T2 02&06 US starter

Question 1

What is a Depression?

Answer 1

A sustained, long-term downturn in economic activity.

Question 2

What was the unemployment rate by 1933

Answer 2

25.2%

Question 3

What were Hoovervilles?

Answer 3

Shanty towns named after President Hoover - These were places that the homeless and unemployed lived in impoverished conditions.

Question 4

Shanty towns named after President Hoover - These were places that the homeless and unemployed lived in impoverished conditions.

Answer 4

26/48

Question 5

What happened to the number of marriages taking place in America?

Answer 5

Dropped from 1.23 million to 982,000

Question 6

Why was the Great Depression particularly damaging to African Americans?

Answer 6

4-6 times more likely to lose their jobs. ‘First fired, last hired.’

Question 7

Name 2 of Hoover’s core beliefs

Answer 7

Rugged individualism
Self Help
Voluntarism

Question 8

What did the Agricultural Marketing Act do set out to do?

Answer 8

Designed to buy back, store and dispose of surplus farm production

Question 9

Why was the Agricultural Marketing Act ineffective?

Answer 9

It artificially inflated pricing which was unsustainable and led to further overproduction.

Question 10

What was the Hawley-Smoot tariff?

Answer 10

Introduced the largest tariffs in US history - 40% on both agricultural and industrial items.

Question 11

How did Hoover try and resolve the unemployment crisis?

Answer 11

Gave a $500 million to relief agencies to help the unemployed

Question 12

What did the Federal Home Loan Bank Act do?

Answer 12

Created loans associations that would provide mortgages to those who needed them

Question 13

What did the Emergency Relief Construction Act 1932 do?

Answer 13

Authorised the RFC to lend up to $1.5 billion to finance public works therefore creating temporary employment.

Question 14

What was the Bonus Army and how did Hoover react to them?

Answer 14

Protesting war vets who wanted their bonuses. Hoover supported their violent removal from the Hoovervilles they were squatting in.

Question 15

What is the federal government?

Answer 15

The centralised or national government.

Question 16

How did the unemployment rate of African Americans compare to the American population as a whole?

Answer 16

Almost double. 50% vs 25.2%

Question 17

How many banks had failed by 1933?

Answer 17

At least 10,000

Question 18

The 1887 Dawes Act impoverished Native Americans. What was it?

Answer 18

Divided tribal land into 160 acre plots. Native Americans could either farm it or lose the land. Led to assimilation and loss of cultural independence.

Question 19

How many Hispanic Americans were ‘repatriated’ to Mexico?

Answer 19

400,000

Question 20

What happened in the 1932 Presidential election?

Answer 20

FDR (Democrat) defeated Hoover (Republican) by a landslide.

Question 21

What happened during the first hundred days of Roosevelt’s Presidency?

Answer 21

Congress were called into special session. This session saw more legislation passed than any previous time in US history. Led to creation of Alphabet Agencies.

Question 22

What was the New Deal?

Answer 22

Roosevelt’s promise to the American people. It promised a new relationship between government and the people as well as a solution to the problems of the depression.

Question 23

What were FDR’s ‘fireside chats’?

Answer 23

Roosevelt’s radio addresses to the US people. Such was his warmth and charisma that it felt like he was talking with people in their living room

Question 24

What were the alphabet agencies?

Answer 24

Federal government agencies set up to try and tackle the challenges of the depression. They focused on Relief, Recovery and Reform.

Question 25

What did Roosevelt promise Americans?

Answer 25

A New Deal - legislation that would put the country back to work

Question 26

What was so radical about Roosevelt’s challenge to individualism?

Answer 26

The massive federal intervention

Question 27

What defined Roosevelt’s first 100 days in office?

Answer 27

Most eventful, 3 months, over 15 bills, alphabet soup of agencies

Question 28

Who did the Alphabet Agencies help?

Answer 28

Farmers, workers and businesses

Question 29

What was FDR’s first priority to deal with and why?

Answer 29

Stabilise the banks after the public had withdrawn their money due to failures and lack of confidence

Question 30

How did FDR stabilise the banks?

Answer 30

He made a speech, and increased federal oversight of commercial banks and created bank insurance to guarantee any deposited funds would always be available

Question 31

What landmark changes were made for workers under FDR?

Answer 31

Child labour laws, Labor Unions allowed collective bargaining rights, and a minimum wage, and benefits for those unable to work

Question 32

What did the Social Security Act establish?

Answer 32

An old age pension, unemployment benefits, welfare assistance

Question 33

How did black Americans benefit, and not benefit?

Answer 33

Northern industrial centres like Chicago saw many black Americnas in work and educate, but not so much in the South as FDR relief on Southern Democrat support and they were racist, no anti lynching bills and white Americans prioritised

Question 34

How was the New Deal limited?

Answer 34

Unemployment never went below 14%, wasn’t until WW2 that economy recovered