Wages, Industrial production and stock prices were the aspects that affected America's economic boom during the 1920's. Mass production increased the amount of products that could be made and lowered prices. Assembly lines were at the center of mass production. Workers would repeat the same task over and over again while working on a assembly line. Many industries began to work the same as the automotive industry and prospered. Installment buying allowed a consumer to make a small down payment and pay it the rest in monthly payments. This allowed Americans to own things that they would of had to save up for years to buy. During the 1920's the nation was divided between Modernism and Traditionalism. Modernists were open to new social changes and science discoveries. Traditionalists valued religion and the old way of doing things. Along with traditionalism came Fundamentalism. Fundamentalism was the belief that every word in the Bible was literal truth. Women during the 1920's took on new roles and tried new things. Not all women followed the traditional role of being a woman. Some women know as Flappers cut their hair short, wore short shirts and smoked in public.
How did the Great Depression happen, and how did Americans respond to it.
The great depression was caused by overproduction and underconsumption of agricultural crops, uneven distribution of income, gradual rise of consumer debt and widespread stock market speculation. Americans responded to the Great Depression with desperation and migration. The Great Depression caused poverty and unemployment which made people migrate to escape the hard times.
How did the New Deal respond to the ravages of the depression and change the role of the federal government?
Key events/people/terms:
Assembly line A product that passes from one person to another until it is assembled.
Mass production A production of goods in large numbers.
Buying on the margin A system of buying stocks in which a buyer pays a small percentage of the purchase price while the broke advances the rest.
Kellogg Briand act A agreement in which many nations agree to outlaw war.
Dawes plan A agreement that had the United States loan money to Germany to make reparations payments to Britain and France.
Quota system Limited the number of immigrants who could enter the United States from specific countries.
Prohibition Forbidding by law the sale, manufacture and transport of alcohol.
Bootlegger A person that sold alcohol illegally.
Flapper A woman in the 1920's that rebelled against the traditional way of being a woman.
Jazz A form of music combining blues, ragtime and european based music.
Fireside chat Informal radio broadcast from the president.
Sit down strike A labor protest that has workers occupy the work space until their needs are met.
Social security act Law that established unemployment insurance, created insurance for victims of work related accidents and provided aid for people.
Collective bargaining Employers negotiate with labor unions about hours, wages and working conditions.
Welfare state government that takes responsibility for providing for the welfare of the poor, elderly, sick, and unemployed.
Mural A large painting on a wall or ceiling.
Huey long "Share Our Wealth" Huey Long proposed that the rich and large corporations should have higher taxes and their income should be redistributed to poor Americans.
Franklin D. Roosevelt New Deal, took America out of depression, 32nd president of the United states, only president to served three terms.
John Maynard Keynes Proposed the idea of pump priming, putting people to work on public projects would put money into the hands of consumers who would buy more goods.
Mary Bethune First black women to be at the head of a federal agency.
Dorothea Lange A FSA photographer that took pictures of impoverished famers and migrant workers to help gain support for them.
John Steinbeck Wrote the most famous novel of the 1930's. The Grapes of Wrath was a story of a family that experienced the Dust Bowl and moved west for a better life. Instead, they experienced exploitation, disease, hunger, and political corruption.
Totalitarianism A theory of government that has a single party or leader that controls the economic, social and cultural lives of people.
Anti Semitic Prejudice against jewish people.
Appeasement Policy of granting concessions in order to keep the peace.
Lend Lease act Act that allowed FDR sell or lend war supplies to any country whose defense he thought was important to the safety of the United States.
Blitzkrieg The use of speed and firepower to penetrate deep into the enemy's territory.
Pearl Harbor A US navel base in Hawaii.
WAC Woman's army corps, US army group established so women could serve in non combat roles.
Joseph Stalin Communist leader of Russia during WW2. Totalitarian state
Benito Mussolini Fascist leader during WW2. Totalitarian state
Axis Germany, Italy and Japan
Allies Britain, France, Soviet Union, United States and China.
Winston Churchill Prime minister of Britain during WW2.
Douglas MacArthur Commander of United States army forces in asia during WW2.
Hideki Tojo Prime minister of Japan during WW2.
Connection to today:
This unit is similar to today because social security and the size and role of the government still exists. FDR's New Deal has made a lasting influence on America's government.
