Chapter 23: The "New Era" key people

Key people

A. Philip Randolph

African American notable for labor progressive group

• led union representing black workforce

won some significant working condition benefits

Margaret Sanger

American birth control movement

• promoted birth control devices

argued women should have the freedom to enjoy themselves without worrying about pregnancy

Langston Hughes

one of the leaders of the Harlem Renaissance

• poet

Warren G. Harding

Presidential election of 1920

• did little and only got to where he was due to political bosses

appointed political bosses to his cabinet

• they were involved in fraud and corruption and led to Harding downfall

• teapot dome

died and succeeded by Coolidge

Calvin Coolidge

succeeded Harding for president and won the election of 1924

• similarly passive and barely did much

however during his presidency, economy seemed to boom on the surface, so people really liked him, not knowing there is impending doom for the economy, and all blame goes to the president after him, Hoover

• famously handed slip to reporter saying he is not returning for president in 1928

Andrew Mellon

Secretary of the Treasury

• coolidge’s presidency

wealthy steel and aluminum tycoon

• showed how closely gov worked with businesses

• worked on how to get wealthy corporations and himself to a better place by reducing taxes

  • congress did cut them by over half

• worked closely w coolidge

reduce government spending and national debt, but it was no good

Herbert Hoover

Commerce secretary

• coolidge presidency

encourage gov to work w private sector and business

• associationalism

believed gov should be public institutions instead of being passive

presidential election of 1928

• inherits economic collapsed caused during coolidge’s term and got blamed for it all

• couldn’t do what he wanted because he had to fix economy

Duke Ellington

One of the most influential American jazz musicians

• composer

• pianist

• famous works like “take the a train”