Religious and Social Tensions in the 1920s

Religious and Social Tensions in the 1920s

• Bible Belt: Southern states characterized by strong religious values, often resistant to changes brought by the Jazz Age. The perceived emphasis on sex, materialism, and loose morals in the Jazz Age created conflict with rural values.
• Evolution vs. Creationism: Conflict between scientific theory of evolution and religious belief in creationism sparked the infamous Scopes Monkey Trial.
• Scopes Monkey Trial: A highly publicized trial in 1925 where John Scopes, a biology teacher, challenged a Tennessee law banning the teaching of evolution. Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan were prominent figures in the case.
• Trial details: The trial was highly publicized, witnessed by crowds and broadcast on radio, featured a zoologist called in by the ACLU to testify but dismissed by the judge and used as an opportunity for the sales of monkey-related merchandise.
• Outcome: Scopes was found guilty and fined, but the ruling was later overturned. The trial highlighted the strong divide between religious fundamentalism and the emerging scientific thought. It led to reduced agitation for banning evolution in states.

Treatment of Native Americans (1900-1929)

• Reservations and Loss of Culture: Native Americans were placed on reservations, facing challenges adapting to a different way of life. The loss of their traditional lands, ways of life, and disruption of buffalo hunting were major factors.
• Antiquities Act (1906): Federal control of Native American artifacts was established, diminishing their access to their ancestral objects and land
• Indian Citizenship Act (1924): Granted US citizenship to Native Americans. However, many Native Americans did not want citizenship as it limited their freedom to follow traditional practices
• Government Concern and Survey (1920s): The U.S. government recognized and documented the significant problems faced by Native Americans - poverty, loss of culture, and low life expectancy.
• "The Vanishing American" Film (1925): This unique film depicted Native Americans as heroic figures.
• Eugenics Projects: In states like Vermont and New Hampshire, attempts were made through social planning, education, and reproductive control to assimilate Native Americans into White society, taking children from their families, and imposing Christian beliefs and practices.

Segregation and Jim Crow Laws

• Discrimination and Segregation: Following the Civil War, Southern states implemented Jim Crow laws that enforced segregation, resulting in unequal opportunities and treatment for Black Americans.
• Separate but Equal: The Plessy v. Ferguson Supreme Court decision (1896) established the "separate but equal" doctrine, which was later extended to education.
• Jim Crow Army: 400,000 Black Americans served in the French armed forces.
• Lynching: Violence against Black Americans, including the frequent practice of lynching, remained prevalent in the Southern states.
• Limited Voting Rights: Black Americans faced obstacles preventing them from voting–poll taxes and Grandfather clauses.

Migration and its Consequences

• Reasons for Black Migration (1916-1920): Over 1 million Black people migrated from the Southern states to the North seeking better economic opportunities and escaping racial discrimination.
• Conditions in Northern Cities: Though better conditions than the South, Northern states still experienced poverty, discrimination, lower-paying jobs, and intolerance toward Black migrants.
• Race Riots: Tensions escalated in cities with high Black populations, leading to racial violence and riots in various cities, including Chicago and Washington, D.C.
• Positive Impacts of Migration: Despite challenges, Black migration led to the emergence of a middle class, enhanced the fame of Black artists (especially in the jazz scene), and increased life expectancy.

NAACP and UNIA

• NAACP (1910): Founded by William Du Bois, the NAACP focused on legal actions to advance civil rights for Black Americans using non-violent methods like marches and boycotts.
• UNIA (1914): Founded by Marcus Garvey, the UNIA advocated for Black pride and self-reliance. It promoted the emigration of African Americans to Africa, however, this eventually led to Garvey's imprisonment and deportation.

KKK

• Reformation (1915): The Ku Klux Klan was reformed in the 1915 with a focus on white supremacy.
• Organization and Beliefs: Dressed in white robes, promoting white supremacy, opposing civil rights for Black Americans and equality.
• Recruitment and Activities: The KKK gained significant membership, reaching over 5 million in the 1920s—due to economic hardships and societal anxieties. They conducted acts of intimidation, and fear including cross-lighting rituals.
• Violence and Declining Power: KKK violence was documented, but the organization's power eventually declined.