America 1920-1973

Question 1

What is the Central Federal Government?

Answer 1

. Based in the capital, Washington DC
. Run by the president, a cabinet of advisors and congress, which is made up of elected people from the different states
. Oversees matters that affect the whole country

Question 2

What is the State Government?

Answer 2

. Based in the capital city of each state
. Each state has its own laws, police and court system, and its own governor in charge

Question 3

What were the 2 political parties after gaining independence in 1776?

Answer 3

. The Republican Party
. The Democratic Party

Question 4

What was the policy which the Republican Party use?

Answer 4

‘laissez-faire’

Question 5

What is ‘laissez-faire’?

Answer 5

Staying out of people’s lives wherever possible

Question 6

Which political party was more conservative?

Answer 6

The Republican Party

Question 7

What is the Democratic Party?

Answer 7

. More of an ordinary people’s party, preferring to intervene in everyday life is necessary
. Favoured helping the most vulnerable, such as the poor or elderly
. Had more support in the poorer Southern states
. More liberal

Question 8

What is the bill of rights?

Answer 8

The Bill of rights is a part of the constitution. It guarantees Americans a series of freedoms and rights, including the right to vote, and freedom of belief, freedom of information and freedom in law. However, by 1919, many states refused to recognise the right to vote of women, African Americans and American Indians

Question 9

American Society - The First Americans

Answer 9

. Also known as American Indians or ‘Red Indians’
. Lived in tribes across America for thousands of years before white Europeans settled there.
. The white settlers took much of their land and forced them to live in reservations
. By 1900, there were only about 250,000 American Indians, down from 5 million when Europeans first arrived

Question 10

American Society - New Immigrants

Answer 10

. A wave of new immigrants flooded into America from about 1850 onwards
. Mainly from eastern and southern Europe, but also from Ireland, China, Japan and South America
. Many were poor and illiterate. They crowded into the large industrial towns and cities looking for work.
. Some WASPs saw new immigrants as a threat to their way of life.

Question 11

What countries did early immigrants mainly come from?

Answer 11

. Britain
. The Netherlands
. Germany

Question 12

Who did the early immigrants fight with?

Answer 12

The American Indians

Question 13

When did America gain independence from the British Empire?

Answer 13

July 4th 1776

Question 14

About 10% of American people owned what percent of the wealth?

Answer 14

90%

Question 15

What are WASPs?

Answer 15

White Anglo-Saxon Protestants

Question 16

Hundreds, Thousands, Millions, or Billions of Africans were taken to work as slaves in the South of America between 1600 - 1800?

Answer 16

Millions

Question 17

What group had limited freedom, including no right to vote, denied access to good jobs, decent housing and proper education

Answer 17

African Americans

Question 18

What policy caused the USA to stay out of WW1 at first?

Answer 18

Isolationism

Question 19

What made the USA prosper financially during WW1?

Answer 19

American banks loaned money to Britain and its allies to buy food, weapons and equipment.

Question 20

What did WW1 do to countries that were fighting?

Answer 20

Disrupted economic growth

Question 21

Why was America the only major nation without huge wartime debts?

Answer 21

Because nations such as France, Germany, Russia, and Britain were exhausted by the end of the war

Question 22

From 1916 to 1927, the number of us homes with electricity grew from 15% to what percent?

Answer 22

70%

Question 23

What modern gadgets increased in usage in US homes during the economic ‘boom’?

Answer 23

Vacuum cleaners, gramophones, radios, telephones and refrigerators

Question 24

Huge demand for electric-powered goods created what?

Answer 24

Factory jobs

Question 25

What did the Fordney-McCumber Tariff do?

Answer 25

It put high taxes on imports, making foreign goods more expensive, making Americans but more US goods, creating more jobs for Americans

Question 26

What was the Republican’s policy that meant businesses were left alone to get on with creating wealth?

Answer 26

‘laissez-faire’

Question 27

What meant that people had more money to spend?

Answer 27

Low taxes