The 1920s was a boom time for the American people. This is a well known fact, but behind this time is the politics that made it all possible. Politics is an important staple of the American lifestyle usually boiling down to either loving or hating it. The 1920s, while not only an extremely socially active period, was also a period of political change and Importance. The 1920s was one of the most politically diverse eras in U.S. history, from Prohibition to the prosperity of the Coolidge era. From the slow beginnings to the booming end, the full political diversity of the roaring 20s will be observed. The 1920s would begin with an extremely storied man known as Woodrow Wilson. Woodrow Wilson was the first President going into the 1920s. In …show more content…
This event would be known as the Scopes Trial, after the last name of the defendant John Thomas Scopes. It began when John Scopes was accused of violating the Tennessee Butler Act which outlawed the teachings of evolution to school children. The trial was mainly seen as a publicity stunt for the town of Dayton and the surrounding county. Things really heated up when William Jennings Bryan, an important democratic figure, offered to head the prosecution. Clarence Darrow, one of the most famous defense attorneys of his time, would soon follow after seeing his long time rival Bryan join. This really brought the trial to mainstream attention.”A carnival atmosphere was about Dayton at the time of the trial” (Best of History Sites: Scopes Trial). Dayton saw the trial as a way to attract tourism and it worked outstandingly well for them. Eventually Scopes would lose the trial and be fined about 100 dollars, equivalent to about 1500 dollars in 2015, for teaching evolution. Scopes would later admit to not fully remembering if he even taught evolution, he just wanted to contribute to the attention. At the same time Tennessee senator John Washington Butler, for which the act outlawing evolution was named after, publicly admitted to not even knowing anything about evolution. He just heard that it went against the teachings of the …show more content…
With the standard of living pretty low before 1920, many decided it time for some reforms. Seeing that politicians only cared about being re-elected or making money, committees were formed to root out dirty politicians. Another huge reform would be the changes to the food industry. After the horrid conditions in meat processing industries was brought forward, new bills were passed to confirm a higher standard in food prepping. Segregation was also seen as a priority. Even after the laws giving all men the right to vote following the civil war, Southern prejudice still found a way to prevail with many clever laws designed to keep African Americans from using their new found rights. New laws were put in place to make grandfather clauses illegal and outlaw poll taxes, giving more African Americans the right to vote. Even after all of these laws were passed, the underlying values of the deep south would still not end. “In the 20’s most African Americans lived in poverty” (Best of History 1). Last but not least, Immigration laws were passed limiting the number of immigrants allowed to come in. The immigration act of 1924 “set the quota of foreign born persons to 2% of those residing in the U.S” ( Digital History- Immigration Act 1924). This act would be the first time that the U.S. ever put a law regulating the amount of
New technologies transformed daily life as the 1920s blazoned limitless horizons. Americans took inordinate risks and disburdened themselves from old traditions as the prosperity of the modern age displayed extravagance, but progress surely had its price. While the period showed an unsettling rate of change, political corruption arose in Congress and the government often failed to live up to the ideals that Constitution set forward, starting with the nation’s most powerful leader. Early on, President Wilson proved to be incapable of holding his position after suffering a stroke, which led the government’s incompetence to allow an extraneous woman to take charge of the country. Edith Wilson’s de facto assumption of power during the early 1920s
This is an essay about an unforgettable time in history, which was known as the Scopes Monkey Trial. The Scopes Monkey Trial occurred in the 1920’s. During this time period most people believed in fundamentalism. Their belief was so strong that they created a law prohibiting the teaching of it in public schools, the law was known as the Butler Act . There was a guy named John Scopes who was a school teacher who willingly broke the Butler Act and decided to teach evolution one day.
Soon there would be clamor in the streets, mockery of our courts and an arrest of a school teacher! http://siarchives.si.edu/images/research/7091Davis14.jpg The place was Dayton Tennessee. At the center of the controversy was a Biology Teacher named John Thomas Scopes.. The 24-year-old Scopes was in his first job
Ultimately, Scopes was found guilty and was fined $100, although it was later overturned. Despite the outcome of the trial, the Scopes Trial had a large and lasting impact on the teaching of evolution in American schools and the public's understanding of the issue. Although the Scopes Trial marked a significant turning point in the history of science education in the United States, the impact of this event on high school biology textbooks has been impactful, with some textbooks deciding to offer a more balanced view of different viewpoints on evolution while others continued to present a biased and even religious view of the
The Scopes Trial, more formally known as The State of Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes, was a criminal case against John Scopes in 1925 for violating the Butler Act of Tennessee, which made it illegal for teachers to teach evolution in their schools. In the end, Scopes was convicted and required to pay a fine of $100 ($1,395.56 in 2017). The Scopes trial set the tone of the US on evolution and science in general for years to come; the trial and evolution as a whole caused a significant negative change in public opinion of science, a change that is still somewhat in place today, holding back global progress and development. In March 1925, Tennessee governor Austin Peay signed the Butler Act into law, which called for a ban on schools “to teach
More than two hundred newspaper reporters from all over the world had come to the small town of Dayton to witness the historical event take place; for the first time in history, a trial would be broadcast over the radio. (Johnson) The judge of the trial was John T. Raulston, a conservative Christian who craved publicity. The jury consisted of twelve men, the majority of them being farmers and church-goers. Superintendent White led off the prosecution’s list of witnesses with his testimony that John Scopes had admitted to teaching about evolution from Hunter’s Civic Biology textbook.
The 1920s were a time of complete change in the United States. Just coming out of World War I the people wanted change. Warren G. Harding saw that the people wanted change so that is what he talked about in his “Return to Normalcy” speech in 1920. Many people were very pleased with what Harding had to say in this speech. Calvin Coolidge who was Vice President under Harding also gave a speech in 1925 that had similar ideas as Harding’s speech.
The 1920’s was an interesting time in American history. This era was also known as the roaring twenties. Although it is remembered as a fond time before the Great Depression there was also a lot of conflicts arising, Cultural conflicts in particular were at the center. Prohibition and Immigration were two of the main cultural conflicts during this time period.
“The world must be made safe for democracy. Its peace must be planted upon the tested foundations of political liberty. ”- Woodrow Wilson. Thomas Woodrow Wilson was an American statesman and academic who served as the 28th President of the United States from 1913 to 1921.
178). Some months after the passing of the Butler Act, the American Civil Liberties Union took up the cause of academic freedom against this new, fairly popular law. The Butler Act illegalized the teaching of any scientific theory contradictory to the teachings of the Bible in any public school in the state of Tennessee (Handout, “The Scopes Trial”, Barnes, The Butler Act, p. 1). The goal was quite simply to get the law into the Supreme Courts so that it might be judged unconstitutional. Consequentially, the plan was to set up an adequate trial.
The 1920s carried much change in society. Some of these changes were more rights for women, jazz music, and prohibition. The people of the 1920s were disillusioned by society lacking in idealism and vision, sense of personal alienation, and Americans were obsessed with materialism and outmoded moral values (The Roaring Twenties).Cultural changes were strongly influenced by the destruction of World War I ending 1918. America needed to recover and with it youth rebelled against the norms of the older generations.
The 1920s was time packed leisure and minimal worries. Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge had different styles in the way they controlled the government. Warren Harding, republican president from 1921 to 1923, campaigned with the slogan “ Return to Normalcy”. 1921 was the first year that women were able to vote and many voted in favor of Harding because of his good looks (Schmarge). Others voted for him because they wanted a republican in charge for a change.
The 1920s in America, also known as the Roaring Twenties, was a time of political, social, economic, technological, and cultural developments. These developments created new changes and helped shape the ways of life of the American people. Women played a significant example in social changes. From improvements in the education system, to minor developments such as the changes in attire. Another major development was economic production.
President Woodrow Wilson was the last of the Progressive Presidents and as such caused great economic, political and social change. He served between 1913 and 1921 during which he imposed economic change through reforms, both national and international political change and a change in the role of women, giving them the right to vote. The effects of Wilsons presidency created abundant change within American society that had long lasting impacts. Political change was imminent in Wilsons second term as he was given emergency presidential power to, in some cases, bypass Congress, to speed up the law-making process. For example, he imposed the Selective Services Act in 1917 which authorised conscription in the US so that the military could be built up quickly and would not have to rely wholly on volunteers; according to Khan Academy this was well received by the American public as they were incredibly patriotic and believed it was their responsibility to support their nation, as such few men dodged.
Majority of supporters for this case were Christians who viewed evolution as not the right concept and how the idea goes against the hundred years of teachings from the Bible. People believed evolution was a crime and natural selection was misused to demonstrate domination. On the other hand, since the trial did take place during the Roaring Twenties people were embracing aspects of science giving support to Scopes. John Thomas Scopes went against William Jennings Bryant, Bryant wanted to make evolution illegal through his use of national campaign. To go back, the urban society were excited over education involving science and math, overall increasing the education rate from the previous 200,000 students attending to approximately 2 million students, making secondary education become crucial rather than the previous learning