the 1920s study guide

Pro business policies

- low taxes so people would spend their money -gov. interference was kept low to allow private enterprises to flourish

Henry Ford

1863-1947. American businessman, founder of Ford Motor Company, father of modern assembly lines, and inventor credited with 161 patents.

Charlie Chaplin

A "silent comedian," this movie star continued to lengthen the silent film style and offer an alternative to the sound film with his trademark tattered suit, derby hat, and cane, playing the "little tramp" who made audiences laugh with his silent jokes.

Harlem Renaissance

A period in the 1920s when African-American achievements in art and music and literature flourished

Speakeasy

A place where alcoholic drinks were sold and consumed illegally during prohibition

jazz

A style of dance music popular in the 1920s

Teapot Dome Scandal (1921)

A tawdry affair involving the illegal lease of priceless naval oil reserves in Teapot Dome, Wyoming and Elk Hills, California. The scandal, which implicated President Harding's Secretary of the Interior, was one of several that gave his administration a reputation for corruption.

Bessie Smith

African American blues singer who played and important role in the Harlem Reniassance.

Marcus Garvey

African American leader durin the 1920s who founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association and advocated mass migration of African Americans back to Africa. Was deported to Jamaica in 1927.

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

African American writer and folklore scholar who played a key role in the Harlem Renaissance

21st Amendment

Amendment which ended the Prohibition of alcohol in the US, repealing the 18th amendment

Duke Ellington

Born in Chicago middle class. moved to Harlem in 1923 and began playing at the cotton club. Composer, pianist and band leader. Most influential figures in jazz.

Charlies Lindbergh

Charles Lindbergh was a famous aviator. In 1927 he became the first man to successfully fly an airplane across the Atlantic Ocean. He called his airplane the Spirit of St. Louis, and his courageous feat helped make Missouri a leader in the developing world of aviation.

Immigration in the 1920s

Congress reacted to the anti-foreigner pressure of the post-war period by passing the Emergency Immigration Act (1921) & National Origins Act of (1924). These laws established a quota system that discriminated and reduced the number of Jewish and Catholic "New Immigrants" allowed in the United States. These laws essentially closed the door to immigration from Southern and Eastern Europe.

Traditional values and changing lifestyles

During the 1920s, controversies concerning the Scopes trial, national Prohibition, and the behavior of "flappers" were all signs of disagreement over

Red Scare (1919-1920)

Fear among many Americans after World War I of Communists in particular and noncitizens in general, a reaction to the Russian Revolution, mail bombs, strikes, and riots.

Babe Ruth

He was a famous baseball player who played for the Yankees. He helped developed a rising popularity for professional sports.

Hoover

Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 - October 20, 1964) was an American engineer, businessman, and politician who served as the 31st president of the United States from 1929 to 1933.

Louis Armstrong

Leading African American jazz musician during the Harlem Renaissance; he was a talented trumpeter whose style influenced many later musicians.

Sacco and Vanzetti Trial

Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were Italian immigrants charged with murdering a guard and robbing a shoe factory in Braintree, Massachusetts. The trial lasted from 1920-1927. Convicted on circumstantial evidence; many believed they had been framed for the crime because of their anarchist and pro-union activities.

Bootleggers

People who produced, smuggled, or sold alcoholic beverages illegally during the era of Prohibition

popular culture in 1920s

Pop culture during the 1920s was characterized by the flapper, automobiles, nightclubs, movies, and jazz. Life moved fast as a new sense of prosperity and freedom emerged at the end of World War I. Products were manufactured in mass-produced packaging.

buying on margin

Purching stock with a little money down with the promise of paying the balance at sometime in the future

Harding Presidency

Return to normalcy Esch-Cummins Act - virtual trusts in the railroad industry Raised tariffs Strong cabinet Large number of scandals - Attorney General - Daugherty and Smith both selling pardons, parole and liquor Forbes Scandal - head of Veterans Bureau embezzled $250 million Teapot Dome Scandal - Sec of Interior sold gov't oil reserves to private interests Harding had a stroke

Scopes Trial (1925)

Tennessee legal case involving the teaching of evolution in public schools. Scopes, a biology teacher, was tried for teaching Darwinism in public school. Clarence Darrow was one of Scopes' attorneys, while William Jennings Bryan, a leading Christian fundamentalist, aided the state prosecutor. Darrow put Bryan on the stand and sharply questioned Bryan on the latter's literal interpretation as appropriate for science class. Bryan was humiliated and died a few days after the trial. Scopes was convicted.

18th Amendment (1919)

The 18th Amendment (proposed by Congress on December 19, 1917) banned the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcoholic beverages in the United States and its possessions. Contrary to common belief, it did not prohibit the purchase or consumption of alcohol. The Amendment was ratified on January 18, 1919, went into effect one year later, and was repealed by the 21st Amendment on December 5, 1933. Small-time operators were faced with competition from the organized crime and criminal gangs that fought each other for market control.

Politics of the 1920s

The 1920's were not good for progressives. The overriding theme of the 1920's was limited government. Native-born Protestants rallied against big city values and advocated immigration restriction. A series of Republican presidents placed responsibility for the nation's well-being into the hands of business and made American business needs a top priority.

modern andprogressive

The Progressive Era is a period of widespread social activism and political reform across the United States that spanned from the 1890s to the 1920s. The main objectives of the Progressive movement were eliminating problems caused by industrialization, urbanization, immigration, and political corruption.

Economics in 1920s

The Roaring Economy of the 1920s. The 1920s have been called the Roaring '20s and for good reason. Not only was American culture 'roaring' in terms of style and social trends, but the economy was 'roaring' as well. The decade was a time of tremendous prosperity.

Radio in the 1920s

The new technology of the 1920s. KDKA in Pittsburgh, the first commercial radio station in America, started broadcasting in 1920 and the National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) was formed in 1927. - Over 12 million families owned sets by 1929. Because it was less centralized than the film industry, there was less control over content.

quota system

arrangement that limited the number of immigrants who could enter the United States from specific countries

Flappers

carefree young women with short, "bobbed" hair, heavy makeup, and short skirts. The flapper symbolized the new "liberated" woman of the 1920s. Many people saw the bold, boyish look and shocking behavior of flappers as a sign of changing morals. Though hardly typical of American women, the flapper image reinforced the idea that women now had more freedom.

Laissez-faire economics

hands off approach to government; the government should not interfere in the economy

installment buying

method of purchase in which buyer makes a small down payment and then pays off the rest of the debt in regular monthly payments

KKK in the 1920s

nativism of the 1920s caused the largest Klan membership ever (~ 6,000,000); anti-immigration, anti-African American, anti-Catholic, anti-Jewish, anti-women, and anti-union ideas

Ford Model T

nicknamed the Tin Lizzie, most popular car in the twenties, The first legitimate car that was common among Americans (assembly line production, because there was so much demand for it)

mass production

production of goods in large numbers through the use of machinery and assembly lines

Eugenics

study of factors that influence the hereditary qualities of the human race and ways to improve those qualities

Scientific Management

studying workers to find the most efficient ways of doing things and then teaching people those techniques

Coolidge Presidency

the 30th President of the United States (1923-1929). A Republican lawyer from Vermont. Succeeded into presidency after the sudden death of Warren G. Harding. He restored public confidence in the White House after the scandals of his predecessor's administration, and left office with considerable popularity.

Prohibition

the period from 1920 to 1933 when the sale of alcoholic beverages was prohibited in the United States by a constitutional amendment