The Conservative The Conservative BacklashBacklash

EQ: How did social EQ: How did social change and conflict change and conflict mark the 1920’s?mark the 1920’s?

What does this word mean?

The Klu Klux Klan as an The Klu Klux Klan as an Example of the Conservative Example of the Conservative

MovementMovement• Read the KKK’s application and

manual from 1923 and then answer the following:– What were the requirements for

becoming a Klansman?– What were the goals or purposes

of the KKK?

Requirements Goals/Purposes

The Rise of the Klu Klux The Rise of the Klu Klux KlanKlan

• A white-Protestant group

• Vowed to defend the U.S. against all things un-Americans

• Focus changed from AF AM to include Jews, Catholics, immigrants, Communists, etc

The Rise of the Klu Klux The Rise of the Klu Klux KlanKlan

• Klan membership spread throughout the country

• At peak had 2 million members

Other Racial Strife Other Racial Strife

• Summer of 1919 became known as “Red Summer” due to racial violence

• Race riots in 25 cities• Chicago worst example

– Lasted 13 days– 23 AF AM, 15 Whites killed and 537 wounded– Hundreds homeless due to destruction

• In 1922 alone, 55 known cases of lynching

Young versus Old

• The 1920’s was full of disagreements between the young and old…what are some today?

Topic Old Views Young Views

Challenges to ReligionChallenges to Religion

• The many different changes in society began to challenge traditional Christian beliefs as well

Consumerism and Increasing WealthIndustrialization and UrbanizationInfluence of Science and TechnologyChanges in societal roles and culture

Challenges to ReligionChallenges to Religion

• But two new beliefs directly challenged Christianity– The scholarly interpretation of the

Bible– Darwin’s Theory of Evolution

Scholarly Interpretation Scholarly Interpretation of the Bibleof the Bible• Suggests Bible is:

– A document written by man

– Collections of writings over time

– Full of contradictions

Darwin’s Theory Darwin’s Theory of Evolutionof Evolution

• Evolution through ‘natural selection’– Species evolves over period of time– Species has feature that enables it to

survive, passes feature to offspring– Suggests humans evolved from apes

The Split in ChristianityThe Split in Christianity

Liberal Viewpoint

Modernist Religious Leaning

Conservative Viewpoint

FundamentalistReligious Leaning

The Split in ChristianityThe Split in Christianity

Modernism• Non-traditional

values and beliefs

• Attempt to adapt religious beliefs to times

• See change as progress

Fundamentalism• Traditional

values and beliefs

• Did not adapt religious beliefs to times

• See change as negative

The FundamentalistsThe Fundamentalists

• Fundamentalist preachers became cultural icons and gained huge followings– Aimee McPherson– Billy Sunday

The The ScopesScopes Trial Trial• Led by Fundamentalists, Led by Fundamentalists,

Tennessee passed Butler Act Tennessee passed Butler Act (1925) (1925) – Prohibit teaching evolution Prohibit teaching evolution

in schoolin school– Declare unlawful to teach: Declare unlawful to teach:

“… “…any theory that denies any theory that denies the story of the divine the story of the divine creation of man as taught creation of man as taught in the Bible,..”in the Bible,..”

The The ScopesScopes Trial Trial

• John T. Scopes agreed to ‘test’ the new law

• Using a state-approved textbook, Scopes taught lesson on evolutionary theory

The The ScopesScopes Trial Trial

• Was arrested two weeks later

• Scopes was quickly indicted to the grand jury

The Scopes TrialThe Scopes Trial• The Scopes Trial began

with the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) defending Scopes

• Clarence Darrow defended Scopes

• William Jennings Bryan defended the state

• The trial soon became a media circus!

DarrowDarrow BryanBryan