20-23 Review Flashcards
Schenck v. United States.
The Espionage Act was upheld by the Supreme Court. The Court held that right to free speech could be abridged in the event of clear and present danger to public safety.
the Bonus Army
n 1932, thousands of unemployed World War I veterans marched on Washington and demanded immediate payment of bonus certificates that had been awarded to them in acknowledgment of their service, but which weren’t cashable until 1945.
The Bonus Army, as it came to be called, arrived en masse at the U.S. Capitol, demanding that Congress enact the Bonus Bill, providing them with their bonuses.
_____ _____ _____ was an American mechanical engineer who applied science to business practices.
Frederick Winslow Taylor
Henry Ford and others adopted Taylor’s suggestions in order to achieve improved efficiency on the factory floor.
“Dollar Diplomacy”
After he became President in 1909, William Howard Taft adopted what pundits termed “Dollar Diplomacy.” Taft’s initiatives called for a more subdued foreign policy than Theodore Roosevelt, aimed at furthering American interests abroad by encouraging private U.S. investment.
When political instability threatened a nation, the U.S. intervened to uphold economic and political stability.
A German submarine sank the British passenger ship ________ in 1915, killing over 100 Americans, and turning American opinion against Germany.
Lusitania
After President Coolidge declined to run, the Republicans nominated Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover for President in 1928. What did Hoover and the Republicans promise Americans?
The Republican campaign centered upon continued prosperity and economic growth, promising a “chicken in every pot, and an automobile in every garage.”
Many Republicans also took advantage of growing nativist sentiment to castigate Alfred E. Smith, Hoover’s opponent and an Irish Roman Catholic.
As part of his “Square Deal” Roosevelt invoked the Sherman Act for what purpose?
Roosevelt attacked trusts, more specifically “bad trusts,” those corporations he believed were acting contrary to the public interest. Roosevelt attacked and broke up some 40 companies, including the Northern Securities Company (a railroad trust) and Standard Oil.
assembly line production
a method adopted by Henry Ford and other industrialists to streamline production.
Workers stood in a single spot and performed the same task repetitively. Assembly line production greatly increased the speed of production, and consequently lowered the cost of the goods produced.
At the request of Woodrow Wilson, Congress increased federal oversight and regulation of business. What two steps did Congress take?
Congress strengthened the Sherman Antitrust Act by passing the Clayton Act, which increased the number of impermissible business activities.
Congress also created the Federal Trade Commission, which it empowered to investigate all “unfair trade practices.”
Bank run
Banks don’t keep all customer deposits on hand; rather they lend out the funds to individuals or companies. A bank run takes place when many customers withdraw their money simultaneously, out of fear the bank may become insolvent, and was a common feature of the early 1930s.
As money is withdrawn the likelihood of default increases, thus triggering further withdrawals. When the Bank runs out of money it closes down.
Closed shop
In a closed shop system, a factory owner agrees only to employ workers who belong to a union.
During the 1912 campaign, Democrat Woodrow Wilson vowed to reduce the “triple wall of privileges” – tariffs, banks, and trusts. How did Wilson attack the high tariffs established by Republicans?
Wilson supported the Underwood Tariff, which reduced consumer prices. To offset the decrease in federal revenue, Wilson also proposed a graduated income tax, ranging from 1% to 6%. Congress passed both measures.
During the early years of the 20th century, new leaders arose to argue for women’s suffrage, including Alice Paul, who broke with the National American Woman Suffrage Association to form the National Women’s Party. What did Paul advocate?
Paul advocated for more strident suffrage efforts, including parades and hunger strikes.
Although her methods were disapproved of by Carrie Chapman Catt, the new head of the National American Woman Suffrage Association, both women’s efforts were rewarded when the 19th Amendment granted female suffrage in 1920.
During the first few years of World War I, which nations were the primary Allied Powers?
At the War’s outbreak in 1914, the primary Allied Powers were France, Great Britain, and Russia, known as the Triple Entente. Italy joined the alliance in 1915.
During their Presidential convention in 1912, Conservative Republicans refused to admit Progressives, who supported ousting Taft and nominating Roosevelt for a third term. How did the Progressives respond?
They formed a third party, the Progressives, and nominated Theodore Roosevelt. The new party was nicknamed the “Bull Moose Party” after a reporter questioned Roosevelt’s health, and was informed that Roosevelt felt as fit as a Bull Moose.
During the campaign, an assassin attempted to kill Roosevelt, but the bullet’s force was blunted by a copy of Roosevelt’s speech, carried in his front pocket. With a bullet in his chest, Roosevelt gave his speech and only then went to the hospital.
Federal Farm Board
Founded shortly before the 1929 Stock Market Crash, the Farm Board was greatly expanded in response to the drop in crop prices in 1930 and 1931. The Federal Farm Board attempted to drive up prices by holding cotton and grain in storage, reducing the supply.
Unfortunately the Board’s efforts were too modest to have much of an effect on the economy.
Federal Home Loan Bank Act (1932)
Signed into law during the Hoover Administration, the Federal Home Loan Bank Act sought to lower the cost of home ownership by providing funds to federal savings and loans to be used to fund home mortgages.
The Act’s purpose was to reduce home foreclosures during the early years of the Great Depression. While foreclosures were reduced, it had little effect on the economy as a whole.
Flappers
young, mainly urban women who defied social and sexual norms by flaunting short dresses, bobbed hairdos, and makeup. Flappers also smoked and drank openly (despite Prohibition)
Fourteen Points
Woodrow Wilson’s detailed list of war aims, which included such terms as freedom of the seas, self-determination for the various ethnic groups in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, a reduction of armaments, and the establishment of the League of Nations.
Fundamentalism
Beginning in the 1920s, Fundamentalism sought to stop the growing trend towards Modernism by advocating a return to Biblical precepts. Fundamentalists believed that religion should influence every aspect of their lives.
Fundamentalists spoke against evolution and what they viewed as the moral breakdown of society.
How did Calvin Coolidge view the shared roles of government and business?
Coolidge shared Harding’s view that the main role of government was to help business prosper. He kept Harding’s Secretary of the Treasury, Andrew Mellon, who continued to implement fairly conservative economic policies.
Viewing himself as fiscal steward of the nation, Coolidge vetoed any federal spending bill that he felt could not be afforded.
How did mass culture develop during the 1920s?
Fueled by the prevalence of the radio and the popularity of movies, Americans for the first time shared many common cultural experiences. Americans saw the same films and listened to the same radio shows.
How did Modernists differ from Fundamentalists in the 1920s?
Modernists sought to break with traditional forms of art, architecture, literature, religious faith, social organization, and daily life, feeling that these traditions had become outdated in a fully industrialized society.
Unlike Fundamentalists, Modernists sought to minimize the role of religion in everyday life, and emphasized science, including teaching evolution.
How did President Hoover respond to the arrival of the Bonus Army in Washington, D.C. in 1932?
After the Bonus Army attacked police following the failure of Congress to pass the Bonus Bill, Hoover ordered out the U.S. Army. Douglas MacArthur used troops, tanks, and tear gas to drive the veterans from Washington.
How did President Theodore Roosevelt respond to Colombia’s refusal to allow the United States to build a canal across the Panamanian isthmus in 1903?
Ordered the Navy to blockade the Colombian coast, and recognized a band of Columbian rebels as the newly independent nation of Panama. A treaty was then negotiated between the new nation and the United States, which gave America the right to build the Panama Canal.
How did Republicans view the idea of regulation and taxes on American businesses?
In the words of Calvin Coolidge, “the business of America is business.” Republicans adopted pro-business policies and preached limited government intervention in the economy. They wanted to cut taxes, especially for the wealthy, and especially for American businesses. Republicans during the 1920s wanted to remove as much regulation as legally possible.
How did Taft distinguish his administration from Roosevelt’s in the 1908 election ?
One of Taft’s early actions was to attempt to break up U.S. Steel, which Roosevelt had considered a good trust. In addition, Taft fired Roosevelt’s chosen head of the Forest Service, Gifford Pinchot, which angered Roosevelt.
How did the Ku Klux Klan of the 1920s differ from the post-Civil War Klan?
Fueled by nativist and fundamentalist sentiments, the Ku Klux Klan of the 1920s developed a significant following in the Midwest. Rather than being directed solely at blacks, the Klan also espoused nativist ideology against Catholics and Jews.
For the first time, women also played a large role in the Klan, and Women of the Ku Klux Klan (WKKK) auxiliaries existed in every state.
How did the role of women change during 1920s?
Women were still primarily homemakers during the 1920s, though new household goods such as washing machines and vacuum cleaners helped alleviate some household chores.
In urban areas, young, single women, commonly called Flappers, began challenging traditional ideas about marriage, family, work, and sexual mores.
How did the United States government prepare the economy for war?
The United States government established various War Agencies to manage the economy and prepare U.S. industry and agriculture for the increased demands of military production.
How did Wilson envision the post-World War I world?
Wilson advocated his Fourteen Points, which included such principles as self-determination for the various nationalities in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the establishment of the League of Nations, and limits on the size of individual nations’ armies and navies. Wilson justified the War as “Making the World Safe for Democracy.”
In 1911, a fire at the ______ _____ ______ led to improved workers’ safety laws.
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory
In 1916, President Wilson directed General John Pershing to lead American troops into Northern Mexico, in an attempt to capture _____ _____.
Pancho Villa
Villa, who was leading a revolt against the Mexican government, had attacked Columbus, New Mexico, and Pershing, and troops were sent to track him down.
Upon the outbreak of the First World War, Pershing was recalled and sent to France as the head of the American Expeditionary Forces.
In 1919, alcohol became illegal through the passage of the Eighteenth Amendment. What was the effect of Prohibition on drinking during the 1920s?
Alcohol use skyrocketed, and it was fashionable to drink in speakeasies or purchase alcohol from bootleggers who either brewed liquor themselves or imported it from Canada.
As bootlegging grew into a lucrative profession, it was taken over by gangsters, such as Al Capone and Lucky Luciano, who thrived in the illegal climate.
In 1920, only 34.7% of households had electricity, but by 1930, 67.9% had electric access. How did the growth in access to electricity spur consumer demand?
Many of the new products coming off the assembly lines such as washing machines, refrigerators, and vacuums were powered by electricity. Access to electricity meant that consumers bought these products in large quantities.
In urban areas, increased access to electricity was even more dramatic; 84.8% of urban residences had access to electricity by 1930.
In 1928, the Democratic Party nominated Alfred E. Smith for President. What was notable about Smith’s candidacy?
Smith, nicknamed The Happy Warrior by Franklin Roosevelt, was an Irish Roman Catholic, the first Catholic to run for the Presidency on a major party ticket. He was also a wet, committed to ending Prohibition.
Smith lost the 1928 campaign, in part because of anti-Catholic sentiment.
In 1930, Congress raised the tariff to record highs by passing the Smoot-Hawley Tariff. What effect did this have on the economy?
Already slowed by the 1929 Stock Market Crash, the increased tariff led to retaliation by foreign countries, which raised their own tariffs. As a consequence, U.S. exports dropped by 66%, devastating the U.S. economy.
