1.3 Changes in Society Flashcards
Women- Politics
-Influencing women in politics (Harriet Taylor Upton, Emily Newell Blair, Eleanor Roosevelt)
Belle Moskowitz, political advertising expert, became Al Smith’s closest political advisor helping him to win the governorship of New York
-1919, women’s right to vote with 19th Amendment. Women now had influence over political decisions, meaning politicians would have to begin appealing to female voters
- Political parties found new places for women with interests in politics
In 1920, both the Republican and Democratic organisations created new positions for women. They showcased women at their national conventions. They created new Women’s Divisions for the purpose of integrating new women voters into the party
-By 1928, 145 women had won seats in state legislatures and 2 had been elected to the position of State Governor
Women- Economic
-The economic boom provided women with new opportunities for employment, i.e secretaries, telephone operators and typists.
This allowed tens of thousands to move to big towns and cities and live more independent lives
- Cosmetics was used in large numbers for the first time. Beauty salons opened up across the USA, as a result, the cosmetics industry increased in value from $17 million to $200 million by the end of the decade
- Electrification and mass production saw many women able to afford labour saving devices for the home for the first time. Housework for women became easier
- There was a 25% increase of women working in the 20s. By 1929, the number of employed women was 10.6 million
-Many women had entered the workplace during WW1 in order to fill jobs left by men who joined the army. This helped shift public perception of working women slightly
Women- Social
-Divorce was made easier and the number doubled. Women were not content to just stay at home and put up with bad husbands
-The Sheppard-Towner Act 1921 gave federal aid to the states to develop infant and maternity health programmes. 3000 child and maternal health care centres were created, many in rural areas. This led to a decrease in infant and mother deaths as a result of childbirth
Limitations to women during the boom
-Only 2 out of 435 delegates in congress were women
-Women in the US never voted in a block, women’s movements remained fragmented
-Only 150 female dentists and fewer than 100 female accountants
-700,000 women were domestic servants
-Few female industrialists or managing directors
-Male workers in manufacturing earned $34.41 a week, women only earn $8.34, black females only got $5.70 a week
-Women were still expected to concentrate on marriage and homemaking
-Higher education opportunities were limited (it fell by 5% during the period)
-Prestigious college, Vassar still offered courses in Wife, Motherhood and the Family
1917 Immigration Act
-Introduced a literacy test to make sure that people entering the USA had a basic grasp of English
-This was to prevent illiterate people from migrating to America. They introduced it so everyone who came, could get a job and help boost America’s economy
1921 Emergency Quota Act
-Limited immigration to 3% of the number of each nationality resident in the USA according to the 1910 census. The quota was 357,000 per year
-This further prevented immigrants entering the USA and favoured older immigrants, mostly protestants
1924 Johnson-Read
-Modified the terms of the earlier legislation making the base figure 2% of the 1890 census. This reduced the quota to just 150,000 per year. It restricted immigration from Southern and Eastern Europe and halted Asian immigration entirely.
Melting Pot
-Where immigrants would lost their ethnic identity and become “American’
Mosaic Culture
Separate Cultures, i.e Little Italy, Chinatown,
Main immigrants before WW1
Italian, Polish, Russian
How many of the pre WW1 immigrants came?
2.3 million jews from Russia and Poland and 4 million Catholic Italians
Where were Older migrants from?
Britain, Germany and Scandinavia
Difference between older migrants and newer ones
Older ones were mainly protestant whereas the newer ones were Catholic
Why was immigration seen as tolerable before 1917?
The expansion and buoyancy of the US economy encouraged immigration in order to provide new industries with workers
Eugenics
the study that there was a hierarchy of races and so people saw immigrants as inferior
Why did WW1 lead to a fear of immigration
people were worried that immigrants were coming over to sabotage Americans
What event in 1917 helped create further fears of immigrants from Eastern Europe
The Russian Revolution
Why were Americans particularly afraid of immigrants from Eastern Europe?
Because they believe in communism- people don’t want to distribute their wealth. Americans didn’t want their money, especially money earned in the boom to be spread across the population
Industrial Unrest
-After WW1, there was high inflation, as a result many workers went on strike. (In 1919, 4 million workers went on strike)
-People believed that strikers were led by communists who sought revolution in the USA like in Russia
-J.D Rockefeller was the target of a failed bomb plot in 1914 by anarchists belonging to the Industrial Workers of the World organisation
The Palmer Raids
-General Intelligence Division was created by Mitchell Palmer to investigate revolutionary activities
-In Jan 1920, he ordered the Palmer Raids. 6000 people were arrested with suspicions of revolutionary activity, however most were released after a few days due to a lack of evidence
Sacco and Vanzetti
-Were two Italian immigrants, neither spoke English very well
-They were accused of carrying out an armed robbery in Boston in May 1920.
-Both claimed to be anarchists and were arrested carrying guns
-There was little concrete evidence to tie them to the case HOWEVER they were found guilty and sentenced to death
-There was some protest amongst people who lived in cities, however many rural Americans supported the verdict. Showing that people who lived in rural areas had more negative attitudes towards immigrants than people who lived in the cities.
KKK
-During the 20s, they grew in importance and power, before rapidly dying away by the end of the decade
-They were set up in 1865, made up of disgruntled confederate soldiers. They wanted revenge for the defeat of the Civil War. They refused to accept slavery ended.
What was segregation and Jim Crow?
Separation of black and white people in America. The Jim Crow laws disallowed black people to have basic civil rights such as voting. They had different facilities, black people would get worser conditioned facilities.
What did the KKK do?
They burned homes, raped and murdered black people to let them know they were 2nd class citizens
