-
Rise of Nazi Party
The Nazi party was created in 1919 and promoted German pride and Antisemitism. Hitler joined the party the year it was founded and became the leader by 1921. He became chancellor of Germany in 1933, his Nazi government soon assumed dictatorial powers. The first time the Americans heard and saw Hitler, the Americans burst out laughing and refused to take him seriously. -
League of Nations
The League of Nations was a diplomatic group made after World War I as a way to solve disputes between countries before they went into open warfare. The League of Nations achieved some victories, but had a mixed record of success, sometimes putting self-interest before becoming involved with conflict resolution. The League of Nations ended during WWII. -
18th Amendment
In the early 1920's prohibition movements had sprung up across the U.S. by people and religious groups who thought that drunkenness was a great threat to the nation. In 1920, Congress ratified the 18th Amendment, prohibiting the manufacture, transportation and sale of intoxicating liquors. Prohibition caused the rise of crime as people smuggled liquor and alcohol for sale in underground clubs. -
Teapot Dome Scandal
The Teapot Dome Scandal shocked Americans by revealing an level of greed and corruption within the federal government. The scandal involved oil tycoons, poker-playing politicians, illegal liquor sales, etc. By the end, the scandal would empower the Senate to conduct investigations into government corruption. It was also the first time a U.S. cabinet official served jail time for a felony committed while in office. -
19th Amendment
The 19th Amendment granted women the right to vote, prohibiting any U.S. citizen to be denied the right to vote based on sex. It was ratified on August 18, 1920. -
American Professional Football
On August 20, 1920 seven men, including Jim Thorpe, meet to organize a professional football league. This meeting led to create the American Professional Football Conference. There were four Ohio teams; the Akron Pros, Canton Bulldogs, Cleveland Indians and the Dayton Triangles. This league became the forerunner of the modern day NFL. -
Emergency Quota Act
The Emergency Quota Act, also known as the Emergency Immigration Act was sponsored by Albert Johnson, the Republican Rep. from Washington. The Emergency Quota Act restricted the number of immigrants to 357,000 per year. It also set down an immigration quota which only 3 percent of the total population could be admitted to America after 1921. -
The Jazz Singer
The Jazz Singer aka Al Jolson was a big part of the 1920's and the Jazz age. He did many shows and he disguised himself as "Blackface" He was one of the most famous jazz singers in the 1920s. He had many followers that came to his shows. -
Election of Harding(Ohio Gang)
Warren Harding was elected president on March 4, 1921. He surrounded himself with political allies from Ohio, which was given the nickname Ohio Gang. The "Teapot Dome Scandal" shocked the nation and severely harmed the reputation of President Warren. Investigations happened after the death of Harding in 1923 and led to convictions for fraud, conspiracy, and bribery. -
Limitation of Arm. Congress
Between 1921 and 1922, the largest naval powers met in Washington D.C. for a conference to talk about naval disarmament and ways to relieve growing tensions in East Asia. A treaty called the Four-Power Treaty arose from the conversations. This was a treaty signed by the U.S., Great Britain, France, and Japan. By signing the treaty, all parties agreed to maintain the status quo in the Pacific. They agreed to respect the Pacific territories of the other countries, not seeking further expansion. -
Mussolini
Mussolini was the founder of Fascism and leader of Italy from 1922 to 1943. In March 1919, Mussolini founded the Fascist Party, gaining the support of many unemployed war veterans. He put them into groups called the Black Shirts. Italy was slipping into Political chaos in 1922. Mussolini looked like he was the only suitable person to help restore order in Italy. -
Death of Harding
When Warren Harding died, the nation continued investigations on the Teapot Dome Scandal. One of his cabinet members was found guilty of accepting a bribe while in office. He was the first U.S. cabinet member to ever be convicted of a crime and sent to jail. -
Mt. Rushmore
Doane Robinson dreamed about creating Mount Rushmore and in 1923, he built it. He wanted to attract tourists to South Dakota. Today, around 3 million people visit Mount Rushmore annually. Robinson initially wanted to sculpt Western heroes like Oglala Lakota leader, Red Cloud, Lewis and Clark, and Buffalo Bill Cody. -
F.B.I
In the early 1920's the FBI were trying to crack down on the gangsters. In Chicago there were around 1,300 gangs. When the Teapot Dome Scandal was going on, some agents were sent undercover to get inside information in the government. The FBI were constantly trying to catch gangsters. Some of the FBI agents were crooked, which means they were paid by the gangsters to keep them out of trouble. This caused many problems between the cops and gangs because they couldn't collapse the gangs. -
Scopes Monkey Trial
The Scopes Monkey Trial began with John Thomas Scopes in Dayton, Tennessee. John Scopes was a high school teacher accused of teaching evolution in violation of Tennessee state law. Tennessee passed a law in March that is punishable by fine to "teach any theory that denies the story of Divine Creation of man as taught in the Bible, and to teach instead that man has descended from a lower order of animals." John Scopes was found guilty and was fined $100. Five days later, he laid died. -
Admiral Byrd's Flight
On May 1926, Admiral Byrd attempted a flight over the North Pole. He claimed that he reached the pole, a total distance of 1,535 miles. Byrd became a national hero when he returned to the U.S. The congress promoted him to the rank of commander and awarded him the Medal of Honor. -
Chinese Civil War
In 1927 the Chinese Civil War began. The Kuomintang killed and arrested many of the CPC leaders. From 1927 to 1936, the two sides fought; Mao Zedong led people and peasants in uprisings against the Kuomintang. In October of 1949, the CPC captured Beijing. They declared victory and said that China was now under the rule of the People's Republic of China. -
Charles Lindberg's Flight
On May 20, 1927 Charles Lindberg completed the first solo airplane flight across the Atlantic Ocean. He was only 25 years old when he completed the trip. He learned how to fly while in the Army. When the United States mail announced a $25,000 prize for the the first pilot to fly from New York to Paris, Lindberg found financial support and built a plane, tested it, and flew it from New York to Paris, winning the prize and lots of fame. -
Earhart's Solo Flight
In 1928, Amelia Earhart became the first women to cross the Atlantic in an aircraft. The flight won her national fame. The flight was over 2,000 miles from Newfoundland in just under 15 hours. Also, in 1935 she flew from Hawaii to California, winning a $10,000 award. -
Steamboat Willie
Walt Disney's Steamboat Willie is a landmark in animation. It was the very first Mickey Mouse film released and the first cartoon with synchronized sound. Steamboat Willie amazed viewers in 1928. Nobody had ever seen something like this, and this animation created an empire for Disney. -
St. Valentines Day Massacre
On Valentines Day in 1929, four men dressed as police officers entered Bugs Moran's headquarters on North Clark Street in Chicago. The "policemen" lined all seven of Moran's men against a wall and shot them to death. The government thought it was in association with Al Capone because of the rivalry between Capone and Bugs Moran -
Stock Market Crash
On October 29, 1929, Black Tuesday hit Wall Street while investors traded 16 million shares in a single day. Billions of dollars were lost. After the crash, the nation went into the Great Depression. The Great Depression lasted from 1929-1939.
