Week 3: Discussion 1 and 2

Welcome to Week Three! This week we will be looking at the 1920s, (which included the motor car, the rise of mass consumerism, the “flapper” dancing, Jazz, the Harlem Renaissance and it is very lively period) But this is followed by the depression and World War II. You will have a chance to see how these events have impacted your chosen group.

This week your second written assignment is due. Be sure to follow the instructions carefully and use the final project worksheet. Please note that you need to include a primary source in the first discussion this week. To see a list of primary sources make sure to look under Week 3 Resources. Below is a guide for finding primary and secondary sources in the Ashford Library.

This week’s guidance will cover the following areas:

1. Finding and Using Assigned Primary Sources

2. How to find Primary Sources Outside the Classroom

3. How to find Secondary sources in the Ashford Library

4. Checklist and Assignments for Week 3

5. Topics covered this week

6. Source list

Finding and Using Assigned Sources

Video Transcript

Video Transcript

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Checklist and Assignments for Week 3

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Topics Covered This Week

Timeline

The “New Woman” of the 1920s

The 1920s was a time of rapid change. We see the rise of the new “modern” woman who

• wore make-up,

• close fitting felt hats

• long-waisted dresses

• strings of beads around her neck - a cocktail in one hand and cigarette in another - to some she as a symbol of revolution to others the decline of civilization

Of course the “flapper” was not representative of most women in America, so that it is interesting to reflect on how this image of women impacted women’s progress? It also led to much focus on women's appearance especially with the development of advertisements.

Read more about the youth of the 1920s:

Green, J. (2013). In Search of Youth: The 1920's at New Jersey College for Women. Retrieved October 27, 2014, from http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/libs/scua/douglass_scholars/article4.shtml

The rise of Racism

While one portion of society became more permissive, others, often in rural areas, sought a return to traditional ways.

Anti-immigrant sentiment in general increased in response to the fact that the economy had functioned fine without immigrants during the war and this sentiment resulted in new restrictions on immigration as well as harassment of new immigrants and a red scare.

The membership level and visibility of the KKK also increased, largely in response to African American social gains, immigration, and general social change.

A number of different African American leaders responded to this rise of racism, sometimes in conflicting ways. W.E.B. Du Bois, the first African American to earn a doctorate from Harvard University, spoke out against segregation, the suppression of black voting, and especially lynching. Along with Ida B. Wells-Barnett and Mary Church Terrell, he helped to found the National Association for the Advancement of Colored Peoples, and published the organization’s magazine The Crisis (a good primary source).

Jamaican born Marcus Garvey advanced the idea of Pan-Africanism, the idea that members of the African Diaspora share a commonality that transcends national borders. He founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA), as well as the Black Star Line, a shipping company whose purpose was to help members of the African Diaspora return to Africa. In 1925 he was imprisoned for mail fraud, and was deported to Jamaica in 1927.

Consumer Culture and Free Markets

The Harding administration (1921 – 1923) brought a temporary end to the era of progressive politics, ushering in a new era dominated by laissez-fair economics, isolationist foreign policy, and nativist immigration policies.

So what does all of this mean? Well, laissez-fair is a term which means “let it be”, meaning that the government should stay out of the affairs of private business, this contrasts with progressives who believe that the government should regulate industry. Isolationism is a form of foreign policy which advocates staying out of the affairs of other countries, which contrasts with the progressive idea of advancing the interests of one’s country by influencing or even using military force against other nations. Finally, nativism advocates limiting immigration.

One of the exciting things about studying this era in history is that it gives us a chance to explore the impacts of these policies. In our own time, when the role of government in business, foreign policy, and immigration are hot-button topics, the history of the 1920s and 30s can be particularly instructive.

So, what impact did the policies of Harding, and his conservative successors have on America? Well, one of the most obvious results was the rise of an opulent consumer society. It is during this era that advertising became increasingly sophisticated, and consumerism soon replaced thrift as a source of American pride.

At the same time, Harding’s presidency was characterized by corruption and scandal, a time when big business profited from government connections. The result was that certain industries grew, while others shrank, while those invested in those industries profited, the overall economy became increasingly concentrated, and more vulnerable.

Finally, the republican era of the 1920s was a time when the American consumer began to rely increasingly on credit, rather than their earnings, to satisfy their lifestyle (which included purchasing stocks on credit).

The immediate result of these policies was the “boom years” of the 1920s, in which many Americans enjoyed an unprecedented, if precarious, prosperity.

Learn more about the consumerism of the 1920s here:

Walsh, M. (2004, January 1). Consumerism and the Great Economic Boom. Retrieved October 27, 2014, from http://www.autolife.umd.umich.edu/Gender/Walsh/G_Overview3.htm

Economic Troubles

While the 1920s was a great time for most of America, farmers began to face economic problems early in the decade. World War I had increased demand for US agricultural goods because the European farmers’ land was used for battlefields and destroyed so they couldn’t grow crops. To meet the increased demand, US farmers took out loans to buy more land and farm equipment. Within a few years of the war, European farmers began to recover and the demand for US agricultural goods dropped, leading to a significant reduction in price, and leaving farmers with no way to pay off their loans. Many farmers lost their land and homes during the 1920s, even before the Great Depression hit the rest of the nation. The situation for farmers in the Plains states only worsened in the 1930s as a severe drought hit and the area turned into the Dust Bowl.

Learn more about the Dust Bowl:

Nelson, C. (2014). About The Dust Bowl. Retrieved October 27, 2014, from http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/depression/dustbowl.htm

The Great Migration and The Harlem Renaissance

In response to both the increased number of jobs in urban areas and the downturn in farming, during the 1920s many African Americans migrated from the rural South to urban areas, particularly in the North. This was called the Great Migration. Because of so much migration, access to housing became a serious issue as did the increased pressure on urban infrastructure.

Harlem became the capital of African American culture during the 1920s with the Harlem Renaissance. It was an unprecedented time of African American cultural awareness and creative production.

The Depression

This decade of change and wealth ended with the stock market crash of 1929 (Black Tuesday, October 29, 1929). A number of factors contributed to the stock market crash. It is estimated that when the market hit its peak in September 1929, it was about 40% overvalued, meaning that stocks were selling for about 40% more than their actual value in relation to production and profits. The Federal Reserve recognized this and attempted to discourage speculation by raising interest rates in 1928 and 1929. Of course, this caused stock purchases to go down, resulting the price of stocks dropping. Individuals and institutions that had bought stock on margin were immediately responsible for paying up but many did not have the money, causing these individuals and institutions to be suddenly broke. Stock prices to dropped further as investors tried to get rid of stocks as quickly as possible.

Watch this short video on the stock market crash of 1929:

The History Channel. (n.d.). 1929 Stock Market Crash Video - The Great Depression [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.history.com/topics/great-depression/videos/1929-stock-market-crash#1929-stock-market-crash

In response to increased interest rates, business slowed the buying of inventory, industry slowed production, and many people became unemployed. There were no government programs to help people in difficult financial situations (no unemployment insurance, food stamps, welfare, or even Social Security) so the unemployed reduced their consumption, defaulted on credit agreements and mortgages. This had an immediate and dire effect on the economy as businesses lost income and banks closed. In addition, the reduced demand for goods led to dropping prices and deflation (the decrease in the value of the dollar). Many businesses laid off workers or closed, amplifying the problem. Banks were not insured by the government (FDIC) and many lost money in the stock market as well as through customers defaulting on loans. Banks began to close and when they did so, customers lost all of their money. Even healthy banks closed as huge numbers of customers rushed in to withdraw all of their money due to the general atmosphere of panic. In this way, even individuals who had worked and saved all of their lives could find themselves unemployed and penniless.

As more people found themselves homeless and hungry, a general demand for the government to do something rose. Herbert Hoover, the US president, refused to create programs to help destitute Americans, not because he was hard-hearted but because he believed that the government should not participate in those activities but leave them up to private charities. However, with such a drastic economic downturn, contributions to charities dropped and they could not keep pace with the demand for help. As the depression worsened, Americans became more desperate for help and demands for government intervention grew louder and more visible.

Watch this video on the March of the Bonus Army:

PBS. (n.d.). The March of the Bonus Army [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSC1lbfXfRQ

Roosevelt and the New Deal

Franklin Delano Roosevelt ran for president in 1932 on the promise of a New Deal for America. He did not specify what that new deal was but Americans were so desperate that they elected him. His administration went to work immediately and crafted a number of programs intended to help the poor and unemployed as well as pull the nation of the depression. Some of the programs worked well and are still functioning (like Social Security and the FDIC) and others did not work or were declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. In addition, Roosevelt regularly conducted fireside chats, where he spoke directly to the American people over the radio, explaining what his administration was doing to ease the problems and reassuring them. The New Deal did not pull the nation out of the Great Depression, the increased demand for goods and armaments for World War II did. However, Roosevelt remained popular and was re-elected four times in a row because he gave the nation hope.

World War Two

You may recall that the Treaty of Versailles (the peace treaty that ended World War I) was particularly harsh toward the Germans. It required that Germany accept the blame for the war and pay very heavy reparations, which caused significant economic distress in Germany. Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party rose to power on strength of German resentment over the Treaty of Versailles and nationalism. He directed the blame for the poor economy onto the Jewish people while insisting that non-Jewish Germans were members of the Aryan race, who were far superior to any other group. Hitler was elected and the soon given dictatorial powers democratically. He and the Nazi party soon began to harass and persecute German Jews and put them into concentration camps.

He also quickly moved to invade and conquer neighboring European nations, arguing that they were all part of a larger Aryan nation and he was just uniting it. Although other European nations did not intervene when Germany took over Austria and then Czechoslavakia, his invasion of Poland resulted in Britain, Australia, New Zealand, and then Canada declaring war. Joseph Stalin (Soviet Union) signed a non-aggression pact with Germany, meaning that neither the Soviet Union nor Germany would attack the other. Stalin largely had no choice but to sign it since he had purged the Red Army of most of its generals only a year or two before and did not have the military leadership to fight Germany. However, the Soviet Union declared war on Germany (joining forces with the United States, France, and Britain) when Germany invaded the Soviet Union. As the German Army moved across the continent, more and more European nations fell to it and then the Germans moved on to Africa. Italy and Japan, motivated by similar expansionist goals and nationalism, joined Germany to comprise the main countries of the Axis powers.

The United States initially declared itself neutral, and seeking to avoid being pulled into another European war, the US Congress declared it illegal to sell supplies or weapons to either side. However, the German military threat against Britain increased so the Roosevelt started the Lend-Lease program, whereby the US government lent or leased (but did not sell) weapons and supplies to Britain. Although the US government was moving closer to involvement in the war, popular opinion remained against it until the bombing of Pearl Harbor in December 1941. That event changed US sentiment and pushed the nation into war.

As in World War I, the United States brought much-needed soldiers, supplies, and weapons into the war. The war would go on for three more years, but the US forces changed the momentum of the war, leading to the defeat of the Germans in the European theater first. The fighting then continued against the Japanese in the Pacific.

President Truman (Roosevelt died just before the end of the war, making his Vice President, Harry Truman, the president) decided to use atomic weapons against Japan, first on Hiroshima and then, when the Japanese failed to surrender, on Nagasaki three days later. These bombs utterly destroyed both cities and spread nuclear fallout far into the surrounding areas killing thousands of civilians and maiming others. The Japanese surrendered.

Truman’s decision to drop atomic weapons on Japan has remained highly controversial. Those who argue in support of the decision claim that the United States would have lost more troops if the fighting had continued arguing that Japan would not surrender. The evidence for this remains mixed. Those who argue against the use claim that it was militarily unnecessary, that Japan was preparing to surrender, but perhaps the strongest argument is the shear inhumanity of using such a devastating bomb on large numbers of civilians that not only caused massive deaths but also maiming as well as birth defects and cancers. The people in those cities had no warnings. There are also strong arguments that the United States used the atomic bombs to demonstrate to the Soviet Union that they were capable of using atomic weapons against human targets, as relations between the United States and the Soviet Union had already begun to deteriorate. Lastly, it has also been argued that American propaganda dehumanized the Japanese, making it easier to target Japanese people with such horrendous weapons.

Most of you will be familiar with the arguments in support of the use of the bomb, so it is worthwhile to consider the arguments against the decision. See here Ronald Takaki

https://www.dissentmagazine.org/article/50-years-after-hiroshima-takaki-race

Watch this US War Department video from 1946 about the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki:

US War Department. (1946). A Tale of Two Cities [Video file]. Retrieved from https://archive.org/details/TaleofTw1946

Watch the testimony of Nagasaki bombing survivor Ms. Chiyono Yoneda:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMS2rR_NAho

Visit this webpage which contains more survivor testimonies:

http://www.hiroshima-remembered.com/history/hiroshima/page14.html

The War at Home and the Beginning of the Cold War

In the United States, a massive mobilization effort began immediately following the declaration of war. Factories quickly converted from producing consumer goods to producing weapons and other war supplies. Americans faced rationing of almost all goods, including food, gasoline, rubber, and even pantyhose because these items were needed for the war effort. Because so many factories shifted to wartime production, other goods, like appliances and clothing were in very short supply. As so many men went off to war, factories faced a shortage of workers. Women were encouraged to take industrial jobs through propaganda and federally run daycare centers. Because of both the influx of female workers, rationing, and the lack of consumer goods, the rate of savings rose significantly. Women experienced increased independence, not only because of their presence in the workplace and the money it provided, but also because many moved away from their families to work in factories. Women’s participation in the war effort was unprecedented, not only growing victory gardens to supplement food rations and participating in bond drives (the sale of war bonds helped finance the war) but also as military nurses and in the military’s women’s auxiliary units (WASPs, WACs, WAACs).

But, while participation in the war finally pulled the United States out of the Great Depression and fueled economic expansion, it was also a time of harassment and persecution of Americans of Japanese, German, and Italian descent. These groups were demonized in the popular media. Japanese Americans in particularly faced the harsh reality of being rounded up, losing all their property, and being placed in internment camps for the duration of the war, even while many men of Japanese descent volunteered to fight in the US military.

The United States emerged from World War II as an international power and as the only industrialized nation without significant damage to its infrastructure. This put it in the position of directing the rebuilding of a significant portion of Europe and Japan. In addition, the US economy benefitted from the production and sale of goods needed to rebuild those nations, creating a vibrant economy for many years. The United Nations resulted from WWII as a place to encourage international communication and to avoid another such world war. The United States and the Soviet Union quickly established spheres of influence and dominance, which shaped global politics for many years after the war.

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Sources

Barnes, L. & Bowles, M. (2014).The American story: Perspectives and encounters from 1877. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.

Bliven, B. (1925, Sept. 9). Flapper Jane. New Republic. Retrieved from http://www.newrepublic.com/article/113130/bruce-bliven-interviews-flapper

Hardenbergh, M. (1923, Aug. 12). Taking the hand off the cradle to catch devil-fish: How modern woman is delving into the sacred precincts of male occupation and is now found in the role of bandit, judge, bricklayer, hunter, and race horse jockey [PDF file]. The Atlanta Constitution, 2-3. Retrieved from http://www.americainclass.org/sources/becomingmodern/modernity/text2/colcommentarymodernwoman.pdf

Hartt, R. L. (1921, Jan. 15). “The new Negro”: “When he’s hit, he hits back!” Independent, 76, 59-60. Retrieved from http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5127

Indian Thorpe greatest sport marvel of all time. (1922, Feb. 18). The Evening World. Retrieved from http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030193/1922-02-18/ed-1/seq-7.pdf

Marshall, C. C. (1927). Should a Catholic be president?: A contemporary view of the 1928 election. Atlantic Monthly, 139, 540-544, 548-549. Retrieved from http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5074

McDougald, E. J. (1925). Elise Johnson McDougald on “The double task: The struggle of Negro women for sex and race emancipation”. In A. Locke (Ed.), The New Negro: An Interpretation. Retrieved from http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5126

Smith, E. (1924, Apr. 9). “Shut the door”: A senator speaks for immigration restriction. Congressional Record, 68th Congress, 1st Session (Washington DC: Government Printing Office, 1924), Vol. 65, 5961–5962. Retrieved from http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5080

U.S. Supreme Court. (1923). Not all Caucasians are white: The supreme court rejects citizenship for Asian Indians. Retrieved from http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5076

Jacobs, R. (Writer), & Paley, C. (Director). (1994). World War II: Breadlines to boomtimes [Documentary film]. Retrieved from https://secure.films.com/OnDemandEmbed.aspx?Token=44854&aid=18596&Plt=FOD&loid=0&w=640&h=480&ref=

Library of Congress. (n.d.). Primary source analysis tool. Retrieved from http://www.loc.gov/teachers/primary-source-analysis-tool/

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Petrow, R. (Producer & Writer), & Moyers, B. (Writer). (1984). The twenties [Series episode]. In M. Koplin (Executive producer), A walk through the 20th century with Bill Moyers. Retrieved from https://secure.films.com/OnDemandEmbed.aspx?Token=42071&aid=18596&Plt=FOD&loid=0&w=640&h=480&ref=