POSTWAR AMERICA 1918-1929

The Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918- Infected an estimated 500 million people worldwide. Killed an estimated 20-50 million victims, including some 675,000 American 

Red Scare- Fear of reaction against communist radicals in the US in the years immediately following World War 1. As a result of the strikes and unrest happening, strikers were branded as "Reds" and as being unpatriotic. Created the FBI 

Quota Laws- Congress passed 2 laws that severely limited immigration by setting quotas based on nationality 

  • 1st limited immigration to 3% of the number of foreign-born persons from a given nation 

  • 2nd was meant to limit immigration from Southern and Eastern Europe 

Case of Sacco and Vanzetti- convicted of murder in Massachusetts for robbery and murder, some Americans, protested loudly against racist and nativist prejudices 

Politically, the 20’s is known for laissez-faire policies in the economy. Under Calvin Coolidge, Harding’s Vice President and successor, business boom. Henry Ford’s assembly line production for automobiles made costs go lower, turning us into a consumer economy.  

Credit- Stores increased sales by allowing customers to buy on credit in low interest rates 

Harlem Renaissance- The largest African American community developed in the Harlem section of New York City. Harlem became famous in the 1920s for its concentration of talented actors, artists, musicians, writers.  

Modernism- The range of influences in the cities caused a number of Protestants to define their faith in new ways 

Fundamentalism: Preachers in rural areas condemned modernists and taught that every word in the Bible must be accepted as literal truth, especially the story of creation 

Scopes Trial- Northern press stated that Darrow and modernists thoroughly discredited Fundamentalism and to this day, questions about the relationship between religion and public schools remain controversial and unresolved 

The 18th Amendment- strictly prohibited the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcoholic beverages, including liquor, wines, and beer. In 1933, the 21st Amendment repealed prohibition