Lesson 4: Division and Inequality

Question 1

Anarchist Definition

Answer 1

person who opposes organized government

Question 2

Company Union Definition

Answer 2

a labor organization limited to a single company that is controlled by management

Question 3

Deport Definition

Answer 3

to forcibly remove from a country

Question 4

Great Migration Definition

Answer 4

the movement of millions of African Americans from the South to the North during the early to mid-1900s

Question 5

Nativism Definition

Answer 5

the belief that native-born citizens’ interests should be protected, usually involving hostility toward foreigners and immigration

Question 6

Quota System Definition

Answer 6

a system that limits the number of certain kinds of people admitted to an institution or country; beginning in the 1920s, a system that allowed only a certain number of people from each country to immigrate to the United States

Question 7

Sabotage Definition

Answer 7

the secret destruction of property or interference with production

Question 8

How did many Americans and industries suffer due to the Culture of the Roaring Twenties?

Answer 8

Many Americans did not share in the boom of the 1920s. Workers in the clothing industry, for example, were hurt by changes in women’s fashions. Shorter skirts meant that less cloth was needed to make dresses. Coal miners also faced hard times as oil replaced coal as a source of energy. Railroads slashed jobs because trains were losing business to cars and trucks.

Question 9

How and why did farmers suffer after World War I? What happened to their share in the national income by the end of the 1920s?

Answer 9

Farmers were hit the hardest. During World War I, Europeans had bought American farm products, sending prices up. Farmers borrowed money to buy more land and tractors. They planned to pay off these loans with profits from increased production. When the war ended, however, European farmers were again able to produce enough for their own needs. As a result, prices for American farm products dropped sharply throughout the 1920s. Farmers were unable to pay their debts. By the end of the decade, the farmers’ share of national income had shrunk by almost half.

Question 10

What did Labor Union leaders expect of the government after WWI?

Answer 10

For labor unions, too, the 1920s were a disaster. During the war, unions had worked with the government to keep production high. Labor’s cooperation contributed to victory. In return, union leaders expected the government to support labor.

Question 11

After the end of WWI, why were labor unions asking for higher pay? How did management crush the strikes? How was the lack of government intervention viewed by the workers? How did this enable management to gain power?

Answer 11

During the war, wages had not kept up with prices. Now, with the war over, workers demanded higher pay. When employers refused, unions launched a wave of strikes. Management moved quickly to crush the strikes. Because the government did not step in to help them, workers felt betrayed and management gained power.

Question 12

How did strikes by labor unions after WWI turn public opinion against labor? How about the strike in Boston in 1919, concerning police officers?

Answer 12

The strikes turned much of the public against labor. One strike in particular angered many Americans. In 1919, the city of Boston fired 19 police officers who had tried to join the American Federation of Labor (AFL). Boston police struck in protest. The sight of police leaving their posts shocked the country.

Question 13

How did the later 1920s set even more setbacks on labor? What were judges ruling? What were company unions? How did they affect membership in independent unions?

Answer 13

The later 1920s saw even more setbacks for labor. In one court case after another, judges limited the rights of unions. At the same time, employers created company unions, labor organizations that were actually controlled by management. As a result, membership in independent unions dropped from 5 million in 1920 to 3.4 million by 1929. Without strong unions, labor had little power to win higher wages.

Question 14

Remember: In the 1920s, cities drew thousands of people from farms and small towns. Those who stayed in rural areas often feared that new ways of life in the city were a threat to traditional values. Changes abroad also spurred nationwide worries about people with differing political views.

Answer 14

In the 1920s, cities drew thousands of people from farms and small towns. Those who stayed in rural areas often feared that new ways of life in the city were a threat to traditional values. Changes abroad also spurred nationwide worries about people with differing political views.

Question 15

How was the conflict in Dayton, Tennessee an example of a clash between old and new values during the 1920s? What was the conflict? In 1925, what did John Scopes do that led to his eventual arrest and trial? (Beginning of Scopes Trial)

Answer 15

One clash between old and new values erupted in the small town of Dayton, Tennessee. At the center of the controversy was Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution. Darwin, a British scientist, had claimed that all life had evolved, or developed, from simpler forms over a long period of time. While biologists accepted Darwin’s theory, some churches condemned it, saying it contradicted the teachings of the Bible. Tennessee, Mississippi, and Arkansas passed laws that banned the teaching of Darwin’s theory. In 1925, John Scopes, a biology teacher in Dayton, taught evolution to his class. Scopes was arrested and tried.

Question 16

How did the Scopes Trial play out? Who were William Jennings Bryan and Clarence Darrow, and what roles did they play in the trial? What was the trial’s conclusion?

Answer 16

Two of the nation’s best-known figures opposed each other in the Scopes trial. William Jennings Bryan, who had run for President three times, argued the state’s case against Scopes. Clarence Darrow, a Chicago lawyer who had helped unions and radicals, defended Scopes. As the trial began, the nation’s attention was riveted on Dayton. Reporters recorded every word of the battle between Darrow and Bryan. “Scopes isn’t on trial,” Darrow thundered at one point, “civilization is on trial.” In the end, Scopes was convicted and fined. The laws against teaching evolution were defeated, or overruled, in later years.

Question 17

How did wartime worries of Americans influence their perception of foreigners? Due to the rise of communism, what did Americans view labor Union strikes as?

Answer 17

During World War I, Americans had been on the alert for enemy spies and sabotage, or the secret destruction of property or interference with work in factories. These wartime worries led to a growing fear of foreigners. The rise of communism in the Soviet Union fanned that fear. Lenin, the communist leader, called on workers everywhere to overthrow their governments. Many Americans saw the strikes that swept the nation as the start of a communist revolution.

Question 18

How did the actions of anarchists add to the sense of danger? Who did one group of anarchists plot to kill? Due to the fact that anarchists were typically foreigners, what actions did the Government take against these “reds”? What happened during the Red Scare?

Answer 18

The actions of anarchists, or people who oppose organized government, added to the sense of danger. One group of anarchists plotted to kill well-known Americans, including John D. Rockefeller, the head of Standard Oil. Because many anarchists were foreign-born, their attacks led to an outcry against all foreigners. The government took harsh actions against both anarchists and Communists, or “reds.” During the red scare, thousands of radicals were arrested and jailed. Many foreigners were deported, or expelled from the country.

Question 19

How did the trial of Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti symbolize the anti-foreign feeling of the 1920s? What were they convicted of? What did they admit? What was the conclusion of the trial?

Answer 19

The trial of two Italian immigrants in Massachusetts came to symbolize the antiforeign feeling of the 1920s. Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were arrested for robbery and murder in 1920. The two men admitted being anarchists but insisted they had committed no crime. A jury convicted them, however. Sacco and Vanzetti were then sentenced to death.

Question 20

What controversy did the Sacco and Vanzetti trial create? What were the two sides? After six years of trying to overturn their convictions, what happened to Sacco and Vanzetti in 1927?

Answer 20

The Sacco and Vanzetti trial created a furor across the nation. The evidence against the two men was limited. The judge was openly prejudiced against the two immigrants. Many Americans thought that Sacco and Vanzetti were convicted, not because they were guilty, but because they were immigrants and radicals. The two men waited in jail during a six-year fight to overturn their convictions. Their appeals were turned down. In 1927, they were executed.

Question 21

What did some Americans believe the Sacco and Vanzetti trial proved about the American Government?

Answer 21

The issue of whether Sacco and Vanzetti received a fair trial has been debated ever since. In the meantime, some Americans felt the case proved that the United States had to keep out dangerous radicals.

Question 22

Remember: In the end, the Red Scare died down. Yet, hostility toward foreigners led to a new move to limit immigration. As you recall, this kind of antiforeign feeling is known as nativism.

Answer 22

In the end, the Red Scare died down. Yet, hostility toward foreigners led to a new move to limit immigration. As you recall, this kind of antiforeign feeling is known as nativism.

Question 23

After World War I, why did many Europeans immigrate to America? What worries did this cause? As a result, what was the Emergency Quota Act of 1921? What did it state and set up? What was a quota system?

Answer 23

After the war, millions of Europeans hoped to find a better life in the United States. American workers feared that too many newcomers would force wages down. Others worried that communists and anarchists would flood in. Congress responded by passing the Emergency Quota Act in 1921. The act set up a quota system that allowed only a certain number of people from each country to enter the United States. Only 3 percent of the people in any national group already living in the United States in 1910 could be admitted.

Question 24

Which countries did the quota system, set up by the Emergency Quota Act of 1921, favor? In 1924, what other actions were taken to limit immigration?

Answer 24

The quota system favored immigrants from northern Europe, especially Britain. In 1924, Congress passed new laws that further cut immigration, especially from eastern Europe, which was seen as a center of anarchism and communism. In addition, Japanese were added to the list of Asians denied entry to the country.

Question 25

Since Latin Americans and Canadians were not included in the quota system, established by the Emergency Quota Act of 1921, how did this influence their immigration? What happened to Mexican immigration because of it?

Answer 25

Latin Americans and Canadians were not included in the quota system. As a result, Mexican immigrants continued to move to the United States. Farms and factories in the Southwest depended on Mexican workers. The pay was low, and the housing was poor. Still, immigrants were drawn by the chance to earn more money than they could at home. By 1930, a million or more Mexicans had crossed the border.

Question 26

What did the Jones Act of 1917 grant to Puerto Ricans? How did poverty on the island influence migration to the mainland? What was the shift from 1910 to 1930?

Answer 26

The Jones Act of 1917 granted American citizenship to Puerto Ricans. Poverty on the island led to a great migration to the north. In 1910, about 1,500 Puerto Ricans lived on the mainland. By 1930, there were about 53,000.

Question 27

When African American soldiers came back from World War I, what a did they demand? This and what other factor led to racial tension and riots? What did white racists do? What did groups such as the Universal Negro Improvement Association and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People do?

Answer 27

As African American soldiers returned from serving their country in the war, they began demanding equal rights. This, along with the large African American migration to northern cities, led to heightened racial tension and race riots. White racists formed a new Ku Klux Klan. Groups called the Universal Negro Improvement Association and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, or NAACP, organized to defend the rights of African Americans.

Question 28

In 1915, what did a group of white men declare? What was the new, broader goal of the Klu Klux Klan?

Answer 28

Fear of change gave new life to an old organization. In 1915, a group of white men in Georgia declared the rebirth of the Ku Klux Klan. The original Klan had used terror to keep African Americans from voting after the Civil War. The new Klan had a broader aim: to preserve the United States for white, native-born Protestants.

Question 29

Who did the new Klu Klux Klan resent, along with African Americans? What acts of terror did they commit? What did they support?

Answer 29

The new Klan waged a campaign not only against African Americans, but also against immigrants, especially Catholics and Jews. Klan members burned crosses outside people’s homes. They used whippings and lynchings to terrorize immigrants and African Americans. The Klan strongly supported efforts to limit immigration.

Question 30

Because of its large membership, what did the Klu Klux Klan gain? How was this power short-lasted?

Answer 30

Because of its large membership, the Klan gained political influence. In the mid-1920s, however, many Americans became alarmed at the Klan’s growing power. At the same time, scandals surfaced that showed Klan leaders had stolen money from members. Klan membership dropped sharply.

Question 31

What was the condition of racism when African American soldiers came back form WWI?

Answer 31

African Americans had hoped that their service during World War I would weaken racism at home. However, returning African American soldiers found that the South was still a segregated society. In the North, too, racial prejudice was widespread.

Question 32

What was the Great Migration? During the Great Migration, which Northern cities did African Americans settle in? What jobs and living spaces were available to them? Why did they often live together in their own neighborhoods?

Answer 32

Many African Americans moved north during and after the war. The large-scale movement north of African Americans during the early to mid-1900s is known as the Great Migration. African Americans took factory jobs in Chicago, Detroit, New York, Philadelphia, and other large cities. They often found that the only jobs open to them were low-paying ones. Also, due to discrimination, there were only a few neighborhoods where landlords would rent apartments to African Americans. At the same time, many African Americans newly arrived from the South wanted to live near one another. As a result, areas with large African American populations grew up in many northern cities.

Question 33

How did white Americans and workers respond to the increase of African Americans in the North? What was the worst of these 1919 riots?

Answer 33

Many northern white workers felt threatened by the arrival of so many African Americans. Racial tension grew. In 1919, race riots broke out in several cities. The worst took place in Chicago, leaving 38 dead.

Question 34

Who was Marcus Garvey? What organization did he establish? What were his contributions to the African American community?

Answer 34

Shocked by the racism they found, African Americans looked for new ways to cope. Marcus Garvey became one of the most popular African American leaders. He started the first widespread black nationalist movement in the United States. Garvey organized the Universal Negro Improvement Association. He hoped to promote unity and pride among African Americans. He believed that African Americans needed to rely on themselves rather than white people to get ahead. “I am the equal of any white man,” Garvey said. Garvey urged African Americans to seek their roots in Africa. Although few black Americans actually went to Africa, Garvey’s “Back to Africa” movement built racial pride.

Question 35

How did the Election of 1928 play out? Who won?

Answer 35

By 1928, Republicans had led the nation for eight years. They pointed to prosperity as their outstanding achievement. Still, when asked about the upcoming election, President Coolidge said tersely, “I do not choose to run.” Instead, Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover easily won the Republican nomination. The Democrats chose as their candidate Alfred E. Smith, the governor of New York. The contrast between the candidates revealed the tensions lurking below the surface of American life. Smith, the grandson of Irish, Italian, and German immigrants, was the first Catholic to run for President. City dwellers, including many immigrants and Catholics, rallied around Smith. Hoover was a self-made millionaire from the Midwest who was respected for his management skill working to supply troops during World War I. He won votes from rural Americans and big business. Supporters of Prohibition also supported Hoover because Smith favored repeal. In the election, Smith won the country’s 12 largest cities. Rural and small-town voters supported Hoover. He won by a landslide. Americans hoped Hoover would keep the country prosperous. Less than a year after he took office, however, the economy would come crashing down.