APUSH 31

Context: This is an image depicting the American Legion that was a group that joined the Bochevicks to attack the political leftists in the US after WWI. The time was called the Red Scare when many people went on strikes after the war but blamed the Bolsheviks as the cause. This was at a time of great turmoil after WWI, with the rise of new communist regimes, such as Russia.

Significance: This legion and its protest against radicals led to several prejudiced acts like the conviction of Sacco and Vanzeeti who were radicals, most likely wrongfully blamed for murder. In NYC several members were even denied their elected seat in Congress bc they were communists. lastly, The violence, like the unexplained bombing on Wall Street caused by these groups, also led to Criminal Syndicalism Laws being passed which made it illegal to advocate for change through violence.

Context: This is an image of a KKK parade in 1928 where now unmasked women marched down Pennsylvania avenue. This was in the context of the new rise of the KKK after the war which was now not only anti-black but almost anti-anything not blue-eyed and blond. This was during a time of great prejudice and nativist sentiment after the war when many Americans wanted to separate themselves from Europe.

Significance: First, the unmaskedness of the women shows the lack of shame and the openness of the KKK which was a great change from the KKK that appeared after the civil war who acted behind closed doors. This new clan can be seen to closely relate to the Antiforign nativist movement in the 1850s which took a large step backward for Americans. Ultimately this sentiment took America from one of the most diverse and open countries to 1931 when more foreigners left than arrived further stepping backwards into isolation.

Context: This is an image of the infamous gangster el Capone who prospered in the 1920s. In the context of prohibition and the Volstead Act, Capone became a bootlegger who made a lot of money selling illegal alcohol while using guns and violence to end completion. This was in the wider context of the Roaring 20s where there was great prosperity from overproduction and new goods but also more crime as people were free to do as they pleased.

Significance: Al Capone and other bootleggers show the failure of the 18th Amendment as many still drank because they believed the government didn’t have the ability to control private lives. However, the government tried to battle many of these crimes shown in the image with laws such as the Lindbergh law that targeted kidnapping, demonstrating efforts to combat crime. But in all, Al Capone shows the bad side of the corruption and social issues brought during Harding’s administration with scandals like teapot dome and Fall’s bribery.

This is an image of the Ford Model a produced in the 1930s, as a spin-off of the Model T. This was amid the rise of production by the improved assembly line Ford created which was fewer people and more production. At this time, the roaring 20s, new production, and inventions while people were spending crazily, especially with credit.

The low price of this vehicle allowed cars to become accessible to the common man and no longer a stable of wealth. With the standardization o factory work which brought less time working and the new car people spent a lot more of their leisure time traveling and partaking in entertainment as the car was a badge of freedom and progress. But with freedom and enjoyment also came harm as many dubbed cars as prostitution and criminals used them as getaway cars.

This is an image of the new Jazz performer al Jonston, a jew dressed in blackface. This was amidst the rise of continued anti-black sentiment as they moved into cities more prominently after the war due to opportunity. This was also during a period, the 1920s, when people had the leisure time to partake in jazz music and performances due to fewer working hours.

The introduction of sound films called talkies revolutionized the entertainment industry contributing to the growth of Hollywood launching stars like Jonston. However, it also brought racism as blacks were further alienated and KKK sentiment was kept in movies such as “The Birth of a Nation” by Griffith. This image shows that while new technology and leisure brought wealth and entertainment, it also brought marginalization and standardization of culture as many immigrant children started to follow ideas in movies.

“America’s present need is not heroics but healing; not nostrums but normalcy; not revolution but restoration;...not surgery but serenity.” Warren G. Harding, 1920

This was said by Harding during is political campaign in 1920 after WWI. Previous presidents like Roosevelt and Wilson had tried so hard to reform America and the rest of the world with ideas like the 14-point plan. This quote came at a period when many wanted to return to normalcy and contempt themselves with a 2nd rate president after the war.

The way Harding governed, as described in the quote, greatly impacted the freedom and prosperity brought during the 1920s. For example, Harding brought laws such as the Forney Mcumber tariff that moved Americans back to the old government-protected way of business. He wanted to bring America back to what it was to let people prosper but this freedom also contributed to what would soon come to be the great depression due to this increased prosperity and overpopulation. However, this free enterprise also brought a lot of crime with the growth of illegal “business owners” like AL Capone.

A recognized expert on American immigration, Henry P. Fairchild wrote in 1926, 

“The typical immigrant of the present does not really live in America at all, but from the point of view of nationality, in Italy, Poland, Czecho-Slovakia, or some other foreign country.

This was a quote by a recognized expert on American immigration, Henry P. Fairchild wrote in 1926. Farichilds views display the growing discontent of many about immigration and the spread of communism, especially groups like the KKK. This can be seen in the context of the aftermath of the world war where Americans wanted to return to normalcy, even if that meant isolationism.

This quote demonstrates the sentiment that harmed many immigrants at the time as they were constantly faced by prejudiced people. For example, Sacco and Vanzetti faced pedujcice judges because they were Italian and most likeltj were wrongly convicted. Furthmore this sentiment led to Immigration act of 1924 that great restricted the amount of immigrants that could enter from south europe. With these quotes, in 1931, for the first time America sent away more immigrants than it brought in.

“If a minister believes and teaches evolution, he is a stinking skunk, a hypocrite, and a liar.”

This was a quote by the fundamentalist W.A. Sunday, an evangelical speaker, speaking of the scopes trial, a challneges to the teaching of evolution. Due to new advancements in science people went against the fundamentalists who believed that studies of the theory of evolution were going against the will of god. This was in the wider context of reform in the 1920s as people were going against traditional ways of thinking and living life.

This quote signifies the weary conflict between the ideas of modernism and traditionalism as even after the trial, even thought the persecution was upheld, the fine was removed showing that neither side won completely. Although many people focus on the morality issue, this trial as a whole shows the growth of education and access at the time as people in rural areas, who normally weren’t taught, had the ability to learn things like evolution. In all this quote shows the change in tradition values brought in this period with new ideas like the theory of evolution being taught and people like flappers breaking out freely.

“Strange,

That in this nigger place

I should meet life face to face;

When, for years, I had been seeking

Life in places gentler-speaking,

Until I came to this vile street

And found Life stepping on my feet!”

This was written by a prominent artist, Langston Hughes, Estehte in Harlem, during the Harlem Renaissance in 1930 as a reflection of his experience in the black hub of Harlem. This was in the context of the Harlem reineassnce which was a movement to promote African American art, music, and literature to redefine their cultural identity. This can be seen in the context of the Roaring 20s, a time of cultural liberation, even for blacks, and in the context of the war that made many move to the north.

The words such as “n**** place” used in this quote demonstrate how even though many blacks made a good name for themselves in Harlem it was still seen as an inferior place, meant to be mocked. However, new writers didn’t care, like Zora Neal Hurston, and still used Harlem as a platform to bring about and share their experiences in culture. This sharing and spread allowed blacks to create their own new distinct music and lay claims to some of the best artists in genres like jazz setting a way for the culture and power that helped bring the civil rights movement.

This is an image displaying the teapot dome scandal carried out by albridge fall giving US navy oil rights to invetors in 1922. This was during the harding administration which was known to contain a plethora of scandlals, many said he wasnt smart enough to be president. This was at a time of political instabilty and a desire to return to normalcy with less extravegant progressive change even if the president was second rate.

This scandal allowed rich sentaors and businessmen to profit but left the american navy out to dry showing the lack of patrioitsm in mnay and a higher value for money. This scandal also broke the presitgue of washinton in the peoples eyes as a new slogan began to be “guilty until proven rich”. The ease of this scandal also opened the door for many more like the Daugherty scandal as many saw how easy it was to fool harding and sell out the US.

This is a cartoon that depicts a parody of a song about Jesus praising coolidges pro business policies. Coolidge ofte vetoed bills like the Mcnary Haugen but accepted bills like the fordney mcumber tariff that was higher than the payne aldrich. This can be seen in the return to normalcy political trend and coolidges hands off presidency where he greatly promoted laizee fair.

Due to Coolidge protecting businesses and keeping tariffs high, nations in Europe also had to raise their tariff which led to economic distress. Due to this distress countries like britian started to look at gernmany to pay their war debts but the country did not have money, only hyper inflation. This led to the Dawes plan act of 1924 that opened private loans to Germany and made America have even more money, which induced the overspeculatio. and collapse in the great depression when the debtors defaulted.

This is an image that depicts the war debts that nations had to pay to american after WWI. During the war, america had not given that much manpower but it gave money to these nations, but due to bills like the fordney mcumber tariff these nations could not pay them. This can be seen in the wider American isolationist movement by coolidge who wanted to separate America from eu and even central America.

This plea for money led many European nations to look to Germany, a country plagued by hyperinflation and unable to pay. This allowed America to create the Dawes Plan act of 1924 which gave private loans to Germany allowing America to receive their money from GB and even more from Germany. This extra money led to the conditions of inflation that burst in the great depression and hurt people further as Germany defaulted on their loans.

This is an image of a hooverville created by Hoover for americans who could not afford housing during the great depression. This lack of income came from a burst in overproduction when too much money was in the hands of too few and people were buying too much on credit. This can be seen in the wider context of hoovers administration, plagued with laizzee fair polices and a constant help for businesses rather than people, help big ppl rather than poor.

These hoovervilles display he poverty that was faced by many during the depression as as stocks had lost 40billion in paper value and 4m people lost their jobs. This depression and poverty increased dissopraval of hoover and ultimately led to the landslide elections for FDR as people wanted someone who would bring change. This was a political shift towards government intervention where FDR’s new deal policies during the depression were a lot different that hoovers laizee fair policies.

This is an american view point cartoon critisizeing japan for disregarding multiple treaties when it seized manchuria in 1931. Many of the treaties in the image such as the 9-power were meant to keep a status quo in the pacific and get rid of a countries ability to attack another through the league of nation covenant. This can be seen in the widers context of the worlds goal to put an end to all wars and bring international peace.

Japans breaking of the covenant stunned many americas as they shut close chinas open door. This led to Sec of state Henry Simpson to create the stimpson doctrine which claimed that the us would not recognize territory achieved by force. The attack further led to several informal boycotts by americas to japan as America was still serving its isolationist policies and did not want to interfere, other countries followed the leader America.

“I would need more than the Nineteenth Amendment to convince me that there are no differences between men and women, or that legislation cannot take those differences into account.”

This is a comment from supreme court justice oliver holmes in the Adkins V children’s hospital case question gender equality. This was sparked by the Muller v oregon case years before that claimed that women should have more protection in the workplace because they were weaker. This can be seen in the wider context of the women gender equality movement that previuisly consisted of the sufferage movement.

This quote led to the decision in Adkins V children’s hospital that claimed women women will recieve no protection in workplace and no min wage because they were equal to men. Even though this case was a loss it was also a win for women as it set precedent that women were meant to be completely equal to men. This further reflected the notion of a return to normalcy after thee progressive era such as the esch cummings act that gave power back to the railroads.

“We still pray to be given each day our daily bread. Yet there is too much bread, too much wheat and corn, meat and oil and almost every commodity required by man for his subsistence and material happiness. We are not able to purchase the abundance that modern methods of agriculture, mining and manufacture make available in such bountiful quantities. Why is mankind being asked to go hungry and cold and poverty stricken in the midst of plenty?”

This was a quote by an observer of the great despression who showed the poverty of the time period. Much of this poverty came from the over prodution and oversepecuation of land to grow crops during ww1 when soldiers were at home but when they returned there was too much food. This can be seen in the wider context of he roaring 20s after ww1 where overpoducton and falling prices were very common in new industries and farms after the war.

This quote signifies one of the largest causes of the great depression which was too much money in the hands of too little. This imiage signifies the faukts o the hoover and coolidge adminstation that was pro business and did not help the farmers as he vetoed the mcnary-haugen bill twice. This ultimatly led to FDR’s election in 1932 where he ran on the basis of government intervention and help for these people who had no money.

“I do not believe that the power and duty of the General Government ought to be extended to the relief of individual suffering. . . . The lesson should be constantly enforced that though the people support the Government the Government should not support the people.”

This was a quote by herbert hoover campoaign in 1928 as he promoted ruggeed indivulaism and limited government intervention. This was in the context of hoovers continued belief that self-reliance made america industry great. This can be seen the in wider context of the 1920s when america was psopering with wealth and overpoduction befure the depression.

This led belief led to several of hoovers bills like the reconstruction finance corporation that gave money to big businesses but not the starving poor during the depression. This lack of government support caused many to suffer and beg for food as they had no money during the depression. The ultimately led to FDR’s election as people wanted a president that would help the people.

“Hoover happened to be in a bad spot. The Depression came on, and there he was. If Jesus Christ had been there, he’d have had the same problem. It’s too bad for poor old Herbie that he happened to be there. This was a world-wide Depression. It wasn’t Hoover’s fault. In 1932 . . . , a monkey could have been elected against him, no question about it.”

Wall Streeter Martin Devries, observing President Herbert Hoover’s struggle to keep his footing as the tidal wave of the Great Depression washed over him, decided he was a good man stuck in the wrong place, at the wrong time. This was in the context of the great depression that was the burst of the bubble over overspeeulation and overpoduction. It could be seen in the widers context of the the roaring 20s when overspecultion and production were key aspects.

Martins observations highlight hoover inability to handle the great depression and the struggles that came with it. This led Hoover to go over his principles and provide government intervention as shown in the RFC. This downturn falling into hoovers lap ultimatlety led to the election of FDR in 1932.