The Aftermath of War

17. What was the Esch-Cummins transportation Act of 1928?

This act encouraged private consolidation of the railroads and pledged the Interstate Commerce Commission to guarantee their profitability. Congress wanted to save the railroads for people's use.

18. What was the Merchant Act of 1920?

Authorized the Shipping Board, which controlled about fifteen hundred vessels, to dispose of much of the hastily built was-time fleet at "bargain-basement prices".

19. What strategies were used to break strikes in 1919 and 1922? What happened to union membership in this era?

Strategies to break strikes included exploiting ethnic and racial divisions among the steelworkers and partly by branding strikers as dangerous "reds". Other strategies included the Attorney General Daugherty clamping on the strikers one of the most sweeping injunctions in American history. Unions were hurt in this political environment and membership shriveled by nearly 30 percent between 1920 and 1930.

Attorney General Daugherty

20. What new bureau was created in 1921 and represents one of the few benefits enjoyed by a non-business group in this era?

Congress created the Veterans Bureau which was authorized to operate hospitals and provide vocational rehabilitation for the disabled.

21. What organization was founded in Paris in 1919 by Theodore Roosevelt, Jr.? Why did it meet, and with what positions did it become associated?

The American Legion was founded in Paris in 1919 and it met to renew old hardships and let off steam in good-natured horseplay. The legion became a popular lobbyist for veteran's benefits.

22. What was the adjusted compensation that the legion lobbied for on behalf of vets? What did they eventually get in 1924? How much did it cost?

The adjusted compensation was to make up for the wages the servicemen had lost when they turned in their factory overalls for military uniforms during the Great War. In 1924 they got the Adjusted Compensation Act that gave every former soldier a paid up insurance policy due in 20 years that added about $3.5 billion to the total cost of the war.

Now....for the bonus round.....Jacquline Pedroso.