Roaring 20's Flashcards
Why did some European countries get angry at America after World War I? Be specific.
- The Fordney-McCumber Tariff made it impossible for Britain and France to sell enough goods in the US to repay their debt.
- The US benefited from the defeat of Germany because they were making money off of loans given to both the Allied Countries.
Explain President Hardin’s policy on economics. What did he want to do and why?
He wanted to reduce taxes on America’s wealthiest businessmen because he thought it was the wealthy who started and expanded business.
What is graft? How is that concept related to the Roaring 20’s?
- Graft is using office positions improperly to become rich.
- President Harding used graft to appoint his friends to gov’t positions.
What was the Teapot Dome Scandal?
Government land where bribes were accepted to allow oil companies to drill federal reserves.
Explain what the ‘pro-business’ spirit referred to during the 1920s.
Favored government policies that would keep taxes low and business profits up. Allowed profits to increase and unemployment to decrease.
What are tariffs? Why did President Coolidge place high ones on imports (goods purchased from other countries)?
- Tariffs are a tax imposed by one country on the goods and services imported from another country.
- President Coolidge placed tariffs on imports to help American manufacturers.
Why did President Coolidge reduce income taxes?
It meant people had more money to spend, which would help boost the economy.
What was the biggest economic/business success of the 1920s?
The Auto Industry
Explain the goal/vision/philosophy of Ford and the impact that Ford had on American society. (You should have at LEAST four bullet points)
- When Henry Ford started selling the Model T in 1908 it was more affordable than the cars sold in the 1800s.
- One of his ideas was to make cars simple and identical instead of doing highly expensive custom manufacturing.
- He wanted to make the process smooth by using interchangeable parts and moving belts.
- One of his goals was to determine how workers should move and at what speed would be the most productive.
How did the automobile impact other businesses?
It created new industries such as gas stations, garages, car dealerships, motels, roadside restaurants, etc.
How did the automobile impact American society?
It allowed people to be able to live farther from work, move to towns and suburbs outside of cities, and it brought people and families closer together.
What is xenophobia? How is it connected to the Roaring 20’s?
Xenophobia is the unreasoned fear of things/people that are foreign. Some schools stopped teaching German language classes and some Americans of German heritage changed their names to be more English sounding.
What is nativism? How is it connected to the Roaring 20’s?
Nativism is prejudice against foreign-born people. Anti-Semitism (hatred of Jews) increased.
What is Anti-semitism? Why was it in America in the 1920s?
Anti-semitism is the hatred of Jews. It was a result of increased immigration from Europe.
What is isolationism? Why did many Americans favor it in the 1920s?
Isolationism is staying out of other country’s affairs/problems. Americans favored isolationism because it kept them out of trouble and conflict.
What is communism? Why were Americans against/afraid of it? (You should have at least three bullet points).
- An economic and political system based on a one-party govt ruled by a dictatorship
- It would mean that the government would control businesses and private land
- Meant that there was no such thing as wealth or social classes
What was the Red Scare and why was it present in the 1920s?
The Red Scare was the fear of Communism in America during the 1920’s. It was inspired by the Russian communist revolution and Americans were frightened by communism.
Explain what the Palmer Raids were and why they happened. Finally, explain the impact they had on American society.
US Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer was in charge of addressing the Communist threat and hunted down suspected communists and socialists. It targeted anarchists as well (people against any form of gov’t). Jailed suspects without allowing them legal counsel, infringed on the rights of the citizens, and deported foreigners.
Explain the Sacco and Vanzetti case and what it reflected about American society during the 1920s.
Two Italian immigrants who were anarchist that were arrested for armed robbery and murder. It reflected anti-immigrant perspectives of America at the time.
Why were anti-immigration attitudes present during the 1920s in America? (at least three bullet points)
- Many immigrants were willing to work for low wages in hard jobs
- Nativists said that because the US had fewer unskilled jobs available then less immigrants should be let into the country
- The demand for workers went down after WWI and returning soldiers needed/wanted jobs
What was the KKK? Why did it become influential during the 1920s? What sort of impact did it have on society?
The Ku Klux Klan consisted of white native-born men known for harassing and targeting African Americans, Jews, Catholics, radicals, and immigrants. They would often attack people in order to scare them into doing something. Started to preserve the U.S. for white native-born Protestants and by the end of the 1920s their power was decreasing.
What was the Emergency Quota Act of 1921? Why was it established? What impact did it have?
It limited the number of people who could enter the US from other countries. It was established to sharply curb European immigration to the US but the law was updated in 1927 to reduce the total # of people to be admitted in one year to 150,000. Impacted immigration from Japan, which angered the Japanese.
Why was there conflict between workers and business owners during the 1920s? Give an example.
Boston Police hadn’t been given a raise since before WWI, and when asked to be given a raise they were fired, which caused them to strike (The Boston Police Strike). The Steel Mill Strike was when Steel Mill workers wanted the right to negotiate shorter working hours and higher wages.
Between 1922-1929, migration to cities increased. Explain why.
The cities were starting to get larger which resulted in high populated cities, lots of cultural diversity, and the main reason people migrated to cities was because people were more likely to tolerate risky behavior like drinking, gambling, and casual dating.
