Savage peace: hope and fear in America, 1919

Description

Prologue : Armistice Day 1918 -- pt. I. Winter : jubilation and hope -- Gods of war and peace -- Spies are everywhere -- Christmas at Villa Lewaro -- Women and molasses -- The list -- A mere slip of a girl -- Polar bears in peril -- Sergeant Henry Johnson -- Trotter and the passports -- The magisterial wand -- Blinders -- Shuffleboard -- In like a lion -- Out like a lion -- pt. 2. Spring : fear -- Inner light -- Make-believe riots and real bombs -- It's in the mail -- Monsieur Trotter -- 302 seconds in May -- What happened on R Street -- War of a different sort -- Thrilling feats -- pt. 3. Summer : passion -- Missichusetts -- Paris -- Independence Day 1919 -- The narrow path -- Miss Puffer insane? -- That certain point -- Weapons in their hats -- King of the index -- "I'll stay with you, Mary" -- pt. 4. Autumn : struggle -- "The right to happiness" -- Tugs-of-war and of the heart -- Autumn leaflets -- Not exactly paradise -- Albert in Wonderland -- Greatness -- Armistice Day 1919 -- Falling ladders -- All aboard -- Boughs of glory -- Epilogue : Endings and beginnings.;The surprising story of America in the year 1919--democracy under stress. In the aftermath of an unprecedented world war and a flu pandemic, Americans were full of hope for the benefits of peace. But instead, the fear of terrorism filled their days. Bolshevism was the new menace, and the federal government, utilizing a vast network of domestic spies, began to watch anyone deemed suspicious. A young lawyer named J. Edgar Hoover headed a brand-new intelligence division (later to become the FBI). Bombs exploded on the doorstep of the attorney general's home in Washington, D.C. Wartime legislation to curb criticism of the government was extended and even strengthened. Labor strife was a daily occurrence. Decorated African-American soldiers, returning home to claim the democracy for which they had risked their lives, were badly disappointed. Weaving together the stories of a panoramic cast of characters, from Albert Einstein to Helen Keller, author Hagedorn illuminates America at a pivotal moment.--From publisher description. Prologue : Armistice Day 1918 -- pt. I. Winter : jubilation and hope -- Gods of war and peace -- Spies are everywhere -- Christmas at Villa Lewaro -- Women and molasses -- The list -- A mere slip of a girl -- Polar bears in peril -- Sergeant Henry Johnson -- Trotter and the passports -- The magisterial wand -- Blinders -- Shuffleboard -- In like a lion -- Out like a lion -- pt. 2. Spring : fear -- Inner light -- Make-believe riots and real bombs -- It's in the mail -- Monsieur Trotter -- 302 seconds in May -- What happened on R Street -- War of a different sort -- Thrilling feats -- pt. 3. Summer : passion -- Missichusetts -- Paris -- Independence Day 1919 -- The narrow path -- Miss Puffer insane? -- That certain point -- Weapons in their hats -- King of the index -- "I'll stay with you, Mary" -- pt. 4. Autumn : struggle -- "The right to happiness" -- Tugs-of-war and of the heart -- Autumn leaflets -- Not exactly paradise -- Albert in Wonderland -- Greatness -- Armistice Day 1919 -- Falling ladders -- All aboard -- Boughs of glory -- Epilogue : Endings and beginnings.