Key US Events and Figures: 1920s – 1940s
Scopes Monkey Trial
Who: William Jennings Bryan vs. Clarence Darrow and John Scopes.
What: An American legal case in which John Scopes was charged with violating Tennessee’s law against teaching evolution instead of the divine creation of man.
When: 1925.
Where: Tennessee.
Why: It was the first major debate about creationism versus evolution.
Return to Normalcy
Who: Warren G. Harding.
What: “Roaring 20s,” a decade of consumerism and prosperity. A campaign promise to return to the way of life before WWI.
When: 1920s.
Where: Washington D.C.
Why: It helped Harding become president.
Teapot Dome Scandal
Who: Warren G. Harding and Albert Fall.
What: A Wyoming federal oil reserve; Interior Secretary Albert Fall sold drilling rights.
When: 1921-1922.
Where: U.S.
Why: The greatest political scandal at the time; it became synonymous with government corruption.
Nine-Power Treaty
Who: Warren G. Harding.
What: The U.S. helped China to get the Europeans out of China. A treaty that confirmed the Open Door Policy.
When: 1922.
Where: Washington D.C. and China.
Why: China is still in the Open Door Policy, which means that nations would get more resources and trade with China.
Kellogg-Briand Pact
Who: Calvin Coolidge (“Silent Cal”).
What: Renounced war as a means of settling disputes; signed by the US, UK, France, Germany, and Japan.
When: 1928.
Where: France.
Why: A pact not to declare more wars to resolve “disputes or conflicts when they arise.” Very ineffective.
Dawes Plan
Who: Charles Dawes.
What: A plan to revive the German economy; the US loans Germany money, which they can use to pay reparations to England and France, who can then pay back their loans to the U.S.
When: 1924.
Where: US, Germany.
Why: It broke isolationism. The US tried to help Germany. It hurt the US economy.
Black Tuesday
Who: Herbert Hoover; investors.
What: When the price of stocks completely collapsed, which caused a “wave of fear”; creditors called on sellers who borrowed money to repay them, forcing them to sell stocks quickly and at a low price.
When: October 29, 1929.
Where: New York.
Why: Black Tuesday was one of the many causes of the Great Depression.
Herbert Hoover
Who: President of the US; Republican.
What: He initiated a 50% reduction of tariffs to stimulate the economy.
When: 1929-1933.
Where: Washington D.C.
Why: Americans blamed him for the Great Depression, leading to the creation of “Hoovervilles,” “Hoover blankets,” etc.
Trickle-Down Economics
Who: Herbert Hoover.
What: Conservative economic policy; it favored the rich. A belief that if we give the rich money, it would increase business in the middle class.
When: 1929-1933.
Where: US.
Why: Not only did it not work, it never works.
Hawley-Smoot Tariff
Who: President Hoover; American worker congress.
What: A very heavy US tax on imported goods meant to help American workers.
When: 1930.
Where: US and France, England, etc.
Why: The US was having a problem selling US products abroad and unemployment.
Bonus Army
Who: WWI veterans.
What: They wanted early payments of promised retirement bonuses.
When: 1932.
Where: Washington D.C.
Why: Congress proposed a bill to help the veterans. It led to the election of Roosevelt.
Douglas MacArthur
Who: Army General of WWI.
What: Fought Japanese in the Pacific; “I shall return”; commanded the Southwest Pacific.
When: 1942.
Why: He defeated the Japanese.
Where: Philippines.
Executive Order 9066
Who: Roosevelt.
What: He sent 110,000 Japanese people to internment camps and divided them into two groups: Nisei and Issei.
When: 1942.
Where: US.
Why: It shows the importance of suppressing the Japanese in times of “war”.
Doolittle Raid
Who: James Doolittle.
What: American surprise attack on Japan to drop bombs from their airplanes.
When: April 18, 1942.
Where: Tokyo.
Why: It demonstrated that Japan itself was vulnerable to American air attack.
Tuskegee Airmen
Who: African Americans.
What: Black pilot officers; 332nd Fighter Group in WWII. They were exceptionally good aviators.
When: 1942.
Where: Alabama.
Why: First African American military aviators.
Rosie the Riveter
Who: Cultural icon.
What: Campaign to encourage women to take men’s jobs during WWII after 12 million died.
When: 1942.
Where: US.
Why: Second wave of American feminism.
Executive Order 8802
Who: President Roosevelt.
What: An order to prohibit racial discrimination.
When: 1942.
Where: Washington D.C.
Why: The first federal action to promote opportunity and prohibit employment discrimination in the US.