Ch. 31 & 32 Review Flashcards
Ku Klux Klan
anti-EVERYTHING; was a reaction against new immigration, liberal views, modernity in American culture
organization collapsed when it was exposed that membership dues were being used to bribe local recruiters
Immigration Act of 1921 and 1924
set quotas for immigrants from southern and eastern Europe due to nativist beliefs; Act of 1924 discriminated directly against Japanese
Prohibition (18th Amendment)
although hard to enforce, Prohibition did have some positive elements, like encouraging more people to save their money, sobriety increased, employees missing work decreased and overall less alcohol was consumed
Scopes Monkey Trial of 1925
conservative reaction against substitute teacher John Scopes for teaching biology in a TN classroom; he was fined, but the charges were eventually dropped
buying practices of the 1920s
during the Roaring ’20s, people were buying on credit in large numbers for the first time ever; it stimulated economic growth, while at the same time creating huge amounts of consumer debt
Automobile Revolution
started by Henry Ford with his inexpensive Model T; lead to consolidated school districts, spread of suburbs, migration of population from various states and “car dates” for American teenagers
Motion Pictures
new past-time that many used for entertainment; started with the silent film era; the first talking motion picture was The Jazz Singer
Harlem Renaissance
a movement to highlight and celebrate black culture; took place in Harlem, New York; included music, literature and poetry
Harding Presidency
Harding was a weak president who unknowingly surrounded himself with a corrupt cabinet; economic policies sought to help business gain profits; foreign policy wanted to gain oil rights in Middle East; scandals abounded in his presidency, including the Teapot Dome Scandal, where his secretary of the interior, Albert Fall, sold oil reserve rights to businesses
Kellogg-Briand Pact
idealistic agreement among world powers to no use war to solve international rivalry and conflict (didn’t work)
farm problems of the 1920s
overproduction was a major issue; buying land and equipment on credit to maximize profit was a failure
Dawes Plan
plan proposed by American Charles Dawes to help Germany repay its war-reparations to the Allied countries
election of 1928
Hoover was Republican candidate; he had corporate experience, and so was initially seen as a good choice to manage the country, even though Coolidge was the party’s first choice as candidate
Great Depression
severe economic downturn that officially began with the stock market crash in October 1929; led to massive foreclosures on homes, formation of breadlines and soup kitchens, bank failures and widespread unemployment
Hawley-Smoot Tariff
put in place as a protective tariff, but cut off international trade between the US and Europe
