3.8 Social Change Flashcards
Who were Sacco and Vanzetti?
Two Italian anarchists sentenced to death for murder in 1921
Their case was marked by significant controversy and claims of anti-immigrant prejudice.
What was the basis of the conviction in the Sacco and Vanzetti case?
Guilty before innocent basis
This principle raised concerns about the fairness of the trial.
When were Sacco and Vanzetti executed?
August 1927
Their execution highlighted the intolerance within US society.
What was the Monkey Trial?
A trial that showcased the conflict between rural and urban beliefs regarding evolution
It took place in Tennessee in 1925.
What was the Butler Act?
A law that outlawed the teaching of evolution in Tennessee
It was challenged by John Scopes, a science teacher.
Who led the defense in the Monkey Trial?
Clarence Darrow
Darrow was a liberal lawyer and a member of the American Civil Liberties Union.
Who was the chief witness for the prosecution in the Monkey Trial?
William Jennings Bryan
Bryan was a religious fundamentalist and a pacifist.
What was the outcome of the Monkey Trial?
Scopes was convicted
The Butler Act remained in force for another 40 years.
What was the significance of the 1917 Immigration Act?
It was the first widely restrictive immigration law
It paved the way for stricter regulations in the 1924 act.
What did the 1917 Immigration Act introduce?
Literacy tests for immigrants over 16 years old
Required basic reading comprehension in any language.
What were the quotas introduced in immigration policy under the Immigration Quota Act of 1921?
3% of the total population of each nationality in the US as recorded in the 1910 census
This aimed to limit immigration based on national origins.
What did the 1924 Immigration Act do?
Limited the number of immigrants allowed entry into the US to 2% of the 1890 census.
It established a national origins quota.
What was the main aim of the 1924 Immigration Act?
To preserve the ideal of US homogeneity
It completely excluded immigrants from Asia.
What was the impact of the 1924 Immigration Act?
Reducing diversity and making America more inward facing
It also reduced the market and workforce.
True or False: The 1924 Immigration Act allowed for no quotas for the Western hemisphere.
True
This was a significant distinction in the immigration policies.
Why had Sacco and Vanzetti been accused of murder?
The victim described the attackers as slim foreigners with olive skin before dying
What verdict was found in 1970 regarding the Sacco and Vanzetti Trial?
Governor of Massachusetts granted them a formal pardon and agreed that a mistrial had taken place.
What was the reaction to the Monkey Trial 1925?
Bryan was shown to be confused and ignorant while the media mocked the beliefs of those who opposed the theory of evolution.
What is the Bible belt?
An area of southern USA where strict fundamentalist Protestant Christianity is strong, included Tennessee.
Why did attitudes towards immigrant grow in hostility?
- Provided competition for jobs
- WW1 fuelled anti-German feelings
- America didn’t want to be dragged into another major war
How many men had been drafted into the armed forces by the end of the war?
2.8 million
What positions did the army permit women to fill?
Clerks, fingerprint experts, journalists, and translators
Women also worked in jobs traditionally done by men such as heavy industry, engineering works, and transport
How did the consumer boom progress women’s lives?
Labour saving devices, such as vacuum clearners and washing machines, provided extra time which enabled some women to go into employment or for recreational activities
How did women’s employment in 1930 compare to 10 years earlier?
There were 2 million more women employed
However, these tended to be in unskilled, low paid jobs
How did the Supreme Court oppose women’s rights?
Banned all attempts to set minimum wages for women
How did women’s role in politics evolve?
- 19th Amendment in 1920 gave women the vote
- Nellie Tayloe Ross of Wyoming became the first woman to be elected governor of a state in 1924
This was the exception and it was rare for women to be involved in politics
How many women were killed in back street abortions each year?
50,000
What did the Comstock Act of 1873 do?
Banned the distribution of both written articles on contraception and items through the US mail.
Sanger was arrested in 1916 for opening the first contraception clinic
What problems were there with the support for birth control?
Often led to eugenics as supporters felt the poor should be discouraged from ‘breeding’ because to do so would threaten race degeneration
What were features of the flapper?
- Middle and upper class Northerners
- Short hair, wore make up, short skirts, and bright clothes
- Smoked and drank in public
- Attended speakeasies
- Danced with men in public
- Listened to jazz
Tried to show a greater independence and freedom in their appreance and social life
How did people respond to the flappers?
- Seen as too extreme by many traditional groups
- Strong disapproval from religious societies
- Simply pleasure seeking women with few other attributes
When was the first national nework (for radios) set up?
NBC was set up in 1926
What proportion of American families purchased a radio?
60% between 1923 and 1930
How did radios encourage consumerism?
They held huge attraction for advertising and sponsorship, which often paid for programmes
How big was the cinema industry in the 1920s?
The cinema industry was the fourth largest in terms of capital investment in the 1920s
It employed more people than either Ford or General Motors
How many people visited the cinema a day?
10 milion in 20,000 cinema
Where did Jazz music originate from?
From black slaves who were encouraged to sing inorder to increase production.
What groups was jazz popular with?
The white middle class youth, especially the flappers
How did Jazz feature in the 1920s?
It became the great attraction of the night clubs and speakeasies and brought into homes through radio broadcasts
Some cities, including New York, prohibited the public performance of jazz in dance halls, however this only made it more exciting to the young and increased appeal.
