1920s USA Flashcards
When was prohibition
1920-33
What was prohibition
Manufacturing and consumption of alcohol was banned across America by the federal government
Why was prohibition created
-Social campaigners worried about social impact of drunkenness: crime, DV, violence.
-Temperance societies like the Women’s Christian Temperance Union who believed in the banning of alcohol for moral and religious reasons
-Business leaders who believed alcohol made workers less efficient
-Anti saloon league were the most successful at conducting political attacks on the government.
Failure of prohibition
-People believed it went against the principle of personal liberty, therefore people ignored and disobeyed the law.
-Could not enforce it (only 1,500 enforcement agents in 1920)
-Long borders meant lots of smuggling occurred
In New York, there were __ as many bars than in 19__ when prohibition began.
2x
1929
Organised Crime as a result of prohibition
-When the sale if alcohol became illegal, gangs saw they could make huge profits.
-Al Capone had earned $60 million by mid 1920s
-Gangs used violence to protect profits, leading to gang related murders
What was Harlem
-A Black district in NY
-Became the centre of cultural revival known as the Harlem renaissance
Jazz Clubs
Cotton Club in Harlem
Only white audiences were allowed
Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong
When were African Americans given right to citizenship
1868
When were African American men given the right to vote
1870
When was slavery abolished
1865
Ways that African American political representation was suppressed
-To vote a person has to pay a poll tax
-But many African Americans were too poor to pay the tax and therefore they could not vote
-Proof of the ability to read was necessary, and there was low literacy rates within the African American community.
Did African Americans have more freedom in the North?
-There were no Jim Crow Laws enforced in the North
-There was still discrimination and exploitation
-Racism combined with poor education of African Americans meant that they were often worked very hard for small wages. (Wages of AA did not match those of white background)
What film portrayed the KKK in a sympathetic light?
Birth of a Nation
Part of the reason for a uprise in members in 1915
_ million members of the ____ in 1925
5 million members of the KKK in 1925
Activist and Journalist who campaigned against lynching
Ida B Wells
Campaigned for a federal, anti-lynching bill
1909 she became a co-founder of the civil rights organisation of the NAACP, which campaigned for AA equality
Jamaican man living in. the USA who used his platform to affirm black pride
Marcus Gavey
1920s- / of all income was earned by just _% of people
1/3 of all income was earned by just 5% of all people
__% of population living below poverty line
60%
