Unlock document.
This document is partially blurred.
Unlock all pages and 1 million more documents.
Get Access
CHAPTER 24
The Reactionary Twenties
This chapter covers the defensive mood of the 1920s and the growing conservatism before the onset of
the Great Depression. The Sacco and Vanzetti case, for instance, linked radicalism to immigration from
Eastern Europe and demonstrated the rise of a new nativism. The new Ku Klux Klan represented the most
violent of the reactionary movements of the twenties. Fundamentalism is also discussed in the context of
the Scopes Monkey Trial. The chapter goes on to look at the motivations behind and effectiveness of the
CHAPTER OUTLINE
I. Reactionary Conservatism and Immigration Restriction
A. Sacco and Vanzetti
B. The New Klan
C. Fundamentalism
i. The Scopes Trial
D. Prohibition
II. A Republican Resurgence
iv. The World Court
v. Improving relations in Latin America
H. The Harding Scandals
I. Coolidge Conservatism
i. A Do-Nothing President—By Design
C. Why the Economy Collapsed
i. Government’s Role
ii. The Impact of Europe
V. The Human Toll of the Depression
A. The Farmers’ Holliday Association
iii. Hoover’s Reaction to the social crisis
B. Rising Criticism of Hoover
i. Congressional Initiatives
ii. Veterans in Protest
LECTURE IDEAS
1. To explain the economic boom of the 1920s, focus a lecture on the new mass production techniques,
consumerism, and the rise of big business. One way to show the new rise of business during the 1920s
2. Lectures on Prohibition tend to capture students’ interest. Discuss the Eighteenth Amendment and
what it was supposed to accomplish. Consider its real impact on social reform and the rise of crime
3. A lecture on the stock market crash of 1929 and the Great Depression is a must. Good sources include:
• Robert McElvaine’s The Great Depression (1983)
• David Kennedy’s Freedom of Fear (1999)
4. Present a lecture dealing with the protest movements of the 1920s, especially during the Hoover
administration. Include in your lecture the demonstration by farmers, communists, and veterans and
5. Consider a lecture that compares the governmental responses to the economic crises of the 1890s,
6. Making sense of the New Deal requires the class to take a deeper look at FDR. You can begin this
process with a comparison between the philosophies of FDR and Hoover. Cover FDR’s early life, his
humbling bout with polio, his life as governor of New York, and his public service to his country. See
the following sources:
IN-CLASS ACTIVITIES
1. Ask the class to vote on whether they believe the policies of the 1920s were a rejection of progressivism
or, rather, an acknowledgement that they achieved their purpose but had gone far enough. Create groups
2. The 1920s was full of contradiction. There was optimism, prosperity, and the spread of consumerism.
4. Ask the students to create a timeline of the events that led to the stock market crash and the Great
5. An engaging way to cover the Scopes trial is to divide the class in half and debate the merits of the
case. Evolution versus creationism should make for a lively debate, using the Scopes trial to teach the
issues as seen in that day—and increasingly in ours—plus a general lesson on courts and court
6. Most students believe the 1920s were a time of unprecedented prosperity. Outside of class, have
students research the nation’s “sick industries” during this era (railroads, steel, textiles, agriculture,
and coal) and analyze why the industries fell into decline. In class, lead the students in a general
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. How were the policies of the United States a rejection of progressivism?
2. Discuss the effects of isolationism on American politics between the wars.
3. How did the issue of administrative corruption impact the effectiveness of the Harding
administration?
4. Explain the conflict between science and fundamentalism. What did the conflict represent about
tensions in America?
PRACTICING CITIZENSHIP
Within the American political system, one of the most important and enduring contests is between the
desires of commercial interests and individual interests. Many politicians find that, in their campaigns,
they have to choose a side in the matter. Being pro-business or anti-business becomes an important
organizing factor and often dictates the source of much of the money spent in their campaign. The 1920s
was a decidedly pro-business era, whereas the depression that followed demanded government
intervention to stabilize the economy. As students of the early twenty-first century, you have a unique
perspective on this phenomenon. What are the fundamental causes of economic collapse? What are the
common traits of an impending crisis? How does society respond to such a widespread catastrophe? Are
