Podcast
Questions and Answers
Which factor most significantly contributed to the decline in labor movement memberships during the 1920s?
Which factor most significantly contributed to the decline in labor movement memberships during the 1920s?
- The loss of support from the courts, politicians, and the general American public. (correct)
- A strategic shift by labor unions toward focusing on international rather than domestic issues.
- Increased government regulation directly favoring union activities.
- A surge in public and political support for socialist and anarchist ideologies.
What was the primary criticism of Harding's administration?
What was the primary criticism of Harding's administration?
- His tendency to appoint friends and close supporters, which led to corruption and scandal. (correct)
- His focus on appointing highly qualified individuals who were not connected to his personal circle.
- His reluctance to engage with foreign policy, leading to international isolation.
- His administration's avoidance of economic reform, maintaining the status quo.
The Teapot Dome scandal involved which illegal activity?
The Teapot Dome scandal involved which illegal activity?
- The fraudulent sale of public lands to private citizens for agricultural development.
- The secret sale of military weapons to foreign adversaries.
- The leasing of government land for oil exploitation in exchange for bribes. (correct)
- The illegal manufacturing and distribution of alcohol during Prohibition.
What action did Coolidge take to signal his intentions for the 1928 presidential election?
What action did Coolidge take to signal his intentions for the 1928 presidential election?
What broader trend in women's activism in the 1920s is reflected by the National Woman's Party's advocacy for the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)?
What broader trend in women's activism in the 1920s is reflected by the National Woman's Party's advocacy for the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)?
Which of the following factors played a significant role in Herbert Hoover's victory in the 1928 presidential election?
Which of the following factors played a significant role in Herbert Hoover's victory in the 1928 presidential election?
According to Christine Frederick's research, what percentage of household expenditures was influenced by women?
According to Christine Frederick's research, what percentage of household expenditures was influenced by women?
How did innovations in manufacturing, like Henry Ford's assembly line, impact consumerism in the early 20th century?
How did innovations in manufacturing, like Henry Ford's assembly line, impact consumerism in the early 20th century?
What was a significant strategy employed by department stores in the early 20th century to attract more customers?
What was a significant strategy employed by department stores in the early 20th century to attract more customers?
What was the impact of installment purchasing on the American economy in the 1920s?
What was the impact of installment purchasing on the American economy in the 1920s?
Flashcards
Harding's Legislation
Harding's Legislation
Legislation signed by Harding to restore a high protective tariff and dismantle wartime controls over industry.
Teapot Dome Scandal
Teapot Dome Scandal
A scandal during Harding's administration where officials leased government land to oil companies in Wyoming in exchange for cash.
Coolidge's 'Active Inactivity'
Coolidge's 'Active Inactivity'
Coolidge's economic policy of minimal intervention, favoring business and wealthy Americans through lower taxes and high tariffs.
Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)
Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)
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Herbert Hoover
Herbert Hoover
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Selling Mrs. Consumer
Selling Mrs. Consumer
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Department Stores
Department Stores
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Installment Purchasing
Installment Purchasing
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Henry Ford's Assembly Line
Henry Ford's Assembly Line
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Study Notes
- Harding aimed to deliver stability and prosperity by passing laws to restore high protective tariffs and eliminate industry wartime controls.
- Congress addressed concerns about immigration and foreign populations due to the remnants of World War I and its associated propaganda promoting "100 percent Americanism".
- Economic downturn after the war triggered fears of the Russian Revolution and marginalized American socialist, anarchist groups, and union activism.
- The labor movement experienced a significant decrease in membership during the 1920s, losing bargaining power along with support from various entities.
- Harding's presidency is historically considered one of the most corrupt.
- Henry C. Wallace, an advocate for scientific farming and editor of Wallace’s Farmer, became secretary of agriculture.
- Herbert Hoover, head of the wartime Food Administration and a self-made millionaire, was appointed secretary of commerce.
- Conservative businessman Andrew Mellon was appointed secretary of the treasury to serve business interests.
- Appointing friends and supporters, known as "the Ohio gang," led to issues during Harding's term.
- The Teapot Dome scandal involved officials leasing government land in Wyoming to oil companies for money.
- Interior Secretary Albert Fall and Navy Secretary Edwin Denby resigned; Fall was convicted and incarcerated.
- Harding died of a heart attack in August 1923, leading to Vice President Calvin Coolidge assuming the presidency.
- Coolidge continued Harding's economic policies while aiming to eliminate scandal, believing "the chief business of the American people is business."
- Coolidge supported business and wealthy individuals by lowering taxes, reducing taxes on the wealthy from 66% to 20%.
- Coolidge's policy was described as "active inactivity".
- The 1920s was a time of significant activism among American women after gaining the right to vote in 1920.
- Female voters pursued interests related to poverty, squalor, domestic violence and prohibition after the Eighteenth Amendment.
- The Eighteenth Amendment prohibited the production and sale of alcohol, effective January 1920.
- Some activists advocated protective legislation for women and children.
- Other reformers sought government intervention to lower infant mortality rates, offer federal aid for education, and promote peace and disarmament.
- Alice Paul and the National Woman’s Party pushed for the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) to eliminate legal distinctions based on sex, but it was defeated in Congress.
- The Republican Party dominated national politics in the 1920s, controlling the presidency and both houses of Congress.
- Coolidge chose not to seek a second term in 1928 and announced his decision by handing a note to a reporter that read: "I do not choose to run for president in 1928".
- Herbert Hoover, with a Midwestern, Protestant background, was the Republican candidate.
- The 1928 election featured Al Smith, the Democratic governor of New York, whose Catholic faith and immigrant background stirred nativist suspicions.
- Hoover emphasized economic growth and prosperity, having served as secretary of commerce under Harding and Coolidge.
- Hoover won the 1928 election in a landslide.
- Much of the Election centered around Smith’s religion and his opposition to Prohibition.
- Christine Frederick, a marketing expert, noted in her 1929 monograph, Selling Mrs. Consumer, that consumer changes were building a new form of civilization.
- Frederick's book advised manufacturers and advertisers on capturing women's purchasing power, as they accounted for 90% of household expenditures.
- Frederick's work captured major social and economic shifts of her time.
- American consumerism rapidly changed due to industrial expansion in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
- New energy and manufacturing technologies led to mass production of items like convenience foods & ready-to-wear clothing.
- Increased output led to concerns about overproduction and potential financial consequences.
- American businesses developed new marketing strategies to stimulate consumer desire.
- Department stores emerged in the 1880s as retail centers, offering diverse goods and services like restaurants, writing rooms, and babysitting.
- Marshall Field & Co. in Chicago pioneered strategies such as elaborate displays and tearooms.
- Mail-order catalogs, magazines, and national branding further stimulated consumerism.
- The automobile industry encouraged consumption through credit; by 1927, over 60% of cars were sold on credit.
- Access to easy credit spurred a 120% increase in consumer spending on household appliances between 1919 and 1929.
- Henry Ford's assembly line made cars affordable, driving consumerism.
- In 1925, Ford factories produced a Model T every 10 seconds.
- The number of registered cars increased from 9 million in 1920 to almost 27 million by 1930.
- By the late 1920s, 80% of the world's cars were driven on American roads.
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