Ch.
21
Sect.
1
A
Republican
Decade
Objectives:
1. 
Analyze the causes and effects of the red scare
and the labor strikes of 1919.
2. 
Describe key feature of the Republican
administrations of the 1920s.
3. 
Compare the Harding and Coolidge presidencies.
Main Idea:
Republican administrations of the 1920s pursued
pro-business economic policies and an isolationist
foreign policy.
The
Red
Scare
  The
cost
of
living
after
World
War
I
doubled
and
farmers
who
grew
record
yields
caused
crop
prices
to
fall,
the
=irst
sign
of
economic
problems.
  After
the
Russian
Revolution,
the
Red
Scare
or
fear
of
communism
began.
Countries
around
the
world,
especially
the
U.S.
worried
that
communism
could
take
over
their
country.
  This
fear
led
to
the
Palmer
Raids.
Attorney
General
Mitchell
Palmer
targeted
communists,
socialists,
and
anarchists
who
posed
a
“clear
and
present
danger”
to
our
country.
  Sacco
&
Vanzetti
trial
–
2
Italian
immigrants
convicted
of
robbery
and
murder
(many
felt
wrongly
convicted).
Palmer
Raids
&
The
Red
Scare
Isolationism
  The
Red
Scare
was
fueled
by
several
labor
strikes
and
an
anti‐immigrant
movement.
This
caused
the
government
to
prevent
or
end
strikes
and
place
limits
on
immigration.
Congress
set
up
a
quota
system
to
limit
immigrants
to
350,000
annually.
  Congress
rejected
the
League
of
Nations
feeling
we
were
pulled
into
Europe’s
war.
To
avoid
another
such
con=lict
Congress
began
a
foreign
policy
called
isolationism.
The
U.S.
avoided
economic
or
political
alliances
with
foreign
nations,
especially
Europe.
  Isolationism
led
60
nations
to
sign
the
Kellogg‐Briand
Pact
promising
not
to
use
the
threat
of
war
when
dealing
with
each
other
(unrealistic).
U.S.
Foreign
Policy
‐
Isolationism
Republican
Presidents
  Republican
Presidents dominated the 1920s
(Harding, Coolidge, and Hoover from 1921 –
1933).
  All three used isolationism and laissez-faire
economics.
  Laissez-faire will lead a huge economic boom in the
1920s by making the federal government smaller
and support big business.
  President Coolidge summed up the Republican
economic approach with this quote: “The business of
America is business and the business of government
is to keep out of business.”
Republican
Warren
Harding
60.3%
Popular
Vote,
404
Electoral
Votes
Democrat
James
Cox
34.1%
Popular
Vote,
127
Electoral
Votes
Socialist
Eugene
V.
Debs
5.6%
Popular
Vote,
0
Electoral
Votes
President
Harding
  Harding
picked unqualified friends for some key
government positions.
  One-stole government funds, others took payments
in return for influence, several were accused of
wrongdoing, and two committed suicide.
  The worst scandal however, was called the Teapot
Dome Scandal. Secretary of the Interior Albert Fall
went to prison for accepting loans and illegal
payments totally $300,000 for leasing government
oil reserves in California and Wyoming to private oil
companies (One of the reserves was near Teapot
Dome, Wyoming).
Republican
Calvin
Coolidge
54%
Popular
Vote,
382
Electoral
Votes
Democrat
John
Davis
28.8%
Popular
Vote,
136
Electoral
Votes
Progressive
Robert
La
Follette
16.6%
Popular
Vote,
13
Electoral
Votes
Republican
Herbert
Hoover
58.2%
Popular
Vote,
444
Electoral
Votes
Democrat
Al
Smith
40.8%
Popular
Vote,
87
Electoral
Votes