Topic 1.3 - Changes in Society Flashcards
What proportion of Americans were living in towns?
54 million out of 106 million
1920-30 - 100,000 to cities - increased by a 1/3
Give reasons for a population growth in America
- Immigration
- More children as they have a more stable economy
What is a WASP?
White Anglo Saxon Protestant
Where was the main place for visa’s and passports for immigrants in America?
Ellis Island
How was immigration a part of America?
- The heart of how society came about
- People created a Hierarchy of the ‘best’ type of migrant
- From who would change their way of being the most
- Black American would change all ways of being
What were two immigration laws put into place in the 1920s?
1924 - Johnson Reed immigration act
1921 - Emergency immigration law
Explain the Johnson-Reed immigration act
1924
- Limits immigration to 150,000 per year
- Ban migration from Japan (They had previously banned China and Korea)
- This did not apply to Mexicans whom Californian farmers traditionally used as a supply of cheap labour at harvest time.
Explain the Emergency Immigration Law
- Capped the amount of people from each area
- 3% of specific migrant population from 1911
- This favoured WASPs
What did Francis Dalton do?
- Believed in superior race
- Experiments to prove white is superior
- Ranking people 1-10 to see most attractive
- more attractive = more reproduction
- So should keep superior and inferior races apart
- This lead to the immigration policy and contraception (birth control).
What did Madison Grant argue?
A mixing of the races would taint the superior one.
The idea led to irrational fears and racist actions.
- Wrote The passing of the white race - 1916
What Eugenics promote?
inequality of races
Too many inferiors threatens the position of superior.
What was the effect of high inflation after WW1?
- Industrial unrest
- Food prices have doubled since 1913
- 1919 - 4 million workers went on strike which was 1/5 of the labour force
Why were Americans scared of the strikes?
strikers were led by communists who sought revolution in the USA as had happened in Russia in 1917
State two places there were strikes
- Seattle was brought to a halt
- Boston the police were striking
Give an example of a high-profile assassination attempt
John D. Rockefeller
How many arrests were there in early 1920 following the red scare?
6,000§
What was the name given to arrests during the red scare?
Palmer Raids
- Palmer was a target for assassination
- Popular through his exposure of ‘communist activity’ in the USA
- Res scare died after Palmer said there was to be a communist demonstration in New York on 20 May 1920 which never materialised.
Which two men were set as an example of the Palmer raids?
Sacco and Vanzetti
Explain the Sacco and Vanzetti case
- Made an example during Palmer Raids.
- Two Italian immigrants, neither spoke English
- Arrested for armed robbery near Boston in May 1920 as they were found near and a crime scene carrying guns (this was very common during the time)
- There was little concrete evidence but they were found guilty and executed in 1927 after years of legal appeals
- Example that non Americans could not adopt the American way of life
Explain the Ku Klux Klan
- Racism worse in small towns and rural areas
- Against all non-white groups
- An organisation that promotes white supremacy
- It gained considerable support in the Mid-West as well as the south
- 100,000 followers by 1921
What gave the members of the KKK feel a sense of importance, belonging and power?
- Secretive language
- Hoods and robes
- Burning crosses
- Violence
- It added purpose and glamour to the humdrum lives of farmers, artisans and shopkeepers
State why the KKK collapsed in power
- Increased evidence of corruption and exploitation
Explain why the KKK increased due to evidence of corruption and explotation
- leaders were professional fundraisers
- controlled the merchandising members were forced to buy
- The downfall of David Stevenson (Leader of KKK in Indiana)
- Revelations of financial mismanagement in Pennsylvania
- Owning The Searchlight Publishing Company
Where did profits go in the KKK?
Fuelled extravagant lifestyles for the leaders.
By late 1920s members started to realise they were being exploited
Robe prices:
- Manufactured - $3.28
- Sold - $6.50
How did David Stevenson effect the KKK’s popularity?
- Leader of the KKK in Indiana
- A charismatic figure who had built the organisation into a powerful political machine in his state
- He rapes his secretary who then committed suicide
- Sentenced to second degree murder
How much had KKK memberships fallen to my 1929?
200,000
State two types of new dances in America during the 1920
- The Charleston
- The Black Bottom
How could you recognise a flapper girl?
- Wore short skirts
- Smoke in public
- were frequently in speakeasies
Give an example of a high profile scandal in the 1920s
‘Fatty’ Arbuckle
- Career was destroyed as a popular comedy star.
- He was accused of a sexual attack in which his victim died
What did the movie industry agree to in 1922?
Self-Censorship
- Led by Will Hays
- Examined every movie made in Hollywood for immoral content and also attempted to promote clean living among movie stars
What did the 18th amendment do?
Banned the sale, transportation and manufacture of intoxicating liquor in the USA. (Above 0.5%v)
1918
Give examples of supporting groups of the prohibition
- Women’s groups - saw alcohol as a means by which men oppressed them
- Big business’ - drunkenness as leading to danger and inefficiency in the workplace
- Religious people - alcohol was the work of the devil
Generally who were the supporters of the prohibition?
- Protestant
- Lived in small town
- In the south and west
- Except in the South
- Voted Republican
What was the sheppard towner act?
1922
- Federal funding to maternity and childcare services.
- Not fully supported as some believed it reinforced the view that women were only meant to have children and give birth.
When were prohibition laws repealed in USA?
December 1933
Year - The federal highways act
1921
Year - Agricultural credits act
1923
Year - Fordney McCumber act
1922
Year - The Johnson reed immigration act
1924
By 1917 how many states had already passed Prohibition law?
27 Dry States
State the two factors that led to an increased popularity of Prohibition.
- The impact of war
- Disorganisation of the opposition
What was the lever act?
1917
- Banned the use of grain in the manufacture of alcoholic drinks
Give three examples of the largest brewers of German Origin
- Ruppert
- Pabst
- Leiber
What did German Breweries help to finance?
National German-American Alliance
- This had supported German interests before the war.
Give three examples of the unorganisation of the opposition to the prohibition
- New York City - March and rally
- Baltimore - Parade
- Resolution against taking away the working man’s beer by the American federation of Labor.
What did the Anti-saloon League estimate?
Estimated a $5 million budget would be enough to enforce the prohibition successfully.
How much was Prohibition Commissioner Kramer given?
$2 million
State the 7 reasons why prohibition was impossible to enforce
- Geographical difficulties - 18,700 miles coastline and boarders
- Bootleggers
- Industrial alcohol
- Problems for Treasury agents
- Divisions among supporters
- Role of government
- Popularity of speakeasies
Why were the waters outside the national limits of the USA called the rum row?
- Smugglers were so successful
- 1925 the officer in charge of Prohibition enforcement guessed that agents only intercepted about 5% of alcohol coming into the country illegally.
How much worth of alcohol was seized in 1924?
$40 million
- Compared to estimated $800 million sold
What did George Remus do?
king of bootleggers
- Bought various breweries on the eve of prohibition for the manufacture of medicinal alcohol.
- Arranged for an army of 3,000 gangsters to hijack his products and divert them to the illegal stills of the big city.
- Made $5 million in 5 years
What is industrial alcohol?
This is often solvents used in cleaning.
It is easily diverted and redistilled to turn into an alcoholic drink.
- Popularly called moonshine
Why was moonshine very dangerous?
- No quality control
- Exotic cocktails were often added to take away unpleasant smells and tastes of materials intended for industrial manufacture.
- 34 died in NYC after drinking wood alcohol. - made of wood spirit or methanol.
How many treasury agents were employed to enforce prohibition?
3,000
- Salary $2,500
How much was a treasure agent paid and to do what?
How did this compare to their salary?
$7 million
Selling illegal licences and pardons to bootleggers.
- Compared to salary of $2,500
Explain the disadvantages of the dry lobby
- Ill-equipped to help enforce it
- Anti-Saloon League was divided - some members sought stricter enforcement laws. - Others want education programmes to deter people from drinking in the first place.
Why did congress not do much to enforce the prohibition?
It did not want to alienate rich and influential voters who enjoyed a drink.
This was also a period of a reduced role by federal government
Explain a change in the mood of the nation in the 1920s (prohibition)
They wanted to have a good life.
Illegal drinking in ganster-run speakeasies became popular with many fashionable city dwellers.
Date - 18th amandment
1918
Who ran most of the illegal alcohol business in Chicago?
John Torrio
- Retired in 1925 with $30 million.
Who was the most notorious gangster in America?
Al Capone
- Succeeded John Torrios
What did Al Capone do?
- embodying spirit of free competition and enterprise in the USA.
- Went to jail for tax evasion.
- Gang made $70 million worth of business.
- 700 in gang committing 300 murders
- 14 Feb 1929 - 5 dressed as policemen arresting rivals ‘Bugs Moran’ and shot over 100 bullets into them. Known as ‘St Valentine’s Day Massacre’
How many gangland murders were there 1927-30 in Chicago?
227
- Only 2 killers convicted.
How much did alcohol consumption fall by before 1917 to after the 1930s?
1917 - 2.6 gallons per year per person
1930 - 1 gallon per person per year
What positives did the prohibition have ?
- Fewer drink driving accidents
- Safer roads
- Fewer accidents in the workplace
What did President Hoover do with the prohibition?
Set up the Wickersham Commission in May 1929
- This investigated the effectiveness of Prohibition.
- 14 Volumes after 19 months said the law could not be enforced.
- Estimated to take 60% of entire law enforcement budget
Which President abolished Prohibition?
Roosevelt in 1933
What did the 20th Amendment do?
Made it the responsibility of individual states to decide on the issue of alcohol.
Example of the federal government cutting its own power.
By 1917 how many states had banned alcohol?
27
When could women vote in America?
1920
What effect did the 1920 19th amendment have for women?
- Right to vote in federal elections
- But this did not make much difference to the lives of many women.
- Seemed more assertive and liberated their opportunities in society remained limited.
What did the Sheppard-Towner Act do?
1921
- Funded healthcare for pregnant women
- gave women some control over the clinics it set up.
What did some women fear about the Sheppard-Towner Act?
- Feared it would simply reinforced the stereotypical view of women’s main role as having lots of children
- Drew attention away from the need for birth control.
- Similarly attacked legislation that women were banned from working a night shift.
Who set up the Women’s party?
Former Suffragist Alice Paul
What proportion of women said they would like a job but would give it up for marriage?
1929 - 89%
What proportion of women from the Vassar Women’s college felt unprepared for work in 1929?
90%
Give an example of a women’s only college
Vassar Women’s college
How many women were killed by back-street abortions per year?
50,000
What did the Comstock act do?
1873
- Banned the distribution of both written articles of contraception and items through the US mail
When and why was Margaret Sanger arrested?
1916
For opening the first Contraception clinic in the USA
When was the Birth Control League founded?
1921
- Margret Sanger
