2/3 The Republican Era & American Culture of the 1920s

The Republican Era & American Culture of the 1920s

Politics, business, culture, and foreign policy in the 1920s

Harding & the Ohio Gang

Harding appointed friends and allies to powerful government positions

Teapot Dome Scandal

Albert Fall leased U.S. naval oil reserves for bribes

Albert Fall

First cabinet member sent to jail for corruption

Nan Britton

Harding’s mistress who claimed he fathered her child

Harding’s Death (1923)

Harding died suddenly of a heart attack while in office

Calvin Coolidge

Became president after Harding; favored honesty and limited government

Silent Cal

Coolidge’s nickname due to his quiet personality

Pro-Business Policies

Government supported business growth and low regulation

“The Business of America”

Coolidge believed business was America’s main focus

Election of 1924

Coolidge defeated John Davis; Robert La Follette ran Progressive

McNary-Haugen Bill

Government plan to buy surplus crops to help farmers

Coolidge Veto

Coolidge vetoed the McNary-Haugen Bill twice

Dawes Plan (1924)

U.S. loans helped Germany pay war debts

Dawes Plan Cycle

U.S. loans Germany, Germany pays Britain and France, Britain and France repay U.S.

Kellogg-Briand Pact (1928)

Nations agreed to renounce war

Kellogg-Briand Weakness

Lacked enforcement and failed to prevent war

Election of 1928

Herbert Hoover defeated Al Smith

Al Smith

Catholic Democrat hurt by religious and cultural prejudice

Rugged Individualism

Hoover believed individuals should help themselves

Radio Boom

Radios became a major source of news and entertainment

KDKA Pittsburgh

First commercial radio station

Radio Programming

News, sports, music, comedy, and dramas

Advertising Boom

Businesses used psychology and mass marketing

18th Amendment

Established Prohibition and banned alcohol

Prohibition Enforcement

Difficult to enforce and widely ignored

Bootleggers

Illegal alcohol sellers during Prohibition

Speakeasies

Secret illegal bars

Organized Crime

Gangs grew due to illegal alcohol trade

Al Capone

Chicago gangster who profited from Prohibition

St. Valentine’s Day Massacre (1929)

Gang murder highlighting Prohibition’s failure

Billy Mitchell

Advocated for air power in the military

Mitchell Court-Martial

Punished for criticizing military leadership

Charles Lindbergh

American aviator and national hero of the 1920s

Spirit of St. Louis

Plane Lindbergh flew across the Atlantic

Transatlantic Flight (1927)

First solo nonstop flight from New York to Paris

Flight Time

Atlantic crossing took about 33.5 hours

Lindbergh Kidnapping

Lindbergh’s baby son was kidnapped and murdered

Public Reaction to Kidnapping

Shocked the nation and drew massive attention

Lindbergh & Nazis

Lindbergh later admired Nazi Germany

America First Committee

Lindbergh became a leading member

America First Beliefs

Opposed U.S. involvement in World War II