The USA as a Divided Society in the 1920s Flashcards
Which figures are missing from this quote?
“In early 1929, ?% of the USA’s population enjoyed ?% of the nation’s wealth.”
“In early 1929, 5% of the USA’s population enjoyed 33% of the nation’s wealth.”
What percentage of American families lived below the poverty line?
Over 50% of American families lived below the poverty line.
Farmers produced more product than was needed. Why was this an issue?
Over-production led to the prices of their products decreasing, leading to reduced income. Many farmers were unable to pay their mortgage payments, this resulted in them having their homes repossessed by the banks, or them having to sell their homes for a mere fraction of what they were once worth.
How many African Americans lost their jobs during the 1920s? What did they do as a result?
One million. Many of them emigrated to the North of America where racism wasn’t as severe and where it was easier to find low-paid jobs.
What happened to the Coal Industry during the 1920s?
The profits of the Coal Industry declined due to there being an alternative methods of power supply available; electricity and gas. This resulted in massive wage cuts and job losses in this industry. The Cotton Industry suffered a similar fate.
What jobs did children do during the 1920s?
Many children worked long hours in textile factories or doing agricultural work for very low wages.
Describe the influx of immigrants American received before WWI.
Before World War One, there was an influx of immigrants from Europe and Asia. America was described as a ‘melting point’ of ethnicities/nationalities. Many of these immigrants spoke languages very dissimilar to English and were often poorly educated Catholics.
Describe the problems immigrants were thought to have caused during the 1920s.
Immigrants were willing to work hard for low wages, thus creating competition for jobs.
Immigrants may bring unwanted political ideas to America, such as Communism from Russia, threatening American Democracy.
Immigrants congregated in densely populated Ghettos where rates of crime and violence were high.
Racism was common against those who weren’t white-skinned and didn’t hail from Northern Europe.
What did Congress do to resolve the issue they had regarding immigration?
Congress feared that the continuation of large influxes of immigrants would cause long-term issues for Americans, so they passed a series of laws to limit immigration.
What was the 1917 Immigration Law?
All immigrants must pass an English Literacy test to prove that they can understand a short passage of English. Many immigrants from poor counties had received little education, resulting in them being unable to enter the USA.
What was the 1921 Immigration Quota Act?
The number of immigrants allowed to enter the USA per year was limited to 3% of each ethnic group’s population in the USA in the year of 1910.
It was also capped at 357,000 immigrants a year.
This worked in favour of Northern European Immigrants as they already had a large population in the USA in 1910.
What was the 1924 National Origins Act?
This was development of the 1921 Immigration Quota Act. The number of immigrants allowed to enter the USA per year was further reduced to 2% of each ethnic group’s population in the USA in the year of 1890.
1929 Immigration Act
150,000 immigrants were allowed into the USA per year.
When was slavery abolished in America?
After the civil war of 18561-1865.
In which section of America was segregation legal?
The South. Congress approved Jim Crow’s Law in 1896. Jim Crow’s Law stated that it was legal to discriminate against African Americans/treat them as inferior to white people.
