Homie Question: Chapter 32, Question #1 1.

In what ways were the 1920s a reaction against the progressive era The 1920's was an era where great traditions or ideals created in the progressive era were forgotten. The whole progressive movement was largely abandoned as unions were legislated against and leaders of reform movements were prosecuted. Although the progressive era was filled with dramatic reform and hopes of more government regulation, the idealism of the 1920s backfired on pursuits to fulfill these visions. In the 1920's, one reaction against the progressive era was towards immigration. Most of the progressives were middle class men and women. They were feeling pressure from above, being big business and corporations, and below, being that the immigrants from southern or eastern Europe. These immigrants were prejudiced against for taking American Jobs leading towards hatred of those people. There was a lack of assimilation because of their inability to become Americanized, preferring to live in ethnic neighborhoods and maintain culture ties with the homeland. Those people were seen as uneducated and unfamiliar with democracy, which worried people to believe that anarchists and terrorists would infiltrate the country. Many middle class people felt the pressures of enduring poor wages and hours due to the fear of being replaced by cheaper immigrants. Many progressives wanted the United States to help people who were immigrating to the United States. Contrary to popular belief, there was much hostility towards foreigners as seen with the Emergency Quota Act of 1921 and Immigration Act of 1924. The Emergency Quota Act placed newcomers from Europe with a restricted quota at 3%. The Immigration Act cut the quota down to 2%. The immigrant tide was cut off, but those that were in America struggled to adapt since there was so much anti-immigrant sentiment. However, in the 1920's, they still began to grow with the New America. These immigrants were usually wet, meaning they with for prohibition and living in urban cities to try to find work to provide for their families. During the progressive era, prohibition led to a constitutional amendment that ceased the existence of alcohol, but it was soon liberated in the 1920s. The 18th amendment, better known as the Volstead Act, was passed which prohibited the consumption and production of alcoholic beverages. In the beginning, the support for this act was widespread including people from the south and the midwest. The tradition of beer began with the German descendants to the U.S. It was understandable that Americans would react against all things German, since the United States was against Germany in the last years of World War I. However, as the 1920s progressed, prohibition would be impossible to enforce. For instance, one downside of prohibition was the rise of organized crime, otherwise known as the mafia. This included gangsters like Al Capone, who was not only involved with selling alcohol but invested in other crimes like prostitution, gambling, and narcotics. As people wanted more alcohol, they began to search for it in underground clubs called Speakeasies or even make it in their own bathtubs. People in California were known to drive to Mexico to drink. Legislators, who had voted for prohibition, continued to drink in private. Soldiers coming home from the war desired alcohol. Immigrants, who were tired from long days at the factory, only wanted to spend their hard earned cash on beer. Too many people being thirsty for alcohol had never regarded drinking it as a crime. Also many people had considered it a personal liberty to be allowed to drink when they wanted to. Prohibition slowed drinking but did not stop it. By the mid 1920's, almost half of all federal arrests were for prohibition crimes and the number was continuing to rise. The people of America during the 1920s went against the prohibition acts and also against the progressive idealism. In the progressive era, goals based around innovations and reforms were set in order to stop

political corruption and have more government regulation. On the other hand, in the 1920s, there was an effort made to return back to normalcy. Political corruption was a key issue during the progressive era which reformers hoped to solve through civil service reforms at the national, state and local level, replacing political hacks with professionals. They created the Pendleton Act, which placed most federal employees on the merit system and marked the end of the so-called "spoils system" that was common dating back to the Jacksonian era. Many self-styled progressives saw their work as a crusade against urban political bosses and corrupt "robber barons. A progressive Republican, Theodore Roosevelt created more enforcement of anti-trust laws and government supervision over the railroads. His Square Deal was based off of the three C's: conservation of natural resources, control of corporations, and consumer protection. This tried to help the middle class and attacked to bad trusts. Even President Taft continued to charge the trusts by strengthening the Interstate Commerce Commission that supervised and set rates for carriers that transported goods and people between states. Still, in the 1920's, Presidents like Harding and Coolidge reduced regulation and did not want to move forward with the progressive era. This basically called for an end of the reform period. With regards to Harding, he is seen as a scandalous president. On his own cabinet, Sectary of Interior Albert Fall received kickbacks for oil leases known as the Teapot Scandal, something that progressivism was trying to prevent!Coolidge contained a probusiness mentality which opposed regulation and many progressive reforms. He made actions to help the rich, like for instance tax cuts which he believed would help the government still because the rich would still just invest the money right back into the economy. He was known for saying, The Business of American is Business.