USA Depth Study: 1919-1941 - The Roaring Twenties

Vocabulary flashcards covering the US economy boom, consumerism, Ford's impact, Republican policies, and challenges in agriculture and society from 1919-1941.

Car ownership in USA (1929)

One in five Americans owned a car.

Car industry employment

Up to half a million people.

Mass production

A method adopted by Henry Ford using the assembly line to produce cars, leading to a fall in prices.

High Tariffs

Duties set by the Republican Government on imports.

Republican Government's laissez-faire approach

Characterized by low taxation, high tariffs, and an absence of regulation and intervention.

Cars sold by 1929

26 million.

Radio sales (1929)

10 million.

Telephones sold by 1930

20 million.

By 1928, how many Americans bough goods from mail order shopping?

One-third

Reasons for increased consumerism

Cost of living fell, wages increased, prices fell (affordability), and accessibility.

Henry Ford's car focus

The Model T car.

Key resources for car industry

Steel, Coal, Oil, Leather.

For every one worker in the motor industry there were how many part makers?

10

Cars on American roads by 1926

20 million.

Ford's impact on American society

Introduced a 5-day working week and three times higher wages for important persons.

Republican government policy

Isolationism, exemplified by the U.S. opting not to join the League of Nations.

Republican Presidents of the 1920s

Warren G. Harding (1921-23), Calvin Coolidge (1923-29), Herbert Hoover (1929-1933).

Republican Popular Vote (1920)

60%.

'Rugged Individualism'

An idea believed in by Republicans.

Fordney-McCumber Pact (1922)

Introduced by Harding, it made imported food expensive in the USA.

US farm income decline (1919-1928)

From $22 billion in 1919 to $13 billion in 1928.

Reasons for agriculture failure in 1920s

Falling Prices, Over-Production, New Competitors, Declining Exports, Prohibition.

Rural Americans forced off land (1920s)

6 million.

Synthetic fabrics affecting cotton and wool demand

Rayon and Celanese.

Average weekly pay for majority of Americans (1920s)

Remained below $48 per week.

Average income for black families in New York

$890 (compared to white families' $1,930).

Life expectancy for black Americans (1930)

48 years (up from 45 in 1910).

Women's suffrage in USA

Granted in 1920.

Women employed outside home (1929)

10.6 million.

Farming land abandoned (1920-1930)

Around 13 million acres.