1914)
- 'swamped' by rising number of immigrants
- seen as they could offer little, as they were often poor, illiterate and couldn't speak English
- xenophobia growth (ideal citizen being a WASP - white, anglo Saxon protestant)
- they were different, caused hate and fear
- rise of communism in Russia 1917 lead to fear of them bringing those ideas to the US. -
introduction to prohibition:
Jan 1920 - 18th amendment made it illegal to sell alcohol and the Volstead act put down penalties for breaking this law. It was put in place because:
- Alcohol caused increase in crime
- Womens Christian temperance union and Anti-saloon league put pressure on making the law
- Alcohol consumption was thought to be the main reason for wide beating and child abuse
- Alcohol was linked to bad work ethic
- Drinking lowered moral standards and undermined traditional valued. -
Black American experience during the Economic Boom:
Felt hardship of segregation in south.
Many were labourers/ shared croppers - retrieve crops with long hot badly paid hours / unemployed. Many lived in slum conditions
In north lived in Ghettos and found it hard to get and maintain a job
750,000 black farmers lost their jobs -
How were Older transitional industries effected in the Boom?
Coal industry had high competition from oil, gas, electricity. many mines had to close and there were many strikes and unrest within the industry
Railroads had competition from cars, made business difficult and lacked in money income
Ship building industry had sharp decline following high production during the war
Textile industry faced competition from new man-made fibres (eg.rayon). The change in women fashion (shorter dresses = less cloth) hard to keep up, when foreign could supply cheaply -
Problems with Prohibition:
Law was ignored:
- Alcohol trade went underground and developed into organised crime under control of powerful gangsters
- Boot leggers (one who provides and distributes alcohol) like al Capone, made large sums of money smuggling alcohol in
- Moonshiners - brewed and distilled own alcohol which caused a lot of alcohol poisoning
- Speakeasies were introduced: illegal drinking shop, became popular and over 100,000 sprung up in New York
- Prohibition agents were bribed to stop them being arrested. -
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sporting héros and their impact:
Baseball:
George Herman '(babe) Ruth' - 1st to hit 60 home runs in 1 season Boxing:
Jack Dempsey - heavy weight title -7 years, won 66/83 fights
Gene Tunney - Heavy weight title - 2 years, after beating Dempsey, won 80/86 fights American football:
Red Grange - 2008 named all-time best college football player Tennis:
Bill Tilden - best player in 1920's. 1929 over 1000 tennis clubs Golf:
Bobby Jones & Walter Hagen - most successful US golfers (1920's) 1927 2 million US golfers on 5000 courses -
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American Heroes:
Charles Lindbergh: 1st to fly non-stop, over the Atlantic (NYC - Paris) 20-21st May 1927 (33 hours 39 minutes) Amelia Earhart: 1st female to fly across the Atlantic (with 2 male pilots). 1929 - 20 hours 40 minutes. Gertrude Ederle: 1926, first woman to swim the English Channel she took 14 hours 30 mins. -
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Al Capone and the St Valentines day Massacre:
Most Notorious Gangster Al Capone, became famous after he moved to Chicago in 1925, & took over from his gang leader, Jonny Torrio
He bribed senior police men & city mayor, creating an empire of organised crime (speakeasies, gambling houses, night clubs & breweries)
1925 - 1929 had 200 rivals
1929, valentines day, his gang attempted to kill Bugs Moran (rival). But they couldn't find enough evidence to prosecute Al Capone.
so he was done for tax evasion In 1931, it was an end of 'age of gansters' -
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Long term factors why the Boom ended:
Over production due to assembly line etc. and in mechanisation in agriculture caused US to be saturated with unsold consumer goods. Factories/ farms had to cut pay and sack workers and many went out of business. (didn't listen to when demand dropped)
- Gap in rich and poor left no one was buying products as they either couldn't afford it or already had it.
- tariffs hindered sales
- Price houses went from high to very low so many people went into negative equity.
- banks had limited regulation -
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development of Jazz music:
Developed from traditional black music (ragtime/ blues). Many black musicians couldn't read music, & so improvised. Its was becoming more popular especially to flappers, dancers (eg.Charleston) & in new nightclubs/ speakeasies. 3 Jazz artists:
- Bessie Smith (1894 - 1937) Vocalist, Known as 'empress of the blues'
- Duke Ellington (1899-1974) Pianist, Leader of a ten-piece Jazz band (NYC)
- Louis Armstrong (1901-71) Trumpeter, unique talent. moved to Jazz capital Chicago. played in famous band -
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Impact of the Radio:
1930 = 50 million Americans listened to the radio & 40 million homes owned one. It was one of the most popular entertainment because...
- had electricity supply
- mass production = affordable, accessible & allowed higher purchase
- could hear the news, sport games, music (jazz)
- encouraged socialisation (listen together)
- By 1930, 600 radio stations. Largest = National broadcasting company (NBS) or Columbia broadcasting system (CBS)
- cheaper than gramophone (sales decreased after radio) -
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crazes:
Dance marathons - 1923, Alma Cummings danced non-stop for 27 hours, wearing out 6 dancing partners New games - Man Jongg, Chinese game. Crosswords were invented and became popular Beauty contests - sponsored by newspaper. very popular in 1920's Unique crazes - Live goldfish swallowing competitions. Flagpole sitting, In 1923 Alvin Kelly set record of 49 days. -
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The Sacco and Vanzetti case:
5th May 1920 - 2 Italian Immigrants (Nicola Sacco & Bartolomeo Vanzetti) were arrested & charged with shoe factory robbery, in Massachusetts where 2 died May 1921 - trial opened, case against them was not strong, 61 eye witnesses identified the two men, but 107 said they had seen them else where at the time of the robbery August 1927 - execution date The judge was determined to find them guilty and it was a clear indication of racial and immigration discrimination even in the law. -
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Government corruption:
The government at this time 1921-23 - President harding, was corrupt and the president gave his friends positions in the government. They then used those positions to steal money from taking money. Head of veterans bureau was sent to jail after selling off the veterans hospital supplies for money for himself. -
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Teapot Scandal:
Albert fall (Gov) leased Gov land to drill for oil reserves at teapot dome. He got $400,000 from oil companies hoping to be granted leases (bribe)
Most of the money was from Harry st'clair - mammoth oil & Edwards Doheny - Pan America petroleum and transport
The scandal was leaked to the press in 1922 and a Gov enquiry was demanded which was not completed till 1927. Fall was charged $100,000 and sent to prison.
Sinclair was sent to prison but Doheny was acquitted. Leases were cancelled. -
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Republican presidents:
chain of republic presidents allowed constant for economic boom. All let independence of companies and introduced tariffs (high cost to sell/ buy abroad = limit foreign competitors = more US good sold in US)
Warren harding 1921-23 - back to 'normalcy'. Economy back to when in the war & reduced tax burden on rich Calvin Coolidge 1923 - 29 - laissez-faire - policy to not interfere in economy / businesses Herbert Boover 1929 - 33 - Rugged individualism - success through own hard work -
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Long term causes of the Economic Boom:
US had lots of natural resources (oil, coal, wood, iron)
- lots of Immigrants = cheap labour
- Tariffs = Americans didn't sell their products abroad as they would have to pay high tax
- Many people had confidence to invest/ take loans
- Spread of electricity = enabled technology development & selling more goods
- Kept out of war till 1917
- war stimulated inventions like plastic
- US banks loaned money to Europe and US businessmen invested in Europe = economy grew, US got lots of money from it -
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Religious Fundamentalism and the monkey trial:
In rural areas - more common to be very religious. Especially those in Bible Belt (southern part of USA) who were often fundamentalists. These modern and rural places (religious and more relaxed) clashed over the monkey trial. The Bible Belt states believed in creationism and 6 states banned teachings of evolution (1924-25) A bio teacher (John Scopes) from bible belt, ignored the ban, was arrested & put on trial in July 1925 where he was found guilty & fined $100. But it vocalised his view -
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short term factors of economic boom:
Overly confident in buying shares
- bought on the margin (borrowing money from banks)
- banks more open to give loans
- Hire purchase (instalments)
- Stocks and shares rose
- wages increased by 8% (1923- 1929) = people bought more
- more household gadgets to buy
- effective advertising
- electricity growth
- conveyor belt, assembly line and mass production = more goods, cheaper
- New material = plastic
- new building materials like steel -
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KKK after late 1920's:
Decline in members, after conviction of a grand dragon of Indiana (leader KKK of state) David Stevenson. Who had raped and mutilated a woman on the Chicago train. In the trail Stevenson spoke about illegal activities of the KKK which discredited the movement and gave it bad publicity. -
car industry impact on other sections of US economy and other areas effected by boom:
Stimulated growth in feeder industries like steel, wood, rubber, leather and petrol. Gas stations and roads (roads doubled by 1929) were built offering jobs and they needed materials to be bought for that. Farmers were less isolated and more mobile. Good for transporting goods (vans on road had doubled to 3.5 million by 1929)
more buildings were made like skyscrapers and factories and houses. -
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Short term factors of end of the Boom:
share prices rose to unrealistic levels (stock market value of shares rose from $27 billion to $87 billion by October 1929), many people invested (1920 4 million, to 1929 20 million).
- it was under regulated by Gov
- easy credit = many bought on the margin, technically in dept until paid off
- By 1929 75% of the purchase price of shares was borrowed.
- When it dropped it had massive effect -
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Wall Street crash:
When big investors began to sell shares people panicked and so rushed to sell so shares plummeted. Sat 19 Oct - 3.5 million shares traded, prices fall
Mon 21 Oct - 6 million shares traded, prices fall again
Black Thur 24 Oct - 13 million traded, sharp decline in prices
Fri 25 Oct - Bankers pump money into stock market(buying shares) and slight increase in share prices
Mon 28 Oct - panic returns and share prices fall
Black Tue 29 Oct - worst day ever on stock market 16 million shares traded -
Immediate effect of the Wall Street crash:
US stock market collapses. Shares only a fraction of what they had been meaning that people would sell them on for less. (no one wanted them though) low prices meant they lost money or if they bought on the margin they are in dept to the bank
- loss of confidence in financial sector
- Banks went bust
- People became frugal with money and less consumer good bought
- suicide rates rose because of money lost
- unemployment rose & firms began to fire workers roaring 20's --> Great Depression -
criticism of the movie industry:
Movies accused of lowering moral standards - using actors/actresses as sex symbols. The lives of them were also criticised as they had wild parties and affairs. In attempts to improve this image the 'Hays code of practise' was introduced. This law included stopping sex scenes and showing how some laws are stupid. The oscars were also set up to celebrate whats best in movies. -
End of Prohibition:
It was impossible to enforce by 1930 and there was a wide spread off opposition to it. Many problems such as alcohol poisoning arose (by 1925 - 50,000 people died). more organised crime, gangster activity and violence. After Wall Street crash, many said ending prohibition would created more jobs in alcohol business.