Chapter 22
World War I and the 1920s
1910-1930
Section 1: Texans Go To War
Section 2: Business & Agriculture in the 1920s
Section 3: Texas Becomes a Modern Society
Pages 454-473
Section 1
Texans Go To War
• Objectives
– Analyze the Mexican Revolution’s political and social
impact on Texas
– Analyze WWIs political and social impact on Texas
– Describe the problems faced by specific racial and
ethnic groups in Texas around the time of WWI
• Terms/Names
– Ally, Central Powers, Mexican Revolution of 1910,
Francisco “Pancho” Villa, Zimmerman Telegram, April
1917, draft, war bond, patriotism
Section 1 Summary
• When the US joined WWI, Texans had to make
sacrifices for the war effort and victory
• 1914: WWI started
• Great Brittan, France, Russia, Italy, Serbia, Belgium, and
other countries were the Allies
– Ally: a country that agrees to help another country achieve
a common goal
• Germany, Austria, Hungary, Ottoman Empire, and
Bulgaria were the Central Powers
• Allies and Central Powers fought against each other
• US didn’t want to join war but had to
US-Mexican Conflict
• 1910: problems started along Texas-Mexico border
– Mexican citizens were tired of they way they were being treated
• Mexican president, Porfirio Diaz, was over thrown in 1911…started
the Mexican Revolution
• Mexican general, Francisco “Pancho” Villa got mad at US over who
was now Mexican leader…he killed several US citizens
• US President Woodrow Wilson sent troops to Mexico to catch Villa
• Mexico helped Villa escape; US troops pulled back but Texas
Rangers guarded border
• 1911-1918: tensions between US and Mexico …many Texans and
Mexicans were killed
• Finally, Pancho Villa was murdered after Mexico made a deal with
him
Germany Stirs Up Trouble
• Germany saw US-Mexico conflict as way to turn US attention away
from war in Europe
• German man, Arthur Zimmerman, sent a secret telegram saying that
Germany would help Mexico if Mexico invaded US
• Zimmerman Telegram made US mad
• Also, Germany sank US ship, Lusitania…British ship but Americans
were on board and were killed
• So, on April 17, 1917, US Congress declared war on Germany
and were involved in World War I
US and World War 1
Texans Rally to the Cause
• Texans turned out to register for military
draft by the thousands
• 198,000 Texas fought in WWI
• By 1918, 5000 Texans had been killed
• Many soldiers came to Texas to be trained
at the US Army Air Corps in San Antonio,
Waco, Houston, and Ft. Worth
The War Effort at Home
• Many US citizens invested money in War Bonds
– War Bond: a low-interest loan by civilians to the government
• Schools taught patriotism lessons for 10 minutes every
day
– Patriotism: love or devotion for one’s country
• Women rolled bandages, entertained, troops, and worked
in factories
• To send food to soldiers overseas, and gave up coffee,
cut back on fat and sugar, and had Wheatless
Mondays/Wednesdays, Meatless Tuesdays, and Porkless
Thursdays/Saturdays
• Also planted Victory Gardens
Racial and Ethnic Tensions Grow
• Many Texans grew to hate Germans (hard
on German immigrants in Texas)
• African American soldiers (1/4 of all US
soldiers) who fought in WWI still dealt with
segregation
– Threats, lynchings, and race riots occured
• Mexican American soldiers faced
discrimination too
Section 2
Business and Agriculture in the 1920s
• Objectives
– Analyze changes in supply and demand in Texas
– Describe how national and international events
affected the production of goods in Texas from 19141920
– Draw conclusions about WWIs economic impact on
Texas
• Terms/Names
– November 11, 1918, consumer goods, oil industry
Section 2 Summary
• Texas industry helped to produce goods for troops during WWI
• After war was over, demand for goods slowed down but then got
better again
• World War I was from 1914-1918
• Bad war…total of 8-10 million lives lost; 32 nations fought against
each other
• When US got into war, it helped bring the end of the war
• World War I ended on November 11, 1918 —this date (November
11) became know as Veteran’s Day
Postwar Growth of Top Industries
• Texas oil was needed during war…helped lead
to oil boom in Texas
• In 1920s, after war was over, Texas
manufacturers began making consumer goods
– Consumer Goods: products created for personal
use such as clothing, radios, refrigerators, etc
• Factories started making furniture, cars, clothing
• Department stores opened in Houston and
Dallas to see these consumer goods
The Impact of the Oil Industry
• Oil industry really grew after WWI
• New fields were discovered and new oil
companies were formed (Humble
Oil…now Exxon/Mobil, Gulf Oil…now
Chevron, and The Texas
Company…Texaco
• As oil industry grew, so did related
industries…pipelines, barrels, oil-field
equipment, etc
Agriculture Remains King
• Agriculture was main economic money
maker for Texas
• In 1920s, demand for farm products grew
as cities grew
• Cotton, rice, wheat, citrus fruit, and corn
was major products
• But, as more crops were grown, the price
of them went down…known as Supply and
Demand
New Technology Benefits Farms
• Farm machinery was invented…tractors,
combines
• Invention of trucks meant farmers could
take their own goods to market…not so
dependent on trains
• Texas became one of the main provider of
food for world
• By end of 1920s, Texas had become one
world’s main contributors of goods
The Effects of World War I
Section 3
Texas Becomes a Modern Society
• Objectives
– Explain how economic factors led to Texans moving
from rural areas to the city
– Describe changes in jobs and occupations that
resulted from the growth of cities in Texas
– Identify points of view from the historical context
surrounding the events and the frame of reference
that influenced those who participated
• Terms/Names
– Mercantile, Margie Neal, lobby, Petticoat Lobby,
intolerance, Ku Klux Klan, Miriam A. “Ma” Ferguson
Section 3
Summary
• Industry in Texas grew rapidly in 1920s.
• Texans moved from rural areas into cities
to take industry jobs
Growth of an Urban Society
• Many cities built factories to produce consumer goods
• People moved to cities to work in factories…made more
money than other jobs
– Farming…wasn’t as popular cause couldn’t make as much
money…farm good prices went down
• People from other states/countries came to Texas to
work in factories
• Cities began to develop their own style
– Ft. Worth: cow town because of cattle industry
– San Antonio: tourist center…Hispanic heritage
– Dallas: became state’s financial and mercantile center
• Mercantile: relating to merchants or trade
– Houston: oil
Modern Conveniences
• Electricity added to homes/businesses
– Electric lights
• Mass transportation
• Telephone/telegraph
• Radio broadcasting… radio stations
– By 1925, Texas had 25 radio stations
Texans on the Move
• More people owned cars in 1920s
• Trucks were common …farmers used them to
take goods to market
• Better roads
– In mid-1920s, Texas Governor Pat Neff reorganized
state highway system
– Added gasoline tax
• This tax money was used to create and repair Texas roads
• Traveling long distances became much easier
Problems with Prohibition
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Liquor was illegal between 1920-1933
Many people started bootlegging…selling liquor illegally
Many people made own liquor…moonshine
Texas officials didn’t do much about illegal alcohol but
US officials did. They closed down dance halls and night
clubs
– These were called speakeasies
– Moved to hidden locations…like Longhorn Cavern in central
Texas
• People just ignored Prohibition, so US ended period of
Prohibition
– 21st Amendment: repealed Prohibition
– People could drink legally now…with age restrictions
Leisure Time Activities
• Known as Roaring ‘20s
• Jazz music became popular
• Dances like the Charleston became popular
– Flappers
• Women became more independent
• Accepted standards of behavior for women changed
– Shorter dresses, pants, more make-up
• Motion pictures
– First movies were black/white with no sound
• Piano or phonograph was played to provide sound
– By 1929, “talkies” (movies with sound) were invented
The Roaring Twenties
Modernizing Education
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More money was provided for rural schools
Free textbooks
Free transportation if lived far from school
Small schools were consolidated
Better School Supply Amendment of 1920 was
passed to raise taxes to support schools
• State Board of Education was created in 1929
The Changing Role of Women
• Women entered the workforce outside of the
home
– Worked as telephone operators, secretaries,
salespeople, teachers, nurses, librarians, doctors,
lawyers
– But they made less money than men
• In 1920s, women organized a lobby or
“Petticoat Lobby” to influence state
legislation…mainly education, health care, social
issues, city services, parks/playgrounds, etc
– Lobby: a group that tries to influence legislators
to vote in a certain way
Intolerance on the Rise
• 1920s were carefree years but intolerance was
on the rise
– Intolerance: an unwillingness to accept different
people, ideas, or behaviors
• Ku Klux Klan became active again …very
intolerant of others
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Got city officials and government officials as members
Got more violent
Members were still mostly unknown and secret
But number of Klan members declined by 1928 as
public got tired of them
“Ma” Ferguson Versus the Klan
• “Ma” Ferguson was wife of impeached
Texas governor, James Ferguson
• Strongly opposed to the KKK
• She ran for governor against a KKK
member and won in 1924…first female
governor in Texas
• People didn’t really like her
• Was governor for only one term