America 1920-1973: Divided Society Flashcards
What was Prohibition?
The nationwide ban on the production, importation/ transportation and sale of alcohol from 1920- 1933.
Why was Prohibition introduced?
. Morality- alcohol contributed to a decline in moral values
. Rural America- saw cities as places were there was alcohol-fuelled violence (Anti-Saloon gang led campaigns against alchol)
. Religion- claimed that alcohol caused many social issues
. Patriotism- beer in America were either imported from Germany or brewed by German immigrants
Around ____ ‘Prohibition agents’ tried to enforce the law but struggled to ______ all coastlines and borders. Many continued to drink, so Prohibition was hard to _______.
- 1500
- patrol
- enforce
What was organised crime?
Groups off people, often called gangsters, who work toghether to break the law but its ran like a buisiness.
Who were some of the best-known gangsters in organised crime?
. Al Capone
. ‘Lucky’ Luciano
. ‘Machine Gun’ Kelly
. Vito ‘Chicken Head’ Gurino
What was a speakeasy?
Illegal bars that sold bootleg alcohol, ran by gangs.
What was bootlegging?
The act of smuggling alcohol in by sea or over the border.
Why did Prohibition fail?
Prohibition failed drastically, there were ___,000 speakeasies in the USA and there was more _____ and violence. The A___ attracted thousands of members- they argued that ___________ threatened peoples right to _____. Many argued that l_________ alcohol would create many leagal ________ jobs. The government could make money by _______ alcohol.
1) 200,000
2) crime
3) AAPA
4) Prohibition
5) drink
6) legalising
7) brewing
8) taxxing
What were the 5 main pull factors to immigrate to America?
. ‘American dream’
. More jobs in the USA
. Living standard was higher in the USA
. Workers were paid more in America
. American land was cheap
What were the 4 main push factors to immigrate to America?
. Religious persecution
. Class divide in Europe
. Great poverty in Europe
. Land was in short supply in Europe- overcrowded
Some immigrants acheived great success but, for many, working and ______ conditions were poor. Many immigrants worked for ___ wages and some felt immigrants were out to ‘_____’ jobs.
- living
- low
- steal
The ________ Act, a 19__ law, banned entry of immigrants over 16 who couldn’t read a __ word sentence
- Literacy
- 17
- 40
The Immigration ______ Law of ____ allowed only ___,___ immigrants to enter each year.
- Quota
- 1921
- 350,000
The National ______ Act of ____ allowed only ___,___ immigrants to enter each year.
- Origins
- 1924
- 150,000
Name 4 impacts of immigration.
. Large ethnic groups developed in many larger cities like ‘Little Italy’ in New York
. Many resented immigrants- unfamiliar traditions/ couldn’t speak English
. WW1 added to the suspicion of ‘foreigners’
. Most were Jewish or Catholic but the population was mainly Protestant
After slavery was abolished in 1865, what set of laws kept African-Americans segregated?
The ‘Jim Crow Laws’
Name 5 reasons why many African-Americans opted for leaving the South.
. African-Americans were the last to be hired and first to be fired
. They occupied the worst housing
. Low wages
. Occasional race riots (eg. 1919 after black youth entered ‘whites only’ beach)
. South had organisations like the KKK thriving
What was the Black ‘Renaissance’?
Some South African-Americans communities flourished- becoming centres for creativity, black culture and black pride.
Why did the KKK become popular again?
A 1915 Hollywood feature film, The Birth of a Nation, showed Klansmen saving white families from violent black criminals.
. Glorified the KKK
. Showed Klansmen as protectors of their faith
. Most members were poor white people- the KKK provided a scapegoat
In 1925 what led to the decline of the KKK?
A popular local Khlan leader was convivted of the brutal kidnapping, rape and murder of a young woman.
. He exposed many secrets of the KKK and membership fell from 5 million to 300,000.
What was the cause for the rising fear of immigrants?
. Some saw immigrants as enimies who brought ‘un- American’ ideas
. Communism became increasing feared- especially since America let in nearly 1.5 million Russian these past few years.
Who were anarchists and why was it seen as reasonabe to fear them?
Anarchists- a group who believed there shouldn’t be a government, but people should rule themeselves and cooperate.
In 1901 An anarchist (Leon Czolgosz) shot President William McKinley dead.
The ‘_______ Raids’: In July 1919, a bomb destroyed _________ Mitchell Palmer’s (man in charge of America’s law and ______) house. A _________ newspaper was found next to the body of a dead suicide bomber. Palmer vowed to get rid of America’s communists.
- Palmer
- Alexander
- police
- Communist
What is known as the ‘Red Scare’?
The period where Palmer arrested around 6,000 suspected communists, ‘Reds’, were arrested (without evidence) across 33 cities.
Describe the case of Sacco and Vanzetti. What was the importance of this case?
Sacco and Vanzetti were Italian-born immigrant anarchists, charged with the robbing of a shoe factory and murdering 2 staff in April 1920 with little evidence.
. The trial was 45 days (starting in 1921 May)- the men were executed on the 23rd August 1927 despite protest.
The defence team had ___ witnesses alleging that they had seen Sacco and ________ somewhere else during the crime, but the prosecution’s __ witnesses, who said they had _____ the men commit the crime, were believed.
A man named Celestino __________ later admitted that he had committed the crime yet Sacco and Vanzetti lost their lengthy ________. In August 19__ they were both executed by electrocution in ___________ prison.
1) 107
2) Vanzetti
3) 61
4) seen
5) Madeiros
6) appeals
7) 27
8) Charlestown
