Ch. 11 Study Guide
How did buying on margin allow more people to invest in the stock market?
Buying on margin is a system of buying stocks in which a buyer pays a smaller percentage of the purchase price while the broker advances the rest. This helped people who could not otherwise afford to purchase stock. Then, if the stock succeeded, the buyer would be able to pay back the broker and make a profit
What policies did Calvin Coolidge favor to support economic growth?
Coolidge favored policies that were in the best interest of business, such as policies that reduced national debt, trimmed federal budget, and gave incentives to businesses. Coolidge favored laissez-faire economics.
What themes did LAngston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston explore?
- hughes focused on the celebration of AA culture & life & its diversity - hurston collected folktales in florida & also looked to the future. she wrote about the woman's (all women) desire to be independent people
How did autos change American lifestyles (including teenagers!), highways, roads, suburbs, traffic?
- public transportation down - advertisement on side of roads - more leisure time - people could live further from work - gas stations - steel, rubber, glass industries - construction companies built roads - hang out spots for teens - leisure time, movies
What evidence is given to show that Americans enjoyed a higher "standard of living" in the Twenties?
1. ability to afford cars 2. living in the suburbs 3. able to attend & pay for movies 4. 600k radios purchased 5. phonographs & records purchased by ordinary workers 6. better wages 7. shorter work days 8. attending sporting events 9. new appliances for the home
How did the two sides in the Scopes Trial represent conflicting value systems? What did each side value most?
Darwinism (modernism) vs. Bible (fundaentalism); darwinism - humans developed gradually over time from simpler forms of life (monkeys) traditionalist - belief in Bible as the Literal Truth, Adam & Eve
How did domestic and foreign policy change direction under Presidents Harding and Coolidge?
Domestic policies changed directions. previous presidents, placed restrictions on American businesses. at the same time, they lifted restrictions on foreign goods. In Harding/Coolidge era, they took a different approach, they lifted restrictions on American business a more laissez-faire approach. they also imposed a 25% increase in protective tariffs, effecting foreign business relations
How did new laws change US immigration policy in the 1920s?
Emergency quota Act of 1921 & National Origins Act 1924 established a quota system of immigration from specific countries. Numbers determined by 1890 census (prior to immigration of E & S European) 2% of number of people of that nationality living in US were allowed in. Differences 65000 from England & Ireland vs. 5800 from Italy
How did the automobile affect other related industries?
Ford's success lead to success in many other industries. Steel, oil, highway construction, service stations, diners, motels.
How did Marcus Garvey encourage African American pride?
Garvey chose: separation Focus on black pride Black Culture Black Nationalism Keep cultural ties Promoted self-reliance
How did Henry Ford increase the production and sale of automobiles?
Henry Ford utilized mass production, scientific management, and the assembly line to create cars quicker. He created the Model-T, which was an affordable car for Americans, and increased worker production by cutting down work hours and increasing wages.
African Americans who moved North of the Mason-Dixon line during the Great Migration were often limited to what kind of housing and jobs?
AA that moved N did find limitations. they were forced to live in worst housing & labored in the lowest paying jobs
How did jazz spread from its roots in the South to the North in the 1920s?
African American artists and musicians migrated to the North during the great migration, bringing jazz with them.
How did WWI and the Great Migration of African Americans to the North lead to the Harlem Renaissance?
African Americans flocked cities, which were cultural hubs. The post-war inspired African American writers and artists to reflect on their experiences through their music and literature.
How did the new mass media contribute to the popularity of heroes?
Mass media wrote about sports heroes and painted them in glorious lights, making them more popular with the public. Radios made it easier for people to listen to sports matches from across the country, such as baseball matches.
Why did both supporters and opponents of immigration quotas believe they were defending American traditions and values?
Supporters/nativists - believed the new arrivals took jobs away native born workers & threatened American religious, political & cultural traditions opponents - immigrations made Americans Americans. Most people could trace their ancestry back to foreign origins
What were the causes and effects of the Teapot Dome scandal?
The Teapot Dome Scandal was a result of Albert Fall, a member of Harding's Ohio Gang, who scammed the U.S. out of its navy's emergency oil reserves for money. Robbing the navy of oil. The Teapot Dome Scandal made the public lose faith in Harding once the scandal emerged
How did the goals of the new Ku Klux Klan differ from those of the old Klan?
The old Ku Klux Klan was primarily in the South and primarily targeted African Americans. The new KKK aimed hatred towards African Americans, but also at new America taking shape in cities. Targeted Jews, Catholics, and immigrants and labor unions.
Paraphrase the main idea of Claude McKay's poem "If We Must Die" in your own words.
The poem calls for African Americans to fight valiantly and with honor, even when faced with violence and death.
How did African Americans express a new sense of hope and pride?
Through the Harlem Renaissance, African Americans used music, literature and art to express themselves, their values, their dreams and their hardships.
What is the bull market and how did it affect the investment activities of Americans?
a bull market is a period of time where the stock market prices rise. more & more Americans were putting their $ into stock market in an effort to get rich quick. They also purchased stock by buying on margin (reduced rate and risky). by 1929 4M Americans owned stock.
How did the US support world peace efforts during the 1920s?
all countries agreed that another WW should never happen. a conference was held in Washington DC. the Washington Naval Disarmament Conference (1921-1922), resulting in an agreement to limit warship construction to avoid another arms race. they also settled issues btwn. Japan & the West (1928) Kellogg-Briand Pact outlawed war as an instrument of national policy in setting disputes btwn. countries (see chart on pg. 333 for more)
List the new appliances purchased by consumers.
electricity helped boom this industry: washing machines, vacuums, irons, radio, refrigeration
Identify two potential signs of weakness in the economy of the 1920s, and predict what might happen if those problems are not solved.
farming industry needed attention. price of food dropped significantly after the war. However, expenses for the farmer, remained the same. they couldn't afford to keep their farms, buy equipment/supplies for the next season's crop. booming economy gave Americans a false sense of never ending prosperity & $. they borrowed on credit to gamble in stock market w/ no thought that if the company they invested in had a bad year & stock prices dropped, those that bought this stock would lose $/worse, those that bought this stock on a margin, still needed to pay that debt, w/out getting stock profits
What impact did WWI have on postwar American literature?
gave America kind of depressed feeling, lost faith in humanity --> Lost Generation; searched for truths/reality of things
Define modernism and give one example of it being displayed either in literature or art.
modernism is the social & cultural change thru. science & secular values vs. keeping w/ traditional ideas about religion; religion - art - pictures, paintings, photographs, movies - pushing social norms & every generation allowing more previously unacceptable displays/actions to be viewed publicly (bad language, sex, inter-racial relations, violence, demonic beings allowed to be heroes (vampires, goods witches, etc.)
How did the new mass culture reflect technological and social changes?
new mass culture grew out of the technological advances of the time. inventions & mass production of the automobile, gave more Americans the ability to travel farther distances & experiences events, food & regional differences w/in societies. many leisure activities provided A good majority of Americans the ability to participate in movies, sports, travels & music
Why do you think the revived Ku Klux Klan was able to spread beyond the South, and what groups were targeted besides African Americans?
old KKK - focused on AA & terrorized to limit their right to vote & their progress w/in the community & the US new KKK - still had problems w/ AA. however, post-war also targeted Jews, Catholics, immigrants & labor unions. they had 4-5M members at its height. eventually became corrupt & bribed/bullied politicians (nativisim) Adding new target groups and migration spread their influence
What was the role of organized crime and gangsters like Al Capone during Prohibition?
organized crime leaders initially provided alcohol to all Americans that wanted it. (lots of people). , organized crime of providing alcohol moved into new businesses, such as, prostitution, drugs, robbery, & murder
What were the effects of the 18th Amendment and the Volstead Act?
prohibition lead to an increase in the activity of organized crime. creation of homemade stills, smuggling of alcohol, bootlegging & speakeasies, while politicians & police looked the other way
Which class of women could not enjoy the new technologies in the home? Why not?
rural area women; their lives didn't change much. due to the lack of electrical access, the advanced tech were unavailable to them. their life was still difficult & unchanged
How did the increased popularity of sports heroes and the disillusionment of the "Lost Generation" writers represent different responses to the same events?
sports - sports heroes gave American hope in the ordinary man/woman being successful & achieving their dreams. average person has a shot at making it big, if they develop a talent/have natural abilities. literary - writers were more pessimistic & skeptical. this view of the world was known as "modernism", They were more negative and hopeless. both - gained popularity, impacted ordinary citizens, some realized not only ones living harsh reality/inspiring them to change situation -->pursue dreams
How did Americans differ on major social and cultural issues?
urban (modernism/ open to new sciences)- new consumer products, leisure activities, open to social change, science discoveries, secular values, education - higher ed encouraged, more high school graduations, open to darwinism rural (fundamentalism/ traditional) - not too many new goods, few leisure activities - nothing new, opposed change, skeptical of new discoveries, traditional values, 3 R's basic, muscle - farm knowledge, bible creation
Why did the Kellogg-Briand Pact say nations should "prohibit war as an instrument of national policy"?
was an attempt to have all nations agree to settle disputes w/out going to war. However, there was no way to enforce the pact, so it was ignored
Why do you think Marcus Garvey rejected the goals of earlier African American leaders such as Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois?
washington was prove your worthy & eventually respect & position will be acknowledged. Dubois was demanding & wanted everyone to recognize blacks as equal simply because it was now the law. they focused on changing whites perspective of blacks Garvey focused on changing the black's perspective of blacks. (Proving to be most impactful.)
How did the political role of American women change in the years after World War I?
women earned the right to vote in 1920. gained political offices including two governors Claimed new positions in the workforce Overall there was a quiet change happening; women started living longer, marrying later, having fewer children & following intellectual pursuits
How did the booming economy of the 1920s lead to changes in American life?
Booming economy spurred growth of other industries, such as glass, steel, rubber, oil, etc. Automobiles and other devices became available due to mass production, assembly line, scientific management. Bull markets, buying on margin, installment buying allowed Americans to purchase stock and goods they couldn't otherwise afford.
What was the Harlem Renaissance? Name and describe the accomplishments of two people who took part in it.
HR: a period of cultural and artistic development for African Americans. An era where African American culture saw new growth, new beginnings, particularly in art and literature. Langston Hughes - African American poet who described the rich culture of African American life using rhythms influenced by jazz music. He wrote of African American hope and defiance, as well as the culture of Harlem and also had a major impact on the Harlem Renaissance; Zora Neale Hurston - an African American writer and folklore scholar who played a key role in the Harlem Renaissance; contributed works such as Their Eyes Were Watching God.
How did the approach to the government of Harding and Coolidge differ from that of the Progressives?
Harding/Coolidge took policies back to pre-progressive era. pro-american business-lifted restrictions, trusted private industry, applied foreign tariffs to encourage Americans to buy American goods. They did not want to get involved with social affairs because they did not believe law could solve social problems. where progressives made business in American more difficult. They were more concerned about social problems and wanted to work with other countries under the league of nations
What is jazz, and how did it blend cultural influences and cross cultural divides?
Improvisation, comes from a mixture of blues, ragtime, European forms of music. Jazz became identified as inherently American and many people from other countries were able to explore and enjoy jazz.
How did movies and the radio cut across geographic barriers?
In both movies and radio medias, broke barriers by relating to all people no matter their status in society. These medias spread culture and trends quickly to all regions of America and the world
Why was there a fear of immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe after WWI?
Red Scare & Russia's communist take over. Many Americans feared that S & E europeans had these same values & came here to change America towards communism
What impact did the development of suburbs have on American society?
Suburbs: some towns sprang up & grew creating a need for businesses in the suburbs. they owned automobiles to travel to work, outings & vacations Urban: areas steadily decline. those that could not afford to leave, remained in inner city. Farmers were also struggling. America was beginning to experience a differing in economic distribution. poor in inner city/rural areas, growth & new found prosperity in suburbs & the ultra rich, either in skyscrapers of big city/their large estate.