After World War I the Roaring Twenties began, America began rebuilding, repopulating, mass producing consumer goods and essentially spending its income just as quickly with whom they did it. In this time of culture change and shift, resistance was prominent. Fundamentalists, also known as traditionalists, believed they were the natives of America and strived to keep their country pure and clean from too many immigrants. They embodied nativism, supported religion over science, and opposed modernization. As nativists they focused on the well-being and advancement of primarily English-speaking Americans and strongly discriminated against the influx of immigrants. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Word had spread that America was an open door, full of jobs, opportunity, freedom, and Hollywood fame. Conflicts began between the newly arrived immigrants and the Native Americans. This eventually led to the public and well-known Sacco-Vanzetti case which led to the execution of Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti. The two men were Italians involved in immigration discrimination. A security guard at a local American factory was killed, and Sacco and Vanzetti were immediately blamed, tried, and killed in the electric chair even though there was little to no evidence that they had committed the crime. This was just one example of how the Fundamentalists sought to regulate and control their “ideal population.” The Scope trial was another highly publicized case due to Fundamentalist outrage at evolutionary education in schools, particularly the theories of Charles Darwin. Traditionalists believed in religion rather than evolution and wanted schools to teach accordingly. John Scope was a teacher who taught the theories of Charles Darwin and modern science. The Fundamentalists' solution to this problem was to "build their own schools and universities where teaching could be done as they saw fit." (Foner, p. 627-628) Meanwhile, the great depression was approaching. Work was not being distributed properly, wages were falling while owners' profits were rising, and family savings accounts were being depleted. Many farm owners began defaulting on their loans and banks were forced to close them. This pushed many families and workers out of rural agricultural industries and into large cities in search of work or better employment. A new era of women, known as the flapper girl, was growing in the bustling cities. Women had taken on a new role; they were more independent, contributed to the family income, showed more skin, smoked cigarettes, expressed their sexuality and gained the right to vote. For traditionalists, this was a shocking time. Hollywood films had given a vision of a more defiant and independent woman who left a lasting impression on American culture. Cities also went wild with Prohibition. Alcohol was illegal but was still consumed secretly behind closed doors. America was changing, growing, and learning from the new cultures and religions that were migrating to the United States. However, a major restriction was introduced in 1924 that limited the number of immigrants allowed into the United States each year. European immigrants were mostly affected by this new regulation. However, Mexico was still an open door as we needed cheap farm labor as the majority of American farmers had fledin cities looking for better jobs. Within the suburbs, employment was now limited and consumer goods were not in as much demand. Shortly after immigration was restricted in 1926, sales were becoming stagnant, homes were being foreclosed on, businesses were going bankrupt, and banks were failing. Finally, in 1929, the stock market crashed and ultimately led the country into the Great Depression. Companies could not afford to pay their employees and many people were left unemployed. The people of the city were forced to retreat from the urban areas as their only hope of surviving for the next two years was to start farming again. The country needed repairs and a plan. Franklin Delano Roosevelt focused on economic recovery and protection from poverty. He and his advisors sold a presidential campaign based on the New Deal that was a “big government solution.” (Video lecture: Hard Times and the New Deal, Part 2) Hope for leadership and a vision ultimately won him the presidential election in 1933. The first hundred days of FDR's presidency were action-packed. He passed fifteen bills imbued with patriotism and promising a stronger future such as the Emergency Banking Act, the National Industrial Recovery Act, the Public Works Administration, the Agricultural Adjustment Act, and also the Federal Administration of accommodations, just to name a few. Around 1935, Roosevelt revealed that there would be a second New Deal that would include the Social Security Act, the Works Progress Administration, and Welfare. This earned him a second term and created a welcome distraction from the international relations that were beginning to simmer in Germany and Japan. America didn't know it, but it was about to be forced into World War II without warning. On December 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor was bombed by Japanese planes, killing 2,000 Americans and decimating the Western military base in Hawaii. This sneak attack would leave Americans with a hatred of Japanese people, culture, and ideas in general. Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war on Japan; meanwhile Germany declared war on the United States, forcing America into the largest war in history. The American government shifted its attention to the war, protecting civilians from future bombing and creating a strong alliance with Great Britain and the Soviet Union. In 1944, the Allies joined forces and managed to defeat Germany in the infamous D-Day battle that finally liberated Paris and moved the German army eastward. America was in full swing; finance, produce and invent devices for wartime needs. The West Coast of the United States had been flooded with workers, federal spending, and military training. In 1945, during his fourth term as president, Franklin D. Roosevelt continued to press on through the war until he suffered a stroke and left the nation in shock. A deadly new age was approaching. Harry S. Truman accepted the role of president after Roosevelt's death and was immediately introduced to the atomic bomb. America ultimately used the atomic bomb on Japan twice in three days, horribly killing over 200,000 people (including some Americans). With the Soviet Union's flanking attack, Japan was forced to surrender. About 50 million people were killed during World War II, and another war was already underway. This would be the only time an atomic bomb was used on an enemy. Truman went on to serve another term as president, but was beginning to distance himself from the communists of the Soviet Union. Unbeknownst to the United States, the Soviet Union had built in.