Notes on 1920's America

             b. Even worse, farm incomes declined during the decade.
             II. The Business of Government.
             A. The Harding Administration.
             1. New Police Favor Big Business.
             a. Harding signaled the economic direction of his administration by naming wealthy banker Andrew Mellon secretary of the treasury.
             b. Harding signed a bill raising protective tariff rates by about 25 percent.
             c. Under the progressive leadership of Roosevelt and Wilson, the federal government had passed laws to break monopolies, protect workers, and restrict the absolute freedom of business leaders.
             d. Still Harding administration did not abandon social goals.
             2. The Ohio Gang Cashes In.
             a. Harding was a kind, likable man, but he was not very intelligent.
             b. Rather than the struggle to master the complexities of the job, Harding trusted others to make decisions.
             3. The Teapot Dome Scandal Explodes.
             a. The worst scandal involved secretary of the interior Albert Fall.
             b. Once Fall had control of the oil, he forgot about the needs of the navy.
             c. Harding himself never saw the full extent of the Teapot Dome Scandal.
             B. Coolidge Prosperity.
             1. Silent Cal Supports Big Business.
             a. Coolidge admired productive business leaders.
             b. In his approach to the economy, Coolidge the goals of Mellon.
             2. Troubles Brew Beneath the Surface.
             a. There were grave problems breeding in the nation.
             b. To all these concerns, silent Cal remained silent.
             C. America's Role in the World.
             1. Seeking an End to War.
             a. One solution was to avoid another arms race. .
             b. A later attempt to prevent war was the Kellogg-Briand-Pact of 1928.
             c. Although congress applauded the pact, it refused to join the world court.
             2. Collecting War Debts.
             a. Money issues were another matter.
             b. In 1924, an agreement known as the Dawes plan arranged U.S. loans to Germany.
             c. In the end, the war-debt situation damaged America's reputation in the eyes of people of the world.
             III. Social and Cultural Tensions.
             A. Traditionalism and Modernism Clash.
             1. Education Becomes More Important.