vocal
5:5:3 ratio − the formula adopted to prevent a naval arms
race by assigning a fixed proportion of major ships
to the United States, Britain, and Japan in a treaty
negotiated at the Washington Naval Conference
Abrams v. United States − 1919 Supreme Court decision
that upheld convictions under the Sedition Act; Justice
Holmes dissented and introduced the “marketplace”
of ideas as an important guide for future First
Amendment jurisprudence.
Alienists − term used to describe psychiatrists, doctors
who specialized in the workings of the human mind
American Federation of Labor (AFL) − the nation’s
largest labor union with a membership of over four
million in 1919; during World War I, AFL leadership
embraced patriotic rhetoric and mostly observed a
truce with management in support of the war effort.
Armstrong, Louis (1901−71) − Considered by many to
be the greatest jazz trumpeter of all time, he started
his career in New Orleans before moving to Chicago
and helping to define a distinct style with his virtuosic
solos and improvisational singing.
Bank run − a rush by depositors to withdraw savings
from banks; bank runs drained the insufficient
reserves and caused thousands of banks to fail
between 1930−32.
Birthright citizenship − principle affirmed by the
Fourteenth Amendment that all persons born in the
United States are automatically granted citizenship
Black Tuesday − record stock sell-off on October 29,
1929, that wiped out billions of dollars in market value
in the worst trading day in Wall Street history
Bohemians − feminists, anarchists, socialists, communist
revolutionaries, avant-garde painters, sculptors,
writers, and many other men and women who rejected
the Victorian era’s dominant social norms in favor of
a non-conformist lifestyle that celebrated individual
self-expression; many lived in New York’s Greenwich
Village neighborhood.
Bolshevik Revolution − Communist takeover of the
Provisional Russian government in October of 1917,
led by Vladimir Lenin; its success spread alarm in
Europe and the United States that similar revolts might
take root.
Bonus Army − A large contingent of World War I
veterans encamped in Washington, D.C., to lobby
for the early payment of war bonuses. The Bonus
Marchers were forcibly expelled by federal troops
under the command of Douglas McArthur.
Bootlegger − popular term for those involved in the
production, smuggling, and transport of illegal alcohol
during Prohibition
Bow, Clara (1905−65) − “It” girl, who helped define the
1920s flapper style in her Hollywood starring roles
Bryan, William Jennings (1860−1925) − a Democratic
Congressman, three-time presidential candidate, and
Secretary of State, who became the standard bearer
of the anti-evolution movement in the early 1920s and
memorably clashed with Clarence Darrow during the
Scopes Monkey Trial in 1925
Buck v. Bell − 1927 Supreme Court decision upholding
Virginia’s involuntary sterilization law; Justice
Holmes’s “three generations of imbeciles are enough”
affirmed the logic of eugenics.
Bureau of Investigation (BOI) − The precursor of the
FBI, the BOI spearheaded the aggressive federal
crackdown on suspected subversives and radicals
in late 1919 and early 1920. It was led by J. Edgar
Hoover.
Buying on margin − popular practice during the bull
market of the late 1920s that allowed investors to
purchase stock with little money down by borrowing
against future profits; the practice encouraged rampant
speculation.
Capone, Al (1899−1947) − Italian-American gangster
who controlled much of Chicago in the late-1920s
through an organized crime network that profited from
bootlegging and racketeering; he was convicted of
income tax evasion in 1931.
Catt, Carrie Chapman (1859−1947) − suffragist who
led the movement’s more moderate wing, the North
American Women’s Suffrage Association
(the) Charleston − a popular dance craze of the 1920s that
involved rapid, coordinated movements of the arms
and legs; banned by many colleges
Chicago Defender − the largest African-American daily
newspaper with a subscription of 500,000 at its peak;
helped drive the exodus of African Americans from
the South to the North through its critical coverage
of racial violence and discrimination in the Jim
Crow South and editorials promoting the bountiful
employment opportunities in the Windy City’s
factories and slaughterhouses
Companionate marriage − popularized by Judge Ben
Lindsay as a novel solution to soaring divorce rates
in the 1920s; proposed that couples embark on a
preliminary premarital partnership to ensure their
compatibility before committing to a legal marriage
Coolidge, Calvin (1872−1933) − President of the United
States from 1923 to 1929; nicknamed “Silent Cal”
for his laconic demeanor; presided over a period of
economic prosperity
Coughlin, Father Charles (1891−1979) − a Roman
Catholic clergyman, nicknamed the “Radio Priest,”
who built a national following of millions by
broadcasting weekly sermons from his small parish
outside of Detroit, Michigan
Darrow, Clarence (1857−1938) − a liberal champion
of individual liberty and the most renowned
defense attorney of his age; Darrow’s most famous
performances came during the sensational 1924
murder trial of Leopold and Loeb in Chicago and
the Scopes Monkey Trial in Dayton, Tennessee, the
following year.
Daugherty, Harry (1860−1941) − Attorney General of
the United States under President Warren G. Harding;
known for overseeing massive corruption within
the Justice Department and orchestrating graft, he
resigned in 1924 as details of his influence-peddling
became public.
Dawes Plan − a set of recommendations offered by
American banker Charles Dawes that were designed
to stabilize the postwar European economy by
relieving some of the burden of Germany’s reparations
payments and offering U.S. loans
Debs v. United States − 1919 Supreme Court decision
upholding the conviction of labor leader and Socialist
presidential candidate Eugene Debs for giving a public
speech critical of the U.S involvement in World War I
Du Bois, W. E. B. (1868−1963) − African-American
intellectual, civil rights activist, and co-founder of the
NAACP; as editor of The Crisis, Du Bois fought Jim
Crow segregation and led anti-lynching campaigns in
the 1920s.
Dust Bowl − Beginning in 1930, years of severe drought
brought destructive dust storms to the Great Plains
that ruined crops and forced destitute farmers to
migrate to the West (especially California) in search of
work.
Ederle, Gertrude (1905−2003) − an American swimmer
who made history by swimming the English Channel
in record time in 1926 at age twenty
Eighteenth Amendment − ratified January 16, 1919; it
prohibited the sale, manufacture, and transport of
alcohol. It was repealed in 1933 by the Twenty-first
Amendment.
Elaine Massacre − an outbreak of racial violence during
which white vigilantes targeted and murdered more
than two hundred African-American sharecroppers in
rural Phillips County, Arkansas, from September 30
to October 2, 1919, before federal troops intervened to
stop the killing
Equal Rights Amendment − a Constitutional
Amendment formally proposed in 1923, but never
ratified; written by Alice Paul, the amendment sought
to explicitly ban discrimination on the basis of sex.
Espionage Act − Enacted by Congress in 1917, it included
criminal provisions for the obstruction of the nation’s
military conscription efforts.
Eugenics − a pseudoscientific movement that fused
elements of evolutionary biology and the philosophy of
Social Darwinism to assert that human society could
be divided into superior and inferior races and that
moral character traits and poverty were hereditary;
it was used to support racial segregation and forced
sterilization laws in the 1920s.
Fairbanks, Douglas (1883−1939) − leading man of Hollywood’s silent era; married to Mary Pickford
Fall, Albert (1861−1944) − New Mexico Senator
and Secretary of the Interior in the Harding
Administration; Fall was convicted for his role in
selling public oil reserves to private oil companies in
the Teapot Dome Scandal.
Federal Radio Act of 1927 − The brainchild of
Commerce Secretary Herbert Hoover, the “National
Constitution of the Air” established the federal
regulatory framework for radio and brought order to
the chaotic new medium.
Fitzgerald, F. Scott (1896−1940) − author of the Great
Gatsby and herald of the Roaring Twenties, who
helped define the era’s hard-partying image in his
fiction and personal life
Flapper − the iconic female fashion avatar of the 1920s,
known for short skirts, bobbed hair, and rebellious
behaviors, including smoking, drinking, and sexual
promiscuity
Ford, Henry (1863−1947) − the pioneering industrialist
and auto-manufacturer whose innovative use of
the assembly line and introduction of a five-dollar
workday revolutionized American manufacturing; as
the visionary founder of Ford Motor Company, Ford
amassed a huge fortune and gained worldwide fame.
Four Square Gospel − the signature program of Aimee
Semple McPherson that emphasized salvation through
Christ, the literal interpretation of the Bible, faith
healing, and the imminent return of Christ
Fourteen Points − Woodrow Wilson’s detailed blueprint
for a lasting peace following World War I; it included
support for self-determination, the freedom of the
seas, and the creation of an international body, the
League of Nations, where nations could resolve
conflicts peacefully.
Freud, Sigmund (1856−1939) − Austrian neurologist and
founder of psychoanalysis whose theories describing
the workings of the subconscious mind gained
widespread influence within American society during
the 1920s
Fundamentalists − belonged to a movement within
Protestant Christianity that stressed the literal truth
of the Bible and rejected the modern interpretation
of scripture that had gained traction within liberal
denominations
Garvey, Marcus (1887−1940) − the Jamaican-born leader
of the Universal Negro Improvement Association,
a mass organization dedicated to the promotion of
Black nationalism, a program centered on economic
independence and cultural pride
General Intelligence Division (GID) − established by
Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer in 1919 to
identify and suppress radicalism within the United
States; a product of the Red Scare, the GID was the
predecessor of the Bureau of Investigation, which
became the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Gompers, Samuel − the politically conservative leader
of the AFL, who led the nation’s largest union during
World War I and warned against radicalism in the
labor movement
Grange, Red (1903−91) − the star halfback for the
University of Illinois in 1925 whose popularity
signaled the rise of college sports as a national
obsession
Grant, Madison (1865−1937) − a leading American
eugenicist whose book, The Passing of the Great
Race, popularized pseudoscientific racism and
promoted anti-immigrant prejudice by ordering
the peoples of Europe on a civilizational scale and
assigning superior and inferior traits to entire nations
Great Depression − the severe global economic downturn
that began in 1929 and for the United States lasted
a decade; it was marked by high unemployment,
financial instability, and grinding poverty.
Great Migration − the mass migration of African
Americans out of the Southern United States to urban
centers in the North, Midwest, and West from around
1910 to 1970
Great Mississippi Flood − a catastrophic flood in the
spring of 1927 that displaced hundreds of thousands
of people and caused billions of dollars of property
damage; Herbert Hoover led the relief effort, which
was marred by racial discrimination.
Harding, Warren G. (1865−1923) − Republican President
from 1921 until his death in office in 1923; known for
his dark horse candidacy, campaign pledge to “Return
to Normalcy,” and widespread corruption within his
administration
Harlem Renaissance − a flowering of African-American
artistic, musical, and literary output in the 1920s
that led to greater recognition of African-American
cultural contributions nationally and globally
Hemingway, Ernest (1899−1961) − a renowned writer
and leading light of the Lost Generation of expat
American writers, known for his sparse prose
Holmes, Oliver Wendell Jr. (1841−1935) − a Supreme
Court Justice who authored a landmark opinion
restricting First Amendment protections during
national emergencies (Schenck v. United States) and
a ruling that upheld Virginia’s eugenics-inspired
involuntary sterilization statute
Hoover, Herbert (1874−1964) − a successful mining
engineer and humanitarian who served as Commerce
Secretary from 1921 to 1929 before becoming U.S.
President in 1929; his presidency from 1929 to 1933
was dogged by a mounting economic crisis. Hoover’s
response drew criticism, and he was defeatedly
soundly in the election of 1932.
Hoover, J. Edgar (1895−1972) − the virulently antiCommunist head of the BOI and FBI, who expanded
the agency’s domestic surveillance program to target a
wide range of suspected subversives
Hoovervilles − sardonic slang term for the shantytowns
that sprung up across the United States, as destitute
Americans felt the sting of the deepening depression
Immigration Restriction League (IRL) − an influential
nativist organization whose members included many
distinguished elites, including Harvard University’s
president
Installment buying − the practice of buying an item “on
credit,” which allowed consumers to take home a
variety of goods with a small down payment followed
by monthly payments that included accrued interest
International Workers of the World (IWW;
“Wobblies”) − a radical labor union that embraced
wildcat strikes and advocated revolution; IWW leaders
and members became targets of law enforcement and
governmental surveillance during the Red Scare.
Irreconcilables − a congressional faction, including
hardcore isolationists, that was committed to voting
against the Treaty of Versailles
Jazz − a popular musical genre known for syncopated
rhythms and improvisation that originated among
African-American musicians in New Orleans,
Louisiana, and quickly spread throughout the nation
and the world in the 1920s
Jim Crow − a term used to refer to the legal and social
restrictions placed on African Americans and
more generally to the widespread practice of racial
segregation throughout the Southern United States
Johnson-Reed Immigration Act of 1924 − Also referred
to as the Quota Act or the National Origins Act, this
immigration restriction measure set a numerical quota
for all nations pegged to each nation’s share of the U.S.
population in 1890. This formula deflated the quotas
for countries in Southern and Eastern Europe and
inflated quotas for countries in Northern and Western
Europe. All immigration from Asia was banned.
Jones, Bobby (1902−71) − American golf champion who
helped popularize the sport with his impressive run of
victories in major championships in the 1920s
Kahn, Albert (1869−1942) − architect who designed
Henry Ford’s Highland Park factory that emphasized
natural light and housed an elaborate mechanical
system of conveyors, pulleys, and cranes to facilitate
the mass production of automobiles
Kellogg-Briand Pact − a 1928 treaty signed by the United
States, France, and Germany that banned war as “an
instrument of national policy”; dozens of additional
nations pledged to pursue peaceful resolution to
international conflict.
Ku Klux Klan (KKK) − a white supremacist, antisemitic,
and anti-Catholic nativist organization that was
revived in 1915, grew to nearly five million members
in 1925, and exerted tremendous influence over
politics in states including Oregon and Indiana
Laissez-faire − French for “hands-off”; refers to the
liberal economic principle of limiting government
interference with the operation of the free market
League of Nations − The brainchild of President
Woodrow Wilson, this international body was
conceived as a place where member nations could
peacefully resolve conflicts and avoid future wars. The
United States did not join the League after the Senate
rejected the Treaty of Versailles.
Leopold and Loeb Trial − a sensational 1924 murder trial
of two wealthy Jewish teenagers in Chicago accused
of killing a young neighbor for the thrill of it; the trial
sparked a national outcry concerning the moral decay
of America’s youth and the loss of traditional values.
Lindsay, Ben (1869−1943) − controversial progressive
Denver judge known for promoting “companionate
marriage” in his 1925 book Revolt of Modern Youth
Lodge, Henry Cabot (1850−1924) − a Republican Senator from Massachusetts and leader of the
“reservationist” faction that was opposed to ratifying
the Treaty of Versailles without adding amendments
Lost Generation − the label coined for the cohort of
young American writers who formed a vibrant expat
community in Paris in the 1920s
Lynd, Robert Staughton and Helen Merell Lynd
− husband and wife sociologists who co-authored
Middletown, a groundbreaking study of the residents
of Muncie, Indiana, published in 1929
The Man Nobody Knows − a 1925 bestseller by
advertising executive Bruce Barton that reframed
the life of Jesus Christ as a case study of successful
business management strategies
McPherson, Aimee Semple (1890−1944) − a successful
evangelical preacher who packed the colossal Angelus
Temple in Los Angeles for spectacular productions
that blended the Gospel with Hollywood glitz and
glamor; “Sister Aimee” reached a listening audience
of millions via a weekly radio sermon.
Mellon, Andrew W. (1855−1937) − Pittsburgh billionaire,
banker, and industrialist who served as Secretary
of the Treasury from 1921 to 1932 in three different
Republican administrations; he was known for his
orthodox economic views.
Model A − The much-anticipated follow-up to the Model
T, the Model A debuted in December 1927 and helped
Ford Motor Company stage a comeback. It was a
faster, more stylish, and better-equipped vehicle that
signaled Ford’s ability to adapt to changing consumer
tastes and technological advancements.
Model T − the flagship car of the Ford Motor Company;
introduced in 1908; nicknamed the “Tin Lizzie,” the
utilitarian automobile was hailed for its dependability
and affordability. By 1920, it was the most popular car
in the nation.
Monitor Top − a popular refrigerator model introduced
by General Electric in 1927; by 1931, GE had sold one
million Monitor Tops.
Movie palaces − large and extravagantly decorated
movie theaters with a capacity of several thousand;
they thrived in the era of silent film and offered live
entertainment, including musical accompaniment and
variety shows alongside movies.
National American Woman Suffrage Association
(NAWSA) − major suffrage organization headed by
Carrie Chapman Catt
National Association for the Advancement of Colored
People (NAACP) − a civil rights organization
founded in 1909 to fight against racial discrimination
and violence in the United States
National Women’s Party (NWP) − a suffragist
organization led by Alice Paul that was known for its
embrace of provocative and radical protest tactics and
support for the Equal Rights Amendment
New Negro Movement − an intellectual movement to
name and celebrate the distinct cultural achievements
of Black Americans in the 1920s
Nineteenth Amendment − ratified August 18, 1920;
prohibited states from restricting the right to vote “on
account of sex”
(the) Ohio Gang − the nickname for the coterie of officials
and advisors within the Harding Administration, led
by Attorney General Harry Dougherty, who used their
political appointments and connections for graft and
corruption
O’Keeffe, Georgia (1887−1986) − an American
modernist artist known for her evocative landscapes
and floral paintings
Ozawa v. United States − a 1922 Supreme Court
decision rejecting a Japanese immigrant’s assertion
of “whiteness” in a bid to become a naturalized U.S.
citizen; the court ruled that the term “white” was
restricted to those of the Caucasian race.
Palmer, A. Mitchell (1872−1936) − Attorney General
of the United States under Woodrow Wilson; he
led the aggressive federal crackdown on suspected
subversives and radicals known as the Palmer Raids
from 1919 to 1920.
Palmer Raids − a series of federal raids in 1919 and 1920
that resulted in the mass arrest and deportation of
thousands of political radicals
The Passing of the Great Race − a 1916 tract by noted
eugenicist Madison Grant, which sounded the alarm,
warning that mass immigration from Southern and
Eastern Europe would overwhelm the native white
population of the United States while diluting its
Anglo-Saxon Protestant stock
Paul, Alice (1885−1977) − leading feminist and suffragist
known for her radical protest tactics that included
chaining herself to the White House gates; she led the
successful ratification campaign for the Nineteenth Amendment and the unsuccessful campaign for the
Equal Rights Amendment in 1923.
Pickford, Mary – a Canadian-born American motionpicture actress known as ‘America’s sweetheart’ of the
silent screen; married to Douglas Fairbanks
Planned obsolescence − a strategy of deliberately
reducing the lifespan of a product to force consumers
to replace the item more often; in the automobile
industry, this strategy also involved the introduction of
yearly models with slight modifications to stimulate an
artificial sense of obsolescence for consumers.
Ponzi, Charles (1882−1949) − an Italian immigrant who
masterminded an investment scheme focused on the
fraudulent buying and selling of postal reply coupons;
a Ponzi scheme refers generally to pyramid schemes
that rely on taking new investors’ money to pay
returns to existing investors.
Psychoanalysis − therapy pioneered by Sigmund Freud
in which patients mined their memories, dreams, and
feelings for greater insight into their deeper selves
Racial Integrity Act of 1924 − a Virginia antimiscegenation law that made it illegal for whites to
marry anyone of a different race
Radio Corporation of America (RCA) − Formed
following a merger between GE, AT&T, and American
Marconi, RCA dominated the American radio
industry in the 1920s and exerted significant influence
over the industry abroad as the U.S. State Department
facilitated its international reach.
Rankin, Jeannette (1880−1973) − a Montana
Congresswoman who was the first woman elected to
any national office
Red Scare − a period of intense anti-radical sentiment
following the Bolshevik Revolution and the American
entry into World War I that resulted in heightened
government surveillance, arrests, prosecution, and
deportation of suspected subversives and radicals
Red Summer − a period of widespread racial violence
between May and August 1919 that saw major cities
convulsed by rioting and mob violence
Remus, George (1876−1952) − the so-called “Bootleg
King” who ran a sprawling illegal operation that
distributed whiskey throughout the Midwest and
beyond; his prodigious bribery of public officials did
not prevent him from serving two years in a federal
penitentiary.
Reservationists − a term applied to the congressional
faction led by Senator Henry Cabot Lodge, who
insisted on adding amendments or “reservations” to
the Treaty of Versailles as a precondition to voting in
favor of the peace treaty
Ruth, Babe (1895−1948) − New York Yankees slugger
who hit a record sixty home runs in 1927 en route to a
world championship; he was perhaps the most famous
athlete of the era.
Sacco and Vanzetti − Italian immigrants convicted of
murder in 1921, following an armed robbery outside
of Boston; despite their case drawing international
attention and doubts of their guilt, both men were
executed in 1927.
Sarnoff, David (1891−1971) − a visionary RCA
executive who was instrumental in expanding radio
broadcasting in the United States and anticipating the
rise of television
Schenck v. United States − a 1919 Supreme Court
decision upholding a criminal conviction under the
Espionage Act for passing out pamphlets critical of the
draft; Justice Holmes’s majority opinion established
that when confronted with a “clear and present
danger” to the national security of the United States,
the government could restrict First Amendment
liberties.
Scopes trial − the “Monkey Trial” that took place in
Dayton, Tennessee, in July 1925, nominally to
determine whether local science teacher John Scopes
had violated the state’s Butler Act, which barred the
teaching of Darwin’s theory of evolution in public
schools
Sedition Act − a 1918 law that criminalized criticism of
the United States government or the war effort; upheld
by the Supreme Court in 1919
Sharecroppers − poor tenant farmers who lived and
worked on rented parcels of land and suffered under
exploitative conditions and contracts that kept them
perpetually in debt to their employer and landlord
Sheppard-Towner Maternity Act − legislation passed
in 1921 that funded a huge expansion of neonatal
and maternal care; the law marked a victory for
progressive women’s activism. Congress allowed the
act’s funding to lapse in 1929.
Smith, Alfred E. – four-time Democratic governor of
New York and the first Roman Catholic to run for the
U.S. presidency (1928)
Smoot-Hawley Tariff − a protective tariff that raised
import duties on hundreds of goods that was signed
into law in 1930; it helped trigger a cascade of
retaliatory tariffs from other nations that suffocated
international trade and deepened the Great
Depression.
Speakeasies − a slang term for underground bars and
clubs that covertly sold alcohol during Prohibition
Stock Market Crash of 1929 − Rampant speculation
and margin buying fueled a financial bubble that
dramatically burst in late October 1929, when
panicked sell-offs caused the stock market to crash.
The market would not fully recover for more than
a decade. While the crash did not cause the Great
Depression directly, it badly damaged public
confidence and signaled major cracks in the U.S.
economy.
Talkie – a movie that features synchronized sound and
dialogue, as opposed to the silent films of the pre-1929
era
Taylor, Frederick W. (1856−1915) − an influential
engineer known for popularizing principles of
“scientific management” that optimized efficiency by
fine-tuning movements and production procedure to
remove waste and save time.
Teapot Dome Scandal − a major corruption scandal
involving Albert Fall, Warren Harding’s Treasury
Secretary, who was convicted of accepting bribes
in exchange for securing access to the nation’s
strategic oil reserves for private oil barons; a Senate
investigation revealed many of the affair’s sordid
details.
Tilden, William (1893−1953) − American tennis
champion who was the world’s top-ranked amateur
player from 1920 to 1925
Treaty of Versailles − the peace treaty that ended World
War I; negotiated in Paris from January to June
1919, the treaty imposed punitive war reparations
on Germany, broke up the Austro-Hungarian and
Ottoman Empires, and created the League of Nations.
United States v. Bhagat Singh Thind − a 1923 Supreme
Court decision that stripped an Indian immigrant
of his U.S. citizenship by leaning on a “common
sense” determination of whiteness that placed him
definitively in the non-white category
Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA)
− a mass organization led by Marcus Garvey and
headquartered in Harlem; the UNIA had branches
throughout the United States and the Caribbean and
was committed to economic independence, cultural
pride, and a Back-to-Africa platform
Valentino, Rudolph (1895−1926) − a Hollywood
heartthrob of the silent era and star of The Sheik,
among other films
Vertical integration − a strategy whereby a corporation
seeks a competitive advantage by securing total
control over every resource necessary to the
manufacture, production, and distribution of their final
product; notably employed by Ford Motor Company
and Radio Corporation of America in the 1920s
Volstead Act − Congressional legislation authorizing the
national prohibition of the sale of alcohol that took
effect on January 16, 1920
Washington Naval Conference − a major naval
disarmament conference held in Washington, D.C.,
in the fall of 1921; resulted in several treaties the
following year, limiting new construction of naval
vessels and setting a ratio to prevent a future arms
race
Welfare capitalism − a strategy whereby corporations
offered increased benefits for workers, company
unions, and sponsored social and recreational
activities in an effort to replace adversarial labor
relations with a paternalistic model designed to
moderate worker demands
Wilson, Woodrow (1856−1924) − Democratic President
of the United States from 1913−21; a staunch idealist,
Wilson’s “Fourteen Points” provided a blueprint for
the peace negotiations in 1919. Wilson was the main
architect of the League of Nations. Wilson suffered a
massive stroke that greatly limited his ability to lead
the nation in his final year in office.
Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) − the
largest and most organized Prohibition organization
in the United States; the WCTU had deep roots in
the nineteenth-century international temperance
movement.
Naturalization Act: extended naturalization to immigrants of African descent.
Eugenical Sterilization Act: allowed involuntary sterilization of mentally ill inmates of state asylums.
Johnson-Reed Acts: a numerical quota on all nations pegged to each nation's share of the U.S. population in 1890.
Immigration Act: imposed literacy tests and banned all immigration from Asia.
Agricultural Marketing Act: passed to tackle the problem of agricultural surplus.
Butler Act matches: barred the teaching of evolution in schools.
Securities and Exchange Act matches: an attempt to stop stock manipulation by investing pools.
Emergency Quota Act : capped the number of migrants permitted each year by establishing a maximum quota.
Chinese Exclusion Act : barred Chinese immigrants from becoming naturalized citizens.
Charles Schenck: Socialist leader convicted for distributing leaflets against the draft during World War I.
Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. : Supreme Court justice who introduced the "clear and present danger" doctrine but later dissented in a free speech case.
Eugene Debs: Socialist leader convicted for an anti-war speech; later ran for president from prison.
"clear and present danger" doctrine : A legal principle that allowed the government to restrict speech if it posed an immediate threat to national security.
Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti: Two Italian immigrants and anarchists convicted of murder in a trial that was influenced by anti-immigrant bias.
The "marketplace of ideas": The idea that different opinions should compete freely in society without government interference.