Chapter 7 Flashcards
Roaring Twenties and the Great Depression
Charles Darwin’s theory that all life, including human, evolved over time
Evolution
Proposed that the Bible should be studied as any other work of literature or history to determine is validity and relevance
Higher Criticism
Religious ideology which believes that the Bible is literally true and, because it is from God, cannot contain contradictions or errors
Fundamentalism
Nicknamed the “monkey trial,” it centered around a science teacher named John Scopes who was arrested for violating a Tennessee law that forbade teaching Darwin’s theory of evolution instead of the Bible’s account of creation. Scopes was ultimately found guilty, and the law against teaching evolution remained in effect
Scopes Trial
Innovative industrialist who revolutionized the auto industry with a more efficient assembly line and mass production techniques that made automobiles more affordable
Henry Ford
Producing large quantities of a product, so as to be able to afford to sell them at more affordable prices
Mass Production
Innovative assembly line that allowed workers to stand still while the parts came to them. It increased production and revolutionized how factory work is done
Assembly Line
Henry Ford revolutionized production by viewing common workers as consumers. This encouraged mass production to make goods like cars affordable
Worker as Consumer
Industry of air travel that was born as a result of the work of Orville and Wilbur Wright and was boosted by Charles Lindbergh
Airline Industry
Things like refrigerators and sewing machines, made popular by electricity and which made life easier and gave more time for leisure activity
New Appliances
Because of advances in technology, people ventured into the city after dark to attend shows, have dinner, or take part in evening social events
Nightlife
Arose during the 20s as radio, magazines, and the popularity of movies served to create a mass culture by allowing people in different parts of the nation to be exposed to the same trends, fashions, news stories, etc
Mass Media
United the nation as people listened to the same shows and news
Radio
Helped create a national culture and became popular in the 20s
Movie Industry
Plans introduced in the 1920s that allowed consumers to purchase larger, more expensive products a little at a time rather than having to wait until they had saved the entire amount
Installment Plans
In the 20s, the US became a society that spent money and consumed rather than saved money
Consumer Society
Term referring to women of the 1920s who tended to be more rebellious and “fun-loving” than women of the past. They challenged the traditional gender roles in society and often caused more traditional citizens great concern
Flapper
Group of writers who felt lost in a society of greed and moral corruption. Among their numbers were F. Scott Fitzgerald, who authored The Great Gatsby, and Ernest Hemingway, who wrote The Sun Also Rises
The Lost Generation
A popular form of music after WWI that was popularized by Louis Armstrong and other African American musicians who brought their musical talents from Louisiana and Mississippi to the northern cities. Its fast pace inspired new dances like the “Charleston” and helped create a thriving nightlife. Crossing ethnic boundaries, found a receptive audience among both blacks and young whites
Jazz
A cultural movement among the African American community involving music, art, and literature
Harlem Renaissance
Political and economic philosophy in which the government owns all property, and individual rights mean little compared to the welfare of the state
Communism
Concerns about communism that swept the nation following WWII
Red Scare
Government action launched during the Red Scare in which suspected communists and other “subversives” (many of whom were immigrants who had committed no crimes) were arrested, jailed, and often deported
Palmer Raids
Attitude/Movement strongly opposed to immigration
Nativism
Restrictions put in place by the government which regulated how many people could immigrate to the US from certain parts of the world early in the 20th century
Immigration Quotas
Secretive organization whose members often dressed in hooded white robes and used violence, murder, and threats to intimidate blacks and those who favored giving African Americans equal rights
KKK
Common name given the period in which the Eighteenth Amendment was in effect, outlawing the sale and manufacture of alcoholic beverages in the United States
Prohibition
Repealed Prohibition
21st Amendment
Practice of buying stock in high-risk investments in hopes of making high returns on one’s money. It was a common practice in the years leading up to the Great Depression
Buying Stock on Speculation
Process in which investors purchased stocks for only a portion of what they cost. They then borrowed the difference and paid interest on the loan
Buying on Margin
Increased use of machinery for production
Mechanization
Producing so much of a product that the prizes fall and producers often go bankrupt
Overproduction
October 29, 1929; the day the stock market crashed marking the beginning of the Great Depression
Black Tuesday
Time of great financial hardship that engulfed the US and the world during the late 20s and through the 1930s
Great Depression
Name given makeshift shack villages set up by the poor and homeless during the Great Depression. The name refers to President Hoover, whom most blamed for their plights
Hoovervilles
Positive democrat who was elected president in 1932 and was willing to experiment with deficit spending in order to launch his “New Deal” and address the nation’s economic problems
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR)
Radio addresses made directly to the US public by President Franklin Roosevelt shortly after he took office. They inspired hope at a time of financial crisis and even convinced some to start depositing their money in banks again
Fireside Chats
Policy in which the federal government directly helps those hurting from financial crisis
Direct Relief
Government spending of borrowed money
Deficit Spending
Roosevelt’s domestic programs meant to alleviate the effects of the Great Depression
New Deal
Act passed in 1913 that established a Federal Reserve to oversee banking in the United States. The Federal Reserve gave the federal government greater control over the circulation of money and helped prevent bank failures
Federal Reserve Act
PWA was a new deal product. It fueled public works like dam construction and highways
Public Works Administration
Established retirement income and money for disabled workers
Social Security
Benefited from New Deal policies and union membership grew
Labor Movement
Part of population that often received less pay than the breadwinners of families; their largest occupation continued to be domestic
Women
Still worked as farmers and migrant workers. As a result, their lack of government payroll records often excluded them from programs like Social Security. In addition, New Deal work programs sanctioned racial segregation and African Americans experienced the highest ratio of unemployment among US citizens. What jobs they did get, however, were credited to Roosevelt and his programs. As a result, African Americans began to shift their political loyalty to the democratic party during the mid-1930s
Minorities
