The Beginning of Modern America (1920s) Flashcards
Teapot Dome Scandal
major scandal in the administration of President Harding. Secretary of the Interior had two oil deposits put under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Interior and leased them to private companies in return for large sums of money.
Red Scare
after WWI, the fear of the spread of communism in the U.S.
Palmer Raids
as part of the Red Scare, in these 1919-1920 raids, thousands of Americans not born in the U.S. were arrested and hundreds were sent back to their countries of origin. Today many view these raids as a violation of the constitutional rights of American citizens.
National Origins Act (1924)
anti-immigration federal legislation that took the number of immigrants from each country in 1890 and stated that immigration from those countries could now be no more than 2 percent of that. In addition immigration from Asia was halted and immigration from Europe was limited.
Scopes Trial (1925)
trial of teacher John Scopes in Tennesse for the teaching of evolution. During this trial, lawyers squared off on the teachings of Darwin versus the Bible.
Jazz Age
image of the 1920s that emphasized the more relaxed social attitude of the decade. The Great Gatsby is seen by many as a novel that best depicts this.
Flapper
“new woman” of the 1920s, who was pictured as having bobbed hair, a shorter skirt, makeup, and a cigarette in her hand, and somewhat liberated sexual attitudes. Flappers would have been somewhat hard to find in small-town and rural America.
“Lost Generation”
group of post-WWI writers who in their works expressed deep dissatisfaction with mainstream American culture. Hemingway’s novels are often seen as a good representation of this writing
Harlem Renaissance
1920s black literary and cultural movement that produced works depicting the role of blacks in contemporary America. Examples of this were Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes.
Model T
automobile produced by Ford using an assembly line which gave Ford the resources and efficiency to produce half of all automobiles in the world in the early 1900s.
advertising age
term first used to describe America’s consumer culture of the 1920s, when advertising began to influence the choices of purchasers.
Washington Conference
A 1921 conference where the U.S., Japan, and European powers agreed not to build anymore warships for 10 years. They also agreed not to attack each other’s pacific territories. This came out of motivation to prevent further wars and conflicts after WWI.
Fordney-McCumber Tariff
1922 act that increased tariffs on imported goods. Most Republican leaders of the time believed that protectionist policies would improve American businesses.
Universal Negro Improvement Association
black organization in the early 1920s founded by Garvey who argued that blacks should not assimilate to white society. this group organized a “back to Africa” movement to encourage blacks of African descent to move back.
Emergency Quota Act
Also called the “Johnson Act”, this 1921 bill limited immigration from Southern and Eastern Europe stating that in one year, only 3% of the number of immigrants from one country in 1910 could be admitted to the U.S.
