Chapter 20

Moving Assembly Line

A manufacturing process introduced by Henry Ford that increased productivity by having workers stay in one place and assemble products as they move along a conveyor.

Welfare Capitalism

A system in which companies provide benefits to their workers, addressing their social needs and improving their work environment to promote loyalty.

Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)

A proposed amendment to the US Constitution designed to guarantee equal rights for women, first suggested in 1923 and passed in 1972.

Harlem Renaissance

A cultural, social, and artistic explosion centered in Harlem, New York, during the 1920s, celebrating African American culture and identity.

Prohibition

A nationwide constitutional ban on the production, importation, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages from 1920 to 1933.

Teapot Dome Scandal

A bribery incident in the early 1920s in the United States involving the administration of President Warren G. Harding.

Stock Market Crash of 1929

The major stock market crash that occurred on October 29, 1929, marking the beginning of the Great Depression.

Flapper

A young woman in the 1920s who defied conventional norms of behavior and dress, symbolizing a new woman’s liberation.

The Lost Generation

A group of American writers and artists who were disillusioned by the aftermath of World War I and moved to Europe seeking a freer and more artistic environment.

Smoot-Hawley Tariff

A tariff enacted in 1930 that raised duties on imports, worsening the effects of the Great Depression by curbing international trade.

KKK Resurgence

The revival of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s that aimed to preserve white supremacy and promoted anti-immigrant sentiments.

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)

An organization founded to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution, particularly during wartime.

Hoovervilles

Shantytowns built by homeless people during the Great Depression, named after President Herbert Hoover, who was blamed for the economic crisis.

Isolationism

A foreign policy stance in which a country avoids political or military involvement with other countries.

Fundamentalism

A conservative movement within American Protestantism that reacted against modernism, emphasizing a literal interpretation of the Bible.

Factory Farms

Large-scale farms that employ multiple migrant laborers and utilize mechanized systems for high-volume production.