UNIT 7, CH 22

In the 1920s, the United States experienced sharp cultural and political conflicts as traditional values clashed with rapid social change. Tensions emerged between modernists and religious fundamentalists, seen in debates over evolution and Prohibition, while nativism and racism fueled immigration restrictions, the Red Scare, and the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan. At the same time, economic developments created instability beneath apparent prosperity. Mass production, consumer credit, and speculation encouraged overspending and overproduction, while unequal wealth distribution and weak regulation of banks and the stock market made the economy fragile. Together, these cultural divisions and unsustainable economic practices helped set the stage for the Great Depression at the end of the decade.

Adkins v. Children’s Hospital (1923)

Supreme Court case that struck down a minimum-wage law for women, ruling it violated freedom of contract

Welfare capitalism

system where companies offered benefits (like pensions or housing) to workers to discourage unions and increase loyalty

A. Mitchell Palmer

U.S. Attorney General who led the Red Scare and authorized raids against suspected radicals

Red Scare

Widespread fear of communism and radical political movements in the U.S. after World War I

Palmer Raids

Government raids (1919–1920) targeting suspected radicals, often violating civil liberties

Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti

Italian immigrants controversially convicted and executed for murder amid anti-immigrant and anti-radical sentiment

Sheppard-Towner Federal Maternity and Infancy Act (1921)

First federal social welfare law, providing funding for maternal and infant health care

Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom

Organization formed to promote peace, women’s rights, and international cooperation

Associated state

nation that is independent but closely tied to another country for defense or economic reasons

Teapot Dome

Major scandal involving bribery and illegal leasing of federal oil reserves during the Harding administration

Dollar diplomacy

U.S. foreign policy using economic investments and loans to influence other countries

Prohibition

Constitutional ban on the manufacture, sale, and transport of alcohol (1920–1933)

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)

Organization founded to protect individual rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution

Scopes Trial (1925)

Court case over teaching evolution in schools, symbolizing conflict between science and religious fundamentalism

National Origins Act (1924)

Immigration law that set strict quotas favoring northern and western Europeans

Ku Klux Klan (KKK)

White supremacist group that revived in the 1920s, promoting racism, nativism, and religious intolerance

Leo Frank

Jewish factory manager lynched in 1915 after a controversial conviction, highlighting antisemitism

Henry Ford

Automobile manufacturer who pioneered assembly-line production and mass consumer goods

Harlem Renaissance

Cultural movement celebrating African American art, literature, and music in the 1920s

Zora Neale Hurston

Harlem Renaissance author known for portraying African American culture and folklore

Jazz

Music genre rooted in African American culture that became symbolic of the 1920s

Louis Armstrong

Influential jazz musician who helped popularize jazz nationwide

Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA)

Organization founded to promote Black pride, unity, and economic independence

Marcus Garvey

Black nationalist leader who advocated racial pride and a return to Africa

Pan-Africanism

Movement promoting unity and solidarity among people of African descent worldwide

Lost Generation

Group of writers disillusioned by World War I and critical of modern society

Consumer credit

System allowing people to buy goods on installment plans, contributing to rising consumerism and debt

Adolph Zukor

Film producer who helped build the Hollywood studio system

Hollywood

Center of the U.S. film industry and a symbol of mass entertainment

Flapper

Young woman who challenged traditional gender roles through fashion, behavior, and independence

Soft power

Influence gained through culture, diplomacy, and economic appeal rather than military force