The 1920s Flashcards
What was the economic situation for farmers during the boom?
Farmers were producing too many crops and couldn’t sell them, leading to falling prices and poverty.
What economic policy did Republican Presidents adopt in the 1920s?
They adopted a laissez-faire (free market) policy, allowing big businesses to expand without government interference.
What was the Fordney-McCumber Tariff Act?
It imposed a tax on foreign goods, encouraging Americans to buy domestic products.
This policy is known as protectionism.
How did advertising change in the 1920s?
Effective advertising campaigns used billboards, newspapers, and magazines to promote products.
What was mass production?
Mass production involved using assembly lines to produce items quickly and cheaply.
What was the impact of World War I on the US economy?
Staying out of the war initially allowed America to prosper financially by loaning money to Britain and its allies.
Who was Henry Ford?
Henry Ford developed the assembly line and produced the Model T Ford, revolutionizing the motor industry.
What was the significance of the Model T Ford?
It was mass-produced, affordable, and changed the motor industry forever, with 15 million sold by 1929.
What challenges did African Americans face during the boom?
They suffered economically, especially in the South, where segregation and poverty were prevalent.
What was the role of women during the 1920s?
Women began to work in various jobs, gained the right to vote with the Nineteenth Amendment, and increased their independence.
What was the impact of jazz music in the 1920s?
Jazz originated from black culture and became popular among young people, influencing social behaviors.
What was the significance of the cinema in the 1920s?
Cinema became a major form of entertainment, influencing fashion and behavior, with stars like Charlie Chaplin and Clara Bow.
What was the Hays Code?
The Hays Code was established in 1930 to regulate film content, prohibiting nudity and certain portrayals.
It aimed to maintain moral standards in films.
What was the Great Depression?
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic downturn that began in 1929.
What was Hoover’s response to the Great Depression?
Hoover believed in rugged individualism, encouraging people to solve their own problems without government assistance.
What was the New Deal?
The New Deal was a series of programs and policies implemented by Franklin D. Roosevelt to combat the Great Depression.
What was McCarthyism?
McCarthyism was a campaign against alleged communists in the US government and other institutions during the early 1950s.
What was the Civil Rights Movement?
The Civil Rights Movement aimed to end racial discrimination and secure equal rights for African Americans, with leaders like Martin Luther King Jr.
What was the Great Society?
The Great Society was a set of domestic programs launched by President Lyndon B. Johnson to eliminate poverty and racial injustice.
What was the Feminist Movement?
The Feminist Movement sought to achieve equal rights and opportunities for women in various aspects of society.
What did the Nineteenth Amendment accomplish?
The Nineteenth Amendment, passed in 1920, gave women the right to vote.
How much did the number of working women increase during the 1920s?
There was a 25 percent increase in the number of women working during the 1920s.
How many women were working by 1929?
By 1929, 10.6 million women were working.
How did advertising change in the 1920s?
Advertising companies started targeting women to encourage them to buy new products.
What social changes occurred for women in the 1920s?
Women began to smoke in public, drive cars, and participate in energetic sports.
Who were the flappers?
The young women of the 1920s who embraced new fashions and behaviors.
What characterized the flapper style?
Flappers wore shorter skirts, cut their hair in bobs, and wore make-up and jewelry.
Who was Joan Crawford?
Joan Crawford was a famous flapper who starred in films like Paris (1926) and The Unknown (1927).
What role did Jazz Clubs play for flappers?
Jazz Clubs allowed flappers to express themselves through smoking, dancing, and drinking illegal alcohol.
What were petting parties?
Petting parties were social gatherings where flappers would kiss men in public.
What slang terms did flappers use?
Flappers used slang like ‘I have to go see a man about a dog’ for buying whisky.
What was the impact of Prohibition?
Prohibition, enacted by the 18th Amendment in 1920, made the manufacture and sale of alcohol illegal.
What were some reasons for the introduction of Prohibition?
Reasons included national mood against drinking, practical benefits for grain supplies, religious beliefs, and moral arguments.
What did the Wickersham Commission report about Prohibition?
In 1929, the Wickersham Commission reported that Prohibition was not working.
What were some challenges in enforcing Prohibition?
Challenges included insufficient Prohibition agents, bribery, and widespread public support for drinking.
How did Prohibition lead to crime?
Prohibition created a demand for illegal alcohol, leading to gang violence and organized crime.
What was the significance of the St. Valentine’s Day massacre?
The St. Valentine’s Day massacre in 1929 involved the killing of seven members of a rival gang.
What were the reasons for ending Prohibition?
Reasons included financial losses, increased crime, and the high cost of enforcement.
What was the Open Door policy?
The Open Door policy encouraged immigration to the USA, leading to over 40 million arrivals by 1920.
What were the push and pull factors for immigration?
Push factors included poverty, while pull factors included the hope for equality of opportunity.
What immigration laws were passed in the 1920s?
Laws included the Literacy Test (1917), Emergency Quota Act (1921), and National Origins Act (1924).
What was the Red Scare?
The Red Scare was a period of fear of communism in the USA, heightened by events like the Communist Revolution in Russia.
What were the Palmer Raids?
Mitchell Palmer claimed there were around 150,000
communists living in the country (0.1 per cent of the
population).
He started rumours that they had
infiltrated Congress. He said they were working on
behalf of the US government to spread communism.
used the Red Scare as an excuse to organise
attacks against left-wing organisations.
What were consequences of the palmer raids?
6,000 people, who were mostly not communist
supporters, were arrested and held in a prison
without a trial.
* 556 of them were also deported on flimsy
evidence under the 1918 Alien Act.
* People used the raids as an excuse to attack
any group they disliked or distrusted.
* Trade unions were weakened by Palmer’s
rumours and raids because they were branded
un-American.
Who were Sacco and Vanzetti?
Sacco and Vanzetti were two immigrants from Italy
who were self-confessed anarchists - who in 1920 were
found guilty of armed robbery and murder (and executed in
1927)
Why were Sacco and Vanzetti executed?
This was the height of the red scare:
-Great fear and distrust of immigrants/ anyone with radical beliefs.
-Unfortunately for Sacco and Vanzetti , Italian AND self-confessed anarchists.
-Meant many people assumed must be guilty of crime, even though the
evidence against them unreliable
-Their trial was less a trial for murder, more a trial about their political beliefs.
-The judge in the case was extremely biased
What were Jim Crow laws?
Jim Crow laws legalized segregation and kept black Americans in inferior positions in society.
What challenges did black Americans face in the North during the 1920s?
Black Americans faced discrimination, exploitation, and lived in poor conditions despite the absence of Jim Crow laws.
How did black Americans express their frustrations in the 1920s?
They expressed their frustrations through music and literature, leading to a flourishing of their culture.
What challenges did black Americans face in the north?
Black Americans in the north faced discrimination and exploitation, despite the absence of Jim Crow laws. They were often assigned menial tasks due to racism and poor education.
What percentage of black American women in Milwaukee worked as domestic servants?
60 percent of black American women in Milwaukee worked as domestic servants.
How did black Americans express their frustrations with discrimination?
They expressed their frustrations through music and literature, with their culture flourishing in the 1920s, especially in areas like Harlem.
What types of music became popular among black Americans in the 1920s?
Jazz, soul, and blues became popular among black Americans in the 1920s.
What was the Ku Klux Klan (KKK)?
The KKK was a racist group that began in the southern states after the American Civil War and was revived in 1915, growing to 5 million members by the mid-1920s.
Who could join the KKK?
Only White Anglo-Saxon Protestants (WASPs) could join the KKK.
What groups did the KKK target in the 1920s?
In addition to black Americans, the KKK targeted Roman Catholics, Jews, new immigrants, communists, and socialists.
What tactics did the KKK use to instill fear?
The KKK held night-time meetings, burned crosses, marched in white clothing, and violently attacked minority communities.
What was ‘Rope Law’?
Rope Law referred to the mob killings of black Americans without trial, known as lynching.
How many black Americans were lynched by the KKK in the 1920s?
Over 400 black Americans were lynched by the KKK in the 1920s.
Why were KKK members seldom punished for their crimes?
Many KKK members held positions of authority, local police often did nothing to help victims, and politicians feared losing WASP votes.
