Boom and Bust Study Guide

How did Hoover encourage people during the Great Depression?

Pushed for “volunteerism”,  by encouraging public-private cooperation from churches and local programs to provide relief.

Describe the 3 R’s and one program

Relief: temporary or immediate. Not permanent

Recovery: the economy. Long term not permanent

Reform: the way of politics & economy. Permanent pensions. Social Security (agency)

1920s economy

The 1920s economy in the United States witnessed substantial growth driven by increased manufacturing output, particularly in the automobile industry, alongside advancements in machinery technology for agriculture and expanding communication networks, although workers experienced both successes, such as improved conditions under "welfare capitalism," and failures, including stagnant wages and exclusion of women and minorities from mainstream jobs and labor union representation.

In what way did consumerism culture impact social norms in 1920s?

blurring the ideas between wants & needs

1920s Women Culture (2 pathways)

1. flapper

2. changing of motherhood

Lost Generation

refers to young people who are fighting in the war

Harlem Renaissance

revival of AA culture

Main consequence of Prohibition

Crime & increased alcohol consumption

Speakeasies

illegal bars

Bootleggers

people who smuggled or hid the alcohol

Nativism

Nativism is rooted in the belief that the presence of immigrants threatens the cultural, economic, or political fabric of American society .

Primary goal of the KKK clan

to restore & protect the American culture & traditions (nativism)

Immigration Act of 1924

which imposed strict quotas on immigration, favoring Northern & Western European immigrants while severely limiting immigration from Southern & Eastern Europe.

Scopes Trial

was a famous 1925 legal case in Dayton, Tennessee, where a high school teacher, John Scopes, was charged with teaching evolution in violation of state law, highlighting the conflict between science and religious fundamentalism in American society. 

4 factors of the Great Depression?

1. Lack of Diversification

2. purchasing bubble going down

3. International trade unwinding

4. too much product, not enough customers

Stock Market Crash of 1929

During the Great Depression, more than 9,000 American banks failed, causing depositors to lose over $2.5 billion and reducing the money supply by a third, leading to deflation. With little government intervention due to Republican beliefs, the economy worsened, resulting in a sharp decline in the gross national product, soaring unemployment rates reaching 25%, particularly severe in the Midwest, and overwhelming demand for aid programs, leaving both state and private efforts unable to cope with the crisis.

Social impact of the Dust bowl

caused a mass migration of millions to California, Oregon, & Washington

Purpose of Bonus Army protest

veterans wanted to ask for the promised $1000 check that kept getting pushed back

Families & the Depression

Many Americans, ingrained with the belief in individualism and personal responsibility for fate, viewed unemployment and poverty as indicators of personal failure, often grappling with notions of masculinity. This shame often led to the fracturing of families or even suicide. As a response, they retreated from consumerism, endeavoring to create their own necessities. Consequently, marriage rates, birth rates, and the standard of living experienced significant declines.

Rugged Individualism

was a term Hoover used often during his presidency to explain the idea that individuals should be able to help themselves without government involvement in personal economic affairs or national economics in general.

Bank Holiday

On March 6 1933, two days after taking office, he closed all American banking for four days to ensure congressional legislation on banking reform. Known as …

Fireside chat

 A radio series that made FDR the first president that use social media to communicate directly with citizens.

Alphabet Soup

The nickname for Roosevelt’s New Deal programs was “…….” for acronyms of the government programs meant to help Americans recover from the economic depression

New Deal Recovery program

were fought in courts over their constitutional right to have federal enforce in certain sectors that were once considered private ordeals left for the business sector. While some were shut down, new agencies took their place. 

National Recovery Administration (NRA)

Agricultural Adjustment Administration(AAA)

New Deal Reform Program

FDR had many series of supreme court fights, feared his reform & programs will not survive the conservative justices. FDR pushed for court packing to increase justices size. The push was seen as a partisan power grab. It pushed justices in favor of his New Deal initiatives. In his 12 years presidency, he manages to appoint 8 supreme court justices without 

Securities and Exchange Commission(SEC)

Social Security Administration(SSA)

African Americans and The New Deal

New Deal did relatively little to assist Black community. The administration was not hostile to Blacks, in parts was sympathetic with Eleanor Roosevelt influence, but it did not challenge existing patterns of discrimination, due to fear of losing southern democratic backing.

Women in the new deal

For African-American women, the New Deal provided limited support for widespread advancement, while differing feminist approaches debated between workforce retention and domestic duties, with the ADC promoting economic benefits through refocused efforts.

What’s the difference between Hoover & FDR

The main difference between Hoover and FDR lies in their approaches to combating the Great Depression, with Hoover favoring limited government intervention and FDR implementing expansive New Deal programs.

Aftermath of the new deal

Critics of FDR accused him of abandoning constitutional principles and leading towards a tyrannical state, influencing Congressional opposition to his new program proposals, while the looming threat of global crisis gradually shifted Roosevelt's focus from reform to mobilizing the U.S. for war preparedness.

What was John Scopes charged with?

he was charged for teaching evolution in violation of state law, highlighting the conflict between science and religious fundamentalism in American society. 

Main cause of the Dust Bowl

Drought loosens at top soil

Moonshiners

Illegaly distribute homemade distilled alcohol