1. America Struggles with Post-War
Issues
Chapter 12: Sec 1

2. Fear of Communism
 The Red Scare
– 1919: Communist rebels
take over Russian
government
– Communist Party formed in
the U.S.
– Had major influence in the
labor movement of the
early 20th century
 Communist Fears
Realized
– The Palmer Raids
– Sacco and Vanzetti Trial

3. Nicola Sacco & Bartolomeo Vanzetti
 2 Italian men who were famous victims of
the nativism attitude
 May 1920: Found guilty of murder –
sentenced to death.
– Asserted innocence
– Provided alibis
– Evidence circumstantial

4. How did the Justice Dept.
under A. Mitchell Palmer
respond to this fear?
 Palmer Raids
 Hired J. Edgar Hoover
to lead the “Anti-
radical” division
 Targeted Communists,
Socialists & Anarchists

5. Limiting Immigration
 The Klan Rises Again
– Devoted to “100%
Americanism ”
– Reached 4.5 million by 1924
– Believed in keeping blacks
“in their place ”
– Second Klan also targeted
Roman Catholics, Jews, and
other foreign born peoples
 Quota System (1921)
– Devised to attempt to control
number of immigrants
arriving in U.S.
– Aimed at immigrants from
Southern and Eastern
Europe
– 1919-1921: Number of
immigrants rose almost
600% from 141,000 to
805,000

6. Immigration Trends 1921-1929

7. Time of Labor and Unrest
Labor Problems in 1919
The Boston Police Strike
The Steel Mill Strike
The Coal Miner’s Strike

8. Labor Movement Loses Appeal
 Much of the
workforce consisted
of immigrants willing
to work in poor
conditions
 Difficult to organize
due to multitude of
spoken languages
 Migrating farmers
used to relying on
themselves
 Most unions excluded
African Americans

9. The Harding Presidency and the Business of
America
Chapter 12: Sec 2-3
 President Warren G.
Harding
– Served from 1921-23
– Wanted to return
America to a state of
“normalcy ”
– Exercised poor
judgment while trying
to influence
international peace
and domestic
economic stability

10. Harding Struggles for Peace
 Sec. of State Charles
Evans Hughes proposes
that the five international
powers reduce their
number of warships
Kellogg Briand Pact
(1928)
 Agreement signed by
fifteen nations that
renounced war as a
national policy
 Could not be enforced;
did not curb military
build-ups that led to
WWII

11. Harding’s Financial Blunders
 European Allies owe $10
billion to U.S. after WWI
– Must be able to export
products for profit to repay
their debt
 Fordney McCumber
Tariff (1922)
– Raised taxes on imports by
60%
– Hurt European businesses
because Americans
weren’t buying their
products
– Made it virtually impossible
to repay their debts

12. Harding’s Financial Blunders
cont…
Dawes Plan
French troops C.G. Dawes arranges
march on Germany $2.5 billion loan from U.S.
when they defaulted to Germany to repay Britain
on reparation payment and France
Britain and France
use money to repay
the United States
In the end the U.S. was repaid with its own money!!

13. Scandal Hits Harding’s Administration
Ohio Gang
 Corrupt politicians who were part of Harding ’s
cabinet
 Were involved in many bribes and scandals
while serving in presidential cabinet positions
 Embarrassed the administration and efforts of
the Harding presidency

14. Teapot Dome Scandal
 Sec. of the Interior Albert
Hall arranged for Federal oil
reserves to be sold to a
private company
 He received a $400,000 kick-
back
 Became first American to be
convicted of bribery while
holding a cabinet post
 1923: Pres Harding has
stroke / heart attack and dies
suddenly

15. President Harding Dies in Office
 1923: Harding suffers
stroke / heart attack and
dies
 V.P. Calvin Coolidge
assumes presidency
– Former Massachusetts that
gained fame for ending the
Boston Police Strike
 Pres. Coolidge finishes
Harding’s term of office
and is elected president
in 1924