Chapter 20
Henry Ford
Carmaker who improved the assembly line and produced his Model T which made cars available to everyone at cheaper prices.
Consumer Revolution
1920s; flood of new, affordable goods that suddenly became available to the public. This improved American life and made it more materialistic
Model T
Henry Ford's first model which made cars more available to the public because of its cheaper price
Marcus Garvey
African American leader who noticed the exploitation of his race. He promoted the idea of universal black nationalism and organized a "back to Africa" movement. He did not call for blacks and whites to work together to improve America. Instead, he advocated the separation of the races.
How is the rise of the automobile an example of technology affecting attitudes or values?
The automobile affected American life by giving them the chance to travel easier and live farther away from work. They could go where they wanted, when they wanted. It provided freedom and prosperity.
Why do you think many advertisers began to focus on the benefits of their products rather than the products themselves?
The benefits of their products made Americans want them more, which brought in more money for the business. So the better they made their product look, the more sales they would make.
How did the increased popularity of sports heroes and the disillusionment of the Lost Generation writers represent different responses to the same events?
The sports heroes saw life as a victory, they were looked up to. Writers showed the reality of everything, as if they were disappointed with the country
Why did both supporters and opponents of immigration quotas believe they were defending American traditions and values?
The supporters believed that America was a country based on immigrants, and saw it as an important value. The opponents argued that the new arrivals took jobs away from native - born workers and threatened American religious, political, and cultural traditions.
How did jazz blend of culture influences and cross - cultural divides?
They often played their music to all - white audiences and was played on the radio for all to hear. It lessened the gap and helped future white composers with their orchestral work.
How did the approach to government of Harding and Coolidge differ from that of the Progressives?
They took a more traditional laissez - faire approach. (letting things take their own approach)
Why do you think the revived Ku Klux Klan was able to spread beyond the South and even into some urban areas?
They were able to spread beyond the South because they developed a new hatred towards Catholics, Jews, and immigrants.
Warren G. Harding
US President, trusted others to make decisions for him, and he was constantly involved in scandals that made him grow less popular to the people of America
Calvin Coolidge
Vice president who look over after Harding's death. He placed his trust in business, and put his administration in the hands of men who held to the simple virtues of an older America. "the business of America is business."
Do you think that Harding should be held responsible for the scandals in his administration? Why or why not?
Yes Harding should be held responsible because it was his fault he trusted the wrong people and he should of done more with his own decisions instead of relying on others.
Bull Market
a period of rising stock prices.
Washington Naval Disarmament Conference
agreement by world leaders to limit construction of large warships and hammered out a settlement on several problems between Japan and the West.
Ku Klux Klan
aimed at the new era of Americans taking over the city - Jews, Catholics, and immigrants. It showed how racism is still alive in America.
Dawes Plan
arranged US loans to Germany. Helped Britain and France repay their debts to the US.
Assembly Line
arrangement of equipment and workers in which work passes from operation to operation in direct line until the product is assembled. Henry Ford used this process to build his Model T. This made car making cheaper and quicker.
Kellogg - Briand Pact
attempt to prevent war, but the pact was unenforceable
Emergency Quota Act of 1921 / National Origins Act of 1924 / Quota System
both of these laws created a quota system to govern immigration from specific countries. The NOA set up a formula : the number of immigrants of a given nationality each year could not exceed 2 percent of the number of people of that nationality living in the US in 1890.
Buying on Margin
by doing this, a buyer paid as little as 10 percent of the stock price upfront to the broker. The buyer then paid for the rest of the stock for a period of months.
Fundamentalism
emphasized protestant teachings and the belief that every word in the Bible was literal truth
Harlem Renaissance
era of cultural outpouring of novelists, poets, and artists that celebrated their culture and explored questions of race in America.
Charles Lindbergh
first to fly across the Atlantic, solo, and non stop. Greatest hero of his time
18th Amendment
forbade the manufacture, distribution, and sale of alcohol anywhere in the US.
Volstead Act
forbade the manufacture, distribution, and sale of alcohol anywhere in the US. This did not stop Americans from drinking, but it did prevent them from purchasing drinks legally.
Modernism
growing trend to emphasize science and secular values over traditional ideas about religion
F. Scott Fitzgerald
novelist who explored the reality of the American dream of wealth, success, and emotional fulfillment.
Ernest Hemingway
novelist who felt betrayed, not only by American dream, but also by literary language itself.
Installment Buying
system in which a consumer would make a small down payment and then pay off the rest of the debt in regular monthly payments. This allowed Americans to own products they might otherwise have had to save up for years in order to buy
Scopes Trial
teacher in Tennessee taught evolution to his students with no memory of doing so. Modernism and fundamentalism went head to head in this case.
Prohibition
the banning of alcohol. It seemed unpatriotic to use corn, wheat, and barley to make alcohol when soldiers overseas needed bread
Louis Armstrong
trumpet player in the jazz era. His ability to play the trumpet and his subtle sense of improvisation made him a legend and influenced the development of jazz
Movies / Radio
with more free time, Americans were opened to the world of movies and radio. They got the latest news from a mass popular culture.
Flapper
young woman with short skirts and roughed cheeks who had her hair cropped in a bob. Sign that women wanted to become more independent and free.
Why do you think Marcus Garvey rejected the goals of earlier African American leaders?
I think he did this because he saw that nothing was really working with those ideas and if they did get the same rights as whites, they would always get the scraps.
How did the two sides of the Scopes trial represent conflicting value systems? What did each side value most?
One side took a more traditional belief on evolution taken from the Bible. The other were more modernist, believing in the Darwinist theory of evolution.
Identify two potential signs of weakness in the economy in the 1920's, and predict what might happen if those problems are not solved.
One sign of weakness was the installment buying, another was the buying on margin. If these weren't to be fixed, America would go in debt and the wealth would spread unevenly which ended up making the stock market crash.