A Divided Society Flashcards
Which two Italian immigrants were sentenced to death by the electric chair in 1927?
Sacco and Vanzetti (this was an example of xenophobic discrimination against immigrants)
Which amendment prohibited America from selling, making or transporting any drink
containing more than 0.5% alcohol?
The 18th amendment (this started prohibition)- Woodrow Wilso
What groups campaigned against alcohol?
The Anti-Saloon League and the Women’s Christian Temperance Movement
How many Prohibition Agents were employed to enforce Prohibition?
Between 1500-4000 (they had no luck due to 18,000 miles of coastline and borders to patrol)
Prohibition led to a rise in organised crime. What was the name for those people who smuggled alcohol in?
Bootleggers
Which president got rid of Prohibition in 1933 with the 21st amendment?
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR)
In the 1920s laws were passed limiting immigration. The 1921 Immigration Quota Act said only 357,000 immigrants could enter a year. How many were allowed a year according to the 1929 Act?
150,000 (Literacy tests had been used as early as 1917 to reduce immigration)
In Chicago, in 1927, how many murders happened with no arrests?
130
The most famous gangster was Al Capone. What massacre did he organize in 1929?
St Valentine’s Day massacre (this turned public opinion against Prohibition, Al Capone was
making over $10 million a year from his activities)
After the Russian Revolution in 1917, there was an increased fear of communism. What
phrase was linked to fearing communism?
The Red Scare (it was popular in the 1920s and 1950s)
From which group did African-Americans face violence and intimidation from?
The Ku Klux Klan (by 1925 there were 5 million members)
What were the main reasons prohibition be introduced?
- Patriotism
- Morality
- Health
- Religion
Who were famous gangsters during the prohibition period?
- Maching Gun Kelly
- Al Capone
- Bugs Moran
What famous incident between Capone and Moran turned public opinion sour against prohibition in 1929?
St Valentine’s Day Massacre
Between 1927 and 1930, how many gangland murders occur?
500
How many of Capone’s men killed Moran’s men in the St Valentine’s Day Massacre?
7
How much did gangsters earn altogether from the illegal alcohol trade?
2 billion dollars
Which amendment repealed prohibition?
21st (FDR)
Why was prohibition negative?
- Prohibition had not led to a decrease in crime
- Caused an increase in prostitution and gambling
- Organised by gangsters
- More corruption in government
- The cost of enforcement was very high
- Government had lost 11 billion dollars annually which they earnt from Alcohol tax.
How many prohibition agents were sacked due to being corrupt?
1 in 12
What were the segregation laws called?
Jim Crow Laws
What was the Black Renaissance?
Harlem, a neighbourhood of New York became a centre for creativity, black culture and black pride when talented black poets, writers, artists and musicians gathered here. This even attracted the white citizens of New York.
How was voting made difficult for African Americans?
- They had to pay a poll tax, which few African Americans could afford.
- Pass a literacy test
- Grandfather Clause
What was the literacy test?
Those could not read a sentence of 40 words were banned from voting. Same literacy test was used for immigration.
How many cities did Race riots happen in 1920?
23 different cities
What methods of intimidation and aggression Ku Klux Klan do?
-Lynching, beating, burning, branding with acid, kidnapping, castrating, tar and feathering.
They called this the Rope Law.
In 1924, how many people were lynched in the state of Georgia alone?
135
How many black Americans were lynched in the 1920s?
400
How did Prohibition have an economical effect on the government?
Government had lost 11 billion dollars annually which they earnt from Alcohol tax.
What did the National Origins Act of 1924 do?
Immigration entry was reduced to 2% of 1890 population and Asians were banned
