Unit 5 FINAL EXAM: Prosperity and Depression

Prohibition

A nationwide ban on the sale, production, and transportation of alcohol (1920-1933), enforced by the 18th Amendment.

New Woman

A symbol of changing gender roles in the 1920s—women became more independent, wore flapper fashion, and pushed social boundaries.

Harlem Renaissance

A cultural and artistic movement in the 1920s celebrating Black creativity, centered in Harlem, NYC (e.g., Langston Hughes, Duke Ellington).

Ku Klux Klan (KKK)

White supremacist group that resurged in the 1920s, targeting African Americans, immigrants, Catholics, and Jews.

Scopes Trial (1925)

Court case over a teacher (John Scopes) teaching evolution in Tennessee; symbolized the conflict between science and religion.

Roaring 20s

A decade of economic prosperity, cultural change, and social freedom in the U.S., especially in cities.

19th Amendment (1920)

Gave women the right to vote in the United States.

Red Summer (1919)

A period of intense racial violence and race riots in U.S. cities after WWI, due to competition for jobs and housing.

Causes of the Great Depression

Included stock market speculation, overproduction, underconsumption, uneven wealth distribution, and banking failures.

Stock Market/Bull Market

A bull market is when stock prices rise steadily; in the 1920s, overconfidence in the market led to risky investments.

Stock Market Crash (1929)

Also known as Black Tuesday, it marked the beginning of the Great Depression when stock prices collapsed.

On-Margin Buying

Buying stocks by paying only a portion upfront and borrowing the rest; risky and contributed to the crash.

Speculation

High-risk investment in hopes of big profits; caused inflated stock prices in the 1920s.

Overproduction

Factories and farms produced more goods than people could buy, leading to falling prices and layoffs.

Underconsumption

People were not buying enough products to keep up with what was being made, contributing to the economic collapse.

Hoovervilles

Shantytowns built by homeless people during the Depression; named after President Hoover, who was blamed for inaction.

Herbert Hoover

President at the start of the Great Depression; criticized for not doing enough to help struggling Americans.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR)

Elected in 1932, he introduced the New Deal to help the country recover from the Great Depression.

Fireside Chats

Radio broadcasts where FDR spoke directly to the American people to build trust and explain his policies.

FDR's New Deal

A series of programs and reforms (1933-1939) to provide Relief for the poor, Recovery for the economy, and Reform to prevent future depressions.

Bank Holiday

FDR temporarily closed all banks to stop the panic and restore public confidence in the banking system.

Hundred Days

FDR's first months in office, when Congress passed a record number of laws to combat the Great Depression.

Relief, Recovery, and Reform

The three main goals of the New Deal: Relief: Immediate help for the unemployed and poor; Recovery: Restart the economy; Reform: Prevent future economic disasters.

FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation)

Insures individual bank deposits to restore trust in the banking system.

CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps)

Provided jobs to young men working on environmental conservation projects like parks and forests.

Social Security Act (1935)

Established pensions for the elderly, unemployment insurance, and aid for the disabled and needy families.