People Who Didn't Benefit From the Boom Flashcards
Between 1919 and 1928, how much had farm income dropped by?
$22 billion to $13 billion
In 1920, how much was a bushel of wheat worth? How much was it worth by 1931?
1920= $233 1931= $32
What percentage of farms had electricity or mains?
Less than 10%
What was the largest subsection of society?
Farming
What % of Americans lived in rural areas?
More than 50%
How many were forced off land to try and find work in rural areas?
6 million
What decimated crops in the south?
Pests such as the Bill Weevil
Why couldn’t US farmers compete with Canadian wheat producers?
Competition
Couldn’t compete with highly efficient wheat producers of Canada
Americans bought Canadian goods which were cheaper and American farmers lost money
What caused overproduction in farming?
Farmers invested in machinery such as Combine Harvesters and fertilisers between 1900 and 1920
By 1920s surpluses were being produced which nobody wanted
Why were European farming markets declining?
USA had sold Europe millions of dollars worth of grain in the war and lost that demand
Europe were bankrupt and couldn’t afford US grain
Tariffs meant Europeans had less money to buy US goods as they couldn’t sell goods in America
Who had the least skilled jobs and were very badly hit?
Blacks/ immigrants
Why did blacks and immigrants suffer?
Last to be hired and first to be fired
Segregated in many jobs
Which immigrants suffered from seasonal unemployment?
Polish and Irish
Eg in steel, meat and clothing workers
% of semi skilled workers that owned a car?
3%
How many black farm labourers lost work in the 1920s?
1 million
What did blacks share profits from? What caused the loss of this income?
Cotton industry
Sharecroppers
Tractors and machinery meant they lost jobs and cotton prices were falling so they lost income
Who persecuted blacks and immigrants?
KKK
Between what years were there strikes in the coal and steel industries?
1918 and 1920
Over low pay and working conditions
What workers were paid 1/3 of the national average?
Coal workers
What was coal being replaced by?
Hydro electric, natural gas and oil
How did strikes in West Virginia end?
State troopers being sent in to disperse strikers
Who set up an inquiry and found that miners working conditions were bad?
Warren Harding
Government did nothing to help them
Why was there a strike in North Carolina in 1928?
Male workers were paid $18 dollars and women $9 for a 70 hour week
Minimum required for basic standard of living seen as $48
Why was the cotton industry depressed?
Being replaced by artificial fibres
Asian factories made cheaper goods
Why did the United Textile Workers Union go on strike?
1927 in Elizabeth Town, Tennessee
Girls had to work 56 hour weeks for only 18 cents an hour
State troopers used to get rid of strikers
What followed the strike in Tennessee?
Strikes in North Carolina and West Virginia
Forced used
Why did union members suffer?
Government nearly always took the side of managers over the workers
Which 2 state laws did the Supreme Court over rule?
Law banning child labour
Laws setting minimum wages
What did trade union membership fall from?
From 5.1 million to 3.6 million between 1920 and 1929
What % of wealth went to the bottom of the population?
10% of the wealth went to the bottom 42% of the population
% below the poverty line
42%
Between 1919 and 1927, what did workers wages rise by?
Only rose from $1158 to $1304
Millionaire numbers rose from 7000 to 35000. Between 1914 and 1928
What % did unemployment stay at?
4% due to electrification
