Radmon Context Flashcards
Poem = valley of ashes?
T.S. Elliot’s poem the wasteland – wants a revival of the past
Law of prohibition?
18th amendment in 1918 (prohibition)
1880s name and meaning?
Guided age - implying that under the glittery, or gilded, surface of prosperity lurked troubling issues, including poverty, unemployment, and corruption
What did GNP rise from?
GNP rose from $74 bill in 1920 to more than $104 bill in 1929
What happened to farming prices?
Farming commodity prices fell – in a depression 4 years before the crash
Women’s right to vote?
Women got the right to vote in 1920, 19th amendment
Women’s employment?
25% more women were employed
Hedonism?
Hedonism – pursuit of pleasure
Materialism?
Materialism – attaches importance to money
Conspicuous consumption?
Conspicuous consumption – buying goods to display wealth
What was Americans immigration policy?
America had an open door policy, by 1920 more than 40 mill had arrived
How many different nationalities in America?
Blend of over 130 different nationalities – melting pot
Why were people scared of immigrants?
Feared that immigrants had extremist views like communism – red scare
Treatment of suspected communists
Mitchell Palmer claimed there were around 150,000 communists in the country, started rumours, attacked left wing groups, 6000 non communists were held in prison without trial
Where was Cather from?
Cather was born in Virginia 1873 and later moved to Nebraska like Jim
How much land did Indians loose?
By 1934 Indians had lost about 2/3 of the land they had held in 1887
Homestead act?
1862 Homestead Act passed – for a small fee the head of house could get 160 acres of land, if they could live on it and improve it for 5 years, they got it for free
Why did people fail in the west?
Many failed as west was too dry and buying a plot, well, seeds and fences could cost $1000
Women as teachers?
Women set off in the west to teach in the 1840s and 1850s but only received 40-60% of a male teachers salary, once married they were forced to give up their jobs
Women in government?
By 1925, 145 women had seats in 35 state governments
Ideal woman poem
Patmore’s poem ‘the angel in the house’ which was inspired by his wife Emily, charts their traditional marriage. The wife was devoted and docile towards her husband with it stating ‘man must be pleased’
Farming change in 30s?
1930s saw the start of machine farming
Roosevelt impact?
FDR New Deal saw the start of social housing and a minimum wage
What did California become
California became a promised land – gold rush, railways, boom in agriculture
WPA peak?
1938 was a peak year for the WPA where jobs were provided to more than 5 mill and 40,000 new buildings were constructed
