Chapter 20

American economic prosperity in the 1920s was driven by the automobile industry. Which of the statements describe the automobile industry in the 1920s?

782 -The automobile industry stimulated the expansion of the oil, rubber, and steel industries. -Automobile production tripled during the 1920s.

With Europe still recovering from the Great War during the 1920s, American corporations invested massive amounts of money into overseas interests. Identify the statements that describe American international trade during this time.

782-783 -In the 1920s, the U.S. dollar replaced the British pound as the most important currency of international trade. -Approximately 40 percent of the world's manufactured goods were made in the United States in the 1920s.

True or False The 1920s was a decade of prosperity and explosive economic growth for the United States. The key driver of the decade's economic prosperity was the agricultural sector.

782-783 False -American farmers largely did not share in the decade's economic prosperity. Farmers had reached their peak era of prosperity during the Great War.

Americans spent more and more of their income on leisure activities such as vacations, movies, and sporting events. Where was the center of the film industry located?

783 Hollywood

Eric Foner titled "Agriculture in the West in the 1920s." Evaluate the ways in which agriculture and agricultural technology remade the West in the 1920s.

784-785 -New technologies allowed for the development of larger farms. -Disc plows enhanced farmers' ability to better cultivate the land.

The 1920s were a time of great economic change in the United States. Identify the professions that were in decline even before the 1929 stock market crash.

784-785 Farming Mining Manufacturing

What do these images reveal about the impact of technological changes on agriculture and manufacturing?

784-787 - Advances in technology created new efficiencies that led to increased production, and ultimately higher profits. - Consumer goods of all kinds, both agricultural and manufactured, proliferated because of new technologies.

True or False Hollywood functioned like a public relations firm for the United States during the 1920s, broadcasting a slick image of the prosperous "American way of life" around the world. This is an example of what historian Charles Beard described as America "boring its way" into the world's consciousness.

785-786 True

Identify the propaganda tactics used by American Plan supporters to undermine the labor movement.

786-787 -The campaign stated that unionism and socialism were linked in an evil plot by sinister foreigners on American life. -Collective bargaining was declared "an infringement of personal liberty and a menace to the institutions of a free people.

With the achievement of woman suffrage in 1920, passing the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) became the next objective of the feminist movement. Identify the statements that describe the ERA.

787-788 -The amendment would eliminate all legal distinctions "on account of sex." -The only women's group to support the amendment was the National Woman's Party.

Match each of the following prominent female Americans to their accomplishments and successes of the 1920s.

787-789 -Harriot Stanton Blatch: Socialist who advocated for government protection of industrial workers. -Alice Paul: Championed an Equal Rights Amendment. -Clara Bow: The sexually provocative Hollywood "It" girl, who challenged women's portrayals in film.

Consider the ways in which women are depicted in the two images. Based on your reading of these images, which of the following statements are true?

788 -The washing machine was depicted as a new technology to liberate women. -Both advertisements targeted women as their intended audience. -The Life magazine cover minimizes gender norms in its depiction of the male and female swimmers.

In 1924, a social scientist remarked that the United States had just passed through "one of the most critical ten-year periods" in its history. One of those changes was the disintegration of Progressivism as a political movement and body of thought. Match the intellectuals to their thoughts, writings, or theories on the American body politic.

789-790 -Walter Lippman: He published two of the most damning indictments of American democracy in the 1920s, Public Opinion and The Phantom Public. -Followers of Sigmund Freud: These scientists pointed to wartime IQ tests that allegedly demonstrated that many Americans were unfit for self-government. -Robert & Helen Lynd: They authored Middletown, a study of a typical Midwest town, which demonstrated how citizens prioritized consumption over political engagement.

True or False The influence of big business on the Republican Party and the party's domination of government resulted in a close relationship between big business and the Republican Party.

790 True

True or False Voter turnout declined as American citizens started to focus more on private issues, including leisure and the consumption of consumer goods, rather than public issues such as politics.

790 True

Warren G. Harding took the office of the presidency in 1921, promising to return the country to "normalcy" after the era of Progressive reform and world war, but his administration quickly became one of the most corrupt in American history. Identify the controversial events and personal scandals that took place during his presidency.

791 -During Prohibition, Harding continued to drink alcohol. -Harding continued an illicit affair with a young woman while president. -Harding's secretary of the interior was convicted of a felony for accepting payments from businessmen to whom he leased government oil reserves.

William Howard Taft was appointed chief justice of the Supreme Court in 1921. Identify the statements that describe the Supreme Court under Taft.

791 -In Adkins v. Children's Hospital the Taft Court overturned a minimum wage law. -he Court struck down a federal law that barred goods produced by child labor from interstate commerce.

Identify the statements that describe President Calvin Coolidge and his administration.

791-792 -Coolidge won reelection by a landslide in 1924. -Coolidge twice vetoed the McNary-Haugen bill, a legislative priority for farmers.

True or False American foreign policy in the 1920s continued to follow Wilson's internationalism tradition, and, as a result, the United States intervened overseas to address human rights violations and provide economic assistance to less-advanced nations.

792-793 False -The Republican administrations of the 1920s backed away from the internationalism of Wilson in favor of unilateral actions in the interests of the United States. The United States repeatedly intervened overseas when its economic interests were at stake.

What are civil liberties?

793 Rights an individual may assert even against democratic majorities.

Identify the events that took place during the 1920s that demonstrate the limitations to civil liberties at that time.

793,796 -The United States Postal Service removed books from the mail that were deemed inappropriate. -Hundreds of blacks throughout the South were lynched. -The arrests of a union leader in New Jersey and 400 IWW members in California.

"Voices of Freedom" primary source document from the chapter, titled "Speech in Congress on Immigration" (1921) by Lucian W. Parrish What arguments does Congressman Parrish make about immigration in the wake of the Great War?

794 Immigration should be postponed until Congress develops policies that require immigrants to completely Americanize.

"Voices of Freedom" primary source document from the chapter, titled "Majority Opinion in Meyer v. Nebraska" by Justice James C. McReynolds Justice McReynolds argued that knowledge and instruction of the German language was ----, rather, an individual's right to education. In this case, the instruction of the German language was protected by the liberty of the ---- , which was guaranteed to ----.

795 not harmful Fourteenth Amendment everyone

In the 1920s, the American film industry faced accusations that it promoted immorality. Identify the statements that describe the film industry during the 1920s.

796 -Hollywood producers feared that publicity over divorces, drugs, and sex would lead to government censorship. -Film producers voluntarily censored themselves and sporadically enforced the Hays code.

Boston indecency laws led to the phrase ----, which became a term of ridicule among those who supported ----. The Watch and Ward Committee banned sixty-five ---- from area stores. The works included some of the greatest literary figures in American history, such as Upton Sinclair, Theodore Dreiser, and Ernest Hemingway.

796 Banned in Boston artistic freedom books

True or False The American Civil Liberties Union was heavily funded by the Republican Party and Wall Street businessmen in the hopes of promoting censorship of communist and socialist propaganda and activists.

797 False -ACLU was formed by lawyers and activists who were shocked by the repression of dissent during the war years. Its efforts helped protect and define our traditional civil liberties, such as freedom of speech and the right to privacy.

Identify the statements that describe Schenck v. United States.

797 The case upheld the constitutionality of the wartime Espionage Act.

Review the video featuring author Eric Foner. How did the idea of free speech evolve between World War I and the 1920s?

797-799 -During WWI, the Supreme Court oppressed free speech, but throughout the 1920s it reconsidered these rules and began to defend the Bill of Rights. -In the 1920s, the Supreme Court started overturning convictions of people for just expressing their point of view. -During WWI, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) was formed in order to defend the right of dissent, but it was not until the 1920s that it was able to successfully mobilize in defense of civil liberties.

In the early twentieth century, civil liberties gained more importance and protection for Americans. Place the following events in chronological order, tracing several key events that led to an expansion of civil liberties.

797-799, 807 - The American Civil Liberties Union is established. - The Meyer v. Nebraska ruling overturns Nebraska's law prohibiting teaching a language other than English. -The Court voids laws in Kansas and Minnesota that authorized censorship of speech and the press. -The Court overturns a censorship ban on Ulysses.

The Supreme Court started to change its view on civil liberties in the 1920s. Identify the decisions that demonstrated this shift in the protection of civil liberties.

798-799 -Anita Whitney of California was allowed to display a red flag outside of her house. -The Court voided a Kansas law that made it a crime to advocate unlawful acts to change the political or economic system. -The Court threw out the conviction of Mary Ware Dennett for sending sex education materials through the mail.

Evangelical Protestants in the 1920s felt threatened by new social mores, scientific theories and philosophies, and immigration that challenged their world views. Identify the key beliefs, events, and people during this time.

799-800 -Modernist: A Protestant Christian that sought to integrate science and religion and adapt Christianity to the secular culture. -Prohibition: Made the consumption, possession, and sale of alcohol illegal. -Fundamentalists: A Protestant Christian that believed in the literal translation of the Bible as the basis of Christian belief. -Billy Sunday: Former professional baseball player and fundamentalist preacher. -Harry Emerson Fosdick: Modernist preacher of the Riverside Church in New York City.

More than the backdrop to Al Capone and speakeasies, Prohibition was indeed a serious federal effort to curtail alcohol consumption. Prohibition was enforced --- as authorities often targeted --- and African-American communities. In addition to law officials, the ---- also took it upon itself to enforce Prohibition laws.

799-801 unequally poor citizens Ku Klux Klan

The 1925 Scopes trial in Tennessee threw into sharp contrast the division between fundamentalism and modern secular culture. Identify the key groups and people involved in the famous trial.

801-802 -Clarence Darrow: Famous defense attorney who defended Scopes. -American Civil Liberties Union: Encouraged Scopes to teach evolution to test the constitutionality of Tennessee's prohibition on teaching it. - Williams Jennings Bryan: Lawyer for the prosecution who was a famous populist politician, former candidate for president, and fundamentalist Christian.

Identify the statements that describe the 1924 Johnson-Reed Act.

803-804 -There were no quota limits set on Mexicans because of the demand of farmers that relied on cheap labor. -The Border Patrol first came into existence with the passage of the 1924 Immigration Act. -The term "illegal alien" came into use for the first time after the passage of the 1924 Immigration Act.

What does this reveal about immigration in the United States in the 1920s? Match the following regions to the best descriptor.

805 -Russia: Had a higher quota than the entire continent of Africa, but smaller than the country of Italy. -Asia: Immigration from this region to the United States was not allowed. -Great Britain & Germany: Had the largest quota for new immigrants

During the Great Migration of World War I, more than a million black Americans moved from the rural South to northern urban centers. New York's Harlem gained a reputation as the "capital" of black America. Identify the statements that describe life in Harlem in the 1920s.

807-809 -Harlem was dominated by poverty, but it did contain a vibrant black cultural community. -West Indian blacks made up a large portion of the Harlem population. -A major cultural movement, the Harlem Renaissance, grew out of the area, in which authors and artists explored black culture.

True or False The election of 1928 was extremely close, which reflected the relative lack of popularity of both candidates.

810-811 False -Hoover easily won the election of 1928 as he had an impeccable reputation and record of success.

True or False During the 1928 election, a Protestant backlash in the South due to anti-Catholicism led several southern states to vote Republican for the first time ever, helping to propel Hoover to the presidency.

810-811 True

True or False In 1929, the global financial system was based on the gold standard and was extremely vulnerable to any financial downturn escalating quickly to catastrophic economic meltdown. As the financial markets collapsed, thousands of banks collapsed as people withdrew their savings in the fear that paper money would no longer be backed or redeemed for gold.

811 True

The stock market crash of October 1929 itself did not create the Great Depression. There were other indicators that the economy was in serious trouble. Which were long-term indicators of serious trouble prior to October 1929?

811-812 - There was stagnation in new automobile sales and household consumer goods after 1926. - Frenzied real-estate speculation in Florida and California had come to a stop.

The Depression transformed and shattered the expectations of the "American way of life." Which are examples of the new reality of American life during the Depression years?

812 -Americans looked for work abroad, as they were unable to find jobs in the United States. -Thousands of Americans formed shantytowns across the country in parks and fields as they had lost their homes. -The Depression reversed the movement of people from farms to cities.

One of the most notable protests took place in the spring of 1932 as --- marched from all over the country and converged on Washington, D.C., to demand ----. More than 20,000 men and their families formed a Hooverville on the Capitol Mall hoping to be heard. Instead of meeting their demands or listening to their concerns, President Hoover called in the U.S. Army, under the command of ----- , who scattered the men and their families.

813 World War 1 vets a bonus payment General Douglas MacArthur

Identify the statements that describe Hoover's beliefs and actions during the crises of the Great Depression.

814-815 -He believed that voluntary steps by business and charity would assist the people and nation through the crises. -By 1932, Hoover admitted volunteerism was not working and created the Reconstruction Finance Corporation. -Despite no improvement in the day-to-day lives of most people, Hoover put a positive spin on the conditions in the media.

True or False In response to the critical economic situation created by the Great Depression, Herbert Hoover quickly and effectively passed the Smoot-Hawley Tariff, which helped to stabilize the American economy in 1930.

815 False -Made it worse.

True or False During the 1900s and 1920s, the Ku Klux Klan experienced explosive growth as immigrants joined in large numbers to defend traditional American Protestant values.

False -From 1915 to 1925, the explosive growth of the Ku Klux Klan was due to a nativist backlash against the perception that urban immigrants and cultures threatened to destroy traditional Protestant America.

Majority Opinion, Justice James C. McReynolds, in Meyer v. Nebraska (1923) How does the decision in Meyer v. Nebraska expand the definition of liberty protected by the Fourteenth Amendment?

The Court decided that use of only the English language is not a test of United States citizenship nor can it be required.