The Roaring Twenties, Great Depression, & New Deal Culture, economic collapse, and government response from the 1920s–1930s

1920s Sports Boom

Sports became hugely popular and athletes became national heroes

Baseball

Babe Ruth became the biggest sports star; hit 60 home runs in 1927

Babe Ruth

Known as “The Great Bambino,” symbol of the 1920s sports culture

Boxing

Jack Dempsey was heavyweight champion

Golf

Bobby Jones dominated professional golf

Football

Red Grange, “The Galloping Ghost,” starred at Illinois and with the Chicago Bears

Knute Rockne

Notre Dame coach who revolutionized football with the forward pass

Tennis

Helen Wills dominated women’s tennis

Swimming

Gertrude Ederle first woman to swim the English Channel

Sex in the 1920s

Sex became less taboo, breaking Victorian traditions

Sigmund Freud

Studied sexual repression and influenced modern thinking

Flappers

Women rejected Victorian norms; short hair, smoking, independence

Speakeasies

Illegal clubs where alcohol was sold during Prohibition

Scopes Trial (1925)

Trial over teaching evolution in schools

John T. Scopes

Tennessee teacher accused of teaching evolution

William Jennings Bryan

Prosecutor in the Scopes Trial

Clarence Darrow

Defense attorney in the Scopes Trial

Scopes Verdict

Scopes found guilty and fined; verdict later overturned

Stock Market Crash (1929)

Market collapse that triggered the Great Depression

Black Tuesday (Oct. 29, 1929)

16 million stocks sold in panic

Black Week

Several days of massive stock selloffs

Stock Market Problems

Unregulated market and buying on margin

Buying on Margin

Buying stocks with borrowed money

Bank Failures

Banks collapsed, wiping out savings

Great Depression Begins

Economic collapse starting in 1929

Great Depression (1929–1941)

Worldwide economic collapse ending with WWII

Sick Industries

Railroads and coal were already struggling

High Tariffs

Killed foreign trade

Overproduction

Factories made more goods than people could buy

Farmer Struggles

Overuse of land and falling prices hurt farmers

Dust Bowl

Severe drought and dust storms destroyed Great Plains farms

Topsoil Loss

Farms became infertile due to wind erosion

Uneven Wealth

Rich got richer while poor fell behind

Bank Closures

Over 6,000 banks closed

Unemployment

Reached about 25% by 1933

Herbert Hoover

Response blamed for worsening the Depression

Rugged Individualism

Hoover believed people should help themselves

Agricultural Marketing Act

Government loans to help farmers

Mexican Repatriation

500,000 people sent to Mexico to reduce job competition

Hoover Dam

Public works project to create jobs

Reconstruction Finance Corporation

Government loans to banks and businesses

Hoovervilles

Homeless camps named after Hoover

Bonus Army

Veterans demanded early payment of bonuses

Bonus Army Removal

Army used force to remove veterans; public backlash

Election of 1932

Franklin D. Roosevelt defeated Hoover

Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR)

Democratic president who promised a New Deal

New Deal

FDR’s plan to help Americans during the Depression

“Fear Itself” Speech

FDR encouraged confidence during crisis

20th Amendment

Moved inauguration from March to January

21st Amendment

Repealed Prohibition

Fireside Chats

FDR’s radio talks to reassure Americans

Bank Holiday

Temporary closure of banks to restore trust

New Deal (1933–1938)

Government programs to fight the Depression

First 100 Days

Major New Deal laws passed quickly

Three R’s

Relief, Recovery, Reform

Alphabet Soup

New Deal agencies with acronyms

AAA

Agricultural Adjustment Act; paid farmers to limit production

TVA

Tennessee Valley Authority; dams and electricity for poor regions

FDIC

Insured bank deposits up to $2,500

NRA

Set fair competition rules and supported unions

SEC

Regulated the stock market

CCC

Provided jobs for young men in conservation

PWA

Public Works Administration; large construction projects