Cultural Conflicts Angela Brown

Chapter 11http://arberday.tripod.com/jillart/1920.jpg

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• 18th Amendment took effect Jan. 16, 1920 – Prohibition

• Many disregarded the Amendment.

• http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.reuther.wayne.edu/faces/prohibition%2520raid.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.reuther.wayne.edu/faces/prohibition.html&h=585&w=720&sz=106&hl=en&start=2&tbnid=XwZTZIawGKyRfM:&tbnh=114&tbnw=140&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dprohibition%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26rls%3DGGLD,GGLD:2005-11,GGLD:en%26sa%3DN

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Prohibition • Volstead Act 1919 passed to

enforce the 18th Amendment.• Ignored by cities of East Coast • (NY 5% obeyed) (Kansas 95%)• Prohibition sharpened the

contrast between urban and rural moral values during 1920’s.

• http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://prohibition.osu.edu/ProhParty/images/Frontis.jpg&imgrefurl=http://prohibition.osu.edu/ProhParty/index.htm&h=225&w=300&sz=22&hl=en&start=17&tbnid=Ops3UAiaAKsG-M:&tbnh=87&tbnw=116&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dprohibition%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26rls%3DGGLD,GGLD:2005-11,GGLD:en%26sa%3DN

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Bootlegging• Bootlegger – new criminal,

supplied America with alcohol• Had been drinkers who hid

flasks of liquor in leg of boots.• Some smuggled whiskey from

Caribbean and Canada.

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• Others operated stills (made alcohol from corn, grain, potatoes, etc.)

• Many customers owned speakeasies – illegal bars – restricted entrance (membership card – recognition by guard)

• http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.chicagobarproject.com/Features/Speakeasy4.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.chicagobarproject.com/Features/FormerSpeakeasies.htm&h=225&w=310&sz=13&hl=en&start=2&tbnid=lN4Zjpd7qTWwHM:&tbnh=85&tbnw=117&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dspeakeasies%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26rls%3DGGLD,GGLD:2005-11,GGLD:en%26sa%3DN

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Organized Crime• Successful bootleggers

expanded into other illegal activities (gambling, prostitution, racketeering)

• “racket” local businesses were forced to pay a fee for “protection”

• refused to pay = gunned down, business bombed – 157 bombs one year in Chicago

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Al Capone• Racket reached every

neighborhood, police station, and government offices

• Nicknamed “scarface” murdered way to top of Chicago’s organized crime network in 1925

• $60 million a year from bootlegging alone

• http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images/pic/scrp/1054~Al-Capone-Posters.jpg

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• Bought police, city officials, politicians, judges

• J. Edgar Hoover led (FBI) against organized crime.

• 1931 finally convicted of tax evasion and sent to prison.

• Bootlegging remained a problem until 1933.

• http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://crimemagazine.com/images/Hoover-JEdgar-1961.jpg&imgrefurl=http://crimemagazine.com/05/jedgarhoover,0719-5.htm&h=400&w=300&sz=48&hl=en&start=2&tbnid=rBtArORO-ozxdM:&tbnh=124&tbnw=93&prev=/images%3Fq%3DJ.%2Bedgar%2BHoover%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26rls%3DGGLD,GGLD:2005-11,GGLD:en%26sa%3DN

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Issues of Religion • Fundamentalism• Should schools teach biblical version

of creation or the theory of evolution?

• Many traditional beliefs came from several directions:

• Science and tech larger role in everyday life

• War caused people to question God’s existence

• Some scholars stated the bible a document written by humans containing contradictions and historical inaccuracies

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– Religious traditionalist published (12) pamphlets called The Fundamentals = Fundamentalism

– Argued the bible inspired by God and cannot contain contradictions or errors, bible literally; true, and every story took place as described

– Billy Sunday – preached 300 revivals to 100 million

• Aimee Semple McPherson, Founder of the Angelus Temple – owned radio station – preached.

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Evolution and the Scopes Trial• Theory of Evolution – human beings

and all other living species developed over time from simple life forms

• Fundamentalists worked for passage of laws to prevent public schools from teaching evolution.

• Scopes Trial – TN Science Teacher challenged ban of theory as unconstitutional

• Battle between William Jennings Bryan (prosecutor) and Clarence Darrow (defended Eugene Debs)

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• Trial broadcast on mass media• Bryan forced to testify as bible

expert that even he did not interpret all of bible literally

• Fundamentalists saw Bryan as a martyr – exhausted from battle, died a few days after trial

• Modernist saw Darrow as a defender of science and reason

• Trial a setback for fundamentalist – movement continued to grow

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Racial Tensions • Violence Against African Americans• 1919 “Red Summer” – race riots in

25 cities • bloodiest – Chicago – White’s threw

rocks at black boy who floated into the white’s only section of Lake Michigan – the boy drowned

• 13 days; 23 African Americans – 15 whites dead, 537 wounded, 1000 blacks homeless

• lynching and Ku Klux Klan continued

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Revival of the Klan• 1922 Klan membership 100,000• 1924 4 million members (Indiana

largest pop.)• Night rides beating, whipping,

killing – African Americans, Catholics, Jews, immigrants

• 1925 head of IN Klan life in prison for assaulting a girl – she later killed herself – nation shocked into action

• 1927 Klan activity diminished again.

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Fighting Discrimination• violence rallied (NAACP) –

worked in vain to pass anti-lynching laws

• lynching decreased to ten per year by 1929 (improved state law enforcement)

• Continued to fight to protect voting rights

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The Garvey Movement• Marcus Garvey had movement

who dreamed of new homeland to live in peace (from Jamaica)

• Universal Negro Improvement Association. (UNIA) – build up self-respect and economic power

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• Urged African Americans to return to “Motherland Africa”.

• $10 million “Black Star” to back to Motherland.

• 1925 Garvey jailed = fraud – UNIA collapsed

• Garvey’s ideas inspiration to “black pride” movement.

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