1920s Culture (1920-32) Flashcards
1
Q
2
Describe the Emergency Quota Act 1921
A
- limited numbers of imms to 357k per year
- permitted only 3% of population of overseas group to immigrate annually (based on 1910 pop sizes)
2
Q
6
Describe the Immigration Act (Johnson-Reed Act) 1924
A
- Extension of 1921 Emergency Quota Act
- Authorised creation of first formal border patrol service (US Border Force)
- Prevented immigration from Asia entirely
- infuriated Japanese by volating ‘Gentlemen’s Agreement’ 1907
- Set quotas on imm from Southern/Eastern Europe
- 2% per group on 1890 census levels
3
Q
4
List the factors that explain the change for women in the 1920s
A
- War
- Progressive movement
- Prohibition
- Economic needs/new tech
overall little change
4
Q
3
Describe progress for the employment of women
A
- 1930, 2m more women were employed than there had been 10 years earlier
- ⅓ of university degrees awarded to women in 1930
- Wider career opportunities
5
Q
6
Describe limitations in women’s employment
A
- These tended to be unskilled low-paid jobs
- Medical schools only allocated 5% of places to women
- The number of female doctors in the 1920’s actually decreased
- Still massive pay inequality
- Supreme court banned all attempts to set minimum wage for women
- 1927, women’s textile workers in Tennessee went on strike for better wages but were arrested by the local police
6
Q
3
Describe progress for women in politics
A
- Women were given the vote in 1920
- Nellie Tayloe Ross of Wyoming became the first woman to be elected governor of a state in 1924
- Bertha Knight Landes became the first female mayor of a city, Seattle in 1926
7
Q
3
Describe limitations in women in politics
A
- Only a handful of female politicians
- The women’s movement failed to get the Equal Rights Amendment Act passed
- Disenfranchisement of Native American and African American women
8
Q
3
Describe women’s birth control
A
- Back street abortions killed up to 50k women per year
- Margaret Sanger
- Supporters of eugenics often also supported birth control as a method of maintaining racial purity
9
Q
5
Describe Margaret Sanger
A
- Wrote articles on contraception
- The Comstock Act of 1873 - banned the distribution of articles on contraception and items through the US mail
- She was arrested in 1916 for opening the first contraception clinic in the US
- 1921, she founded the American Birth Control League
- She began to promote sterilisation for mentally handicapped people
10
Q
4
Describe ‘flappers’
A
- Women who challenged traditional attitudes to appearance
- Characterised by short hair, short skirt
- Went to speakeasies and cinema unchaperoned
- Generally from mc and uc in Northern states
11
Q
2
Describe criticisms of flappers
A
- They were often seen as too extreme and disapproved of by religious groups
- In reality, there was little change for women during this period
12
Q
2
Describe the anti-flirt club
A
- Formed 1923 in NY
- protected women/girls from intrusive male behaviour
13
Q
7
List the causes of prohibition
A
- Progressive politics (anti-Saloon league)
- Women’s movements
- Big business
- Patriotism
- Tensions between brewers and distillers
- Religion
- Financial reasons
14
Q
4
Describe how progressive politics was a cause of prohibition
A
- The Anti-Saloon League campaigned against the devastating effects of excessive drinking.
- led by Wayne Wheeler
- ‘Wheelerism’ became important political lobby and endorsement
- Introduction of Income tax made up for the lost revenue from alcohol →alcohol had accounted for 30-40% of government revenue from alcohol tax
15
Q
2
Give examples of wheelerism
A
- Pressure from Anti-Saloon League helped defeat Myron Herrick in 1906, the incumbent ‘wet’ Governor of Ohio
- by 1917, ⅔ ‘dry’ majority in House and Senate
16
Q
3
Describe how women’s movement were a cause of prohibition
A
- Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) campaigned hard for prohibition
- Female reformers argued → clear links between the consumption of alcohol and wife beating and child abuse
- Carrie Nation would become national figure by smashing up saloons
17
Q
2
Describe how big business was a cause of prohibition
A
- Big business such as Henry Ford told that alcohol was causing their workers to massively decrease in productivity
- Workers were told that alcohol was being used to suppress them
18
Q
3
Describe how patriotism was a cause of prohibition
A
- American entry into WW1 - anti-German feeling
- many brewers were of German origin - prohibition seen as patriotic
- beer given nickname ‘Kaiser’s brew’
19
Q
2
Describe how tensions between brewers and distillers was a cause of prohibition
A
- German brewers’ attempts to paint beer as healthy and spirits as harmful backfired
- therefore lack of united opposition to prohibition
20
Q
5
Describe how religion was a cause of prohibition
A
- Many religious groups saw alcohol as the root of the sin and evil values of American people
- Some religious groups, such as the Methodists and Baptists, joined the crusade
- Fundamentalist preachers, such as Billy Sunday, persuaded many conservatives that alcohol was evil
- Sectarian divides between ‘dry’ rural areas and ‘wet’ cities
- Assimilate Catholic Southern/Central Europeans - alcohol consumption central to culture
21
Q
3
Describe how financial reasons were a cause of prohibition
A
- felt prohibition would enhance common people to be hard-working
- taxation on alcohol (alcohol duties) amounted to 40% of revenue
- permitted tariff (Wilson) income tax (Republican) reductions
22
Q
4
Describe the rise of speakeasies
A
- Illegal bars
- In 1929, NYC had 32k - more than there had ever been bars
- rise of Jazz and subsequent impact on civil rights
- social mixing e.g. men and women
23
Q
2
Describe ‘moonshine’
A
- Home-made liquor
- It was easier to produce illegal spirits than beer so people were drinking stronger alcohol
24
Q
5
Describe the rise in organised crime
A
- Linked to prohibition
- Sought to create monopolies over industry via violence
- involved in rackets such as prostitution, protection and ‘numbers’ (illegal lottery)
- 1926-27, 227 gangland murders in Chicago - many of which linked to Al Capone - only 2 killers ever convicted
- St Valentine’s day massacre 1929
25
Q
5
Describe Al ‘Scarface’ Capone
A
- nationwide popularity - juries would determine not guilty in courts
- became face of enforcement opposition
- set up soup kitchens after 1929 Wall St Crash
- ‘Big Bill’ Thompson formed open alliance with Al Capone in Chicago
- by time he was sentenced in 1931, his gang had made an estimated $70m in illegal business
26
Q
1
Describe the Saint Valentine’s Day massacre
A
- 7 members of Chicago’s North Side Gang shot dead in what was meant to be friendly meeting
