Social Issues of the 1920's
Emma, Des, & Woodie
Social Issues of the Day
- Prohibition of Alcohol
- KKK
- Immigration and the National Origins Act
- 1928 Presidential Election
Prohibition of Alcohol
During the 1920's, crime and political corruption grew as well as the population. To fight off sex, alcohol, drugs, and homosexuality, the government saw it fit to prohibit alcohol as a whole thinking it would stop all of these "issues." The Volstead Act was meant to uphold the Eighteenth Amendment which is the prohibition of alcoholic beverages. This made the people in the 1920's very angry and brought forth speakeasies and riots. The population became very liberal. Due to lack of funding and short staffing, the law was deemed ridiculous. No one took the law seriously and even the government consumed alcohol after passing the amendment.
The Klu Klux Klan
After WWI there was a rise in Nativism and Liberalism. There was a reemergence of the KKK and the modern klan formed active chapters in every region in the country. They committed to reasserting American values by force and intimidation if necessary. The klan's strongest supporters were residents of the rural and isolated areas of the US.
Immigration and The National Origins Act
The support for immigration restrictions became very strong as it led to the congress passing The National Origins Act. It restricted the total number of foreigners who would be allowed to enter the US legally in any given year. Most people in the US by this time felt very threatened by this. The rural residents were the most supportive. Not a single congressmen from the South voted against this.
1928 Presidential Election
Herbert Hoover was a presidential nominee of 1928. His election was inevitable, however, he only won the election because of the economy's strength alone. Once he was in office the economy went down rapidly.