FUCKING HISTORY

Warren G. Harding

Republican president (1921–1923) who promoted pro-business policies and a return to “normalcy” after WWI; presidency marred by corruption including the Teapot Dome scandal; died in office

Washington Naval Conference

International meeting during Harding’s presidency aimed at reducing naval armaments

Calvin Coolidge

Republican president (1923–1929) known as “Silent Cal” who supported laissez-faire economics and limited government while overseeing 1920s prosperity

Herbert Hoover

Republican president (1929–1933) during the start of the Great Depression who promoted rugged individualism and volunteerism rather than direct government aid

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Democratic president (1933–1945) who led the nation through the Great Depression and WWII and created the New Deal

John Scopes

Tennessee teacher tried in 1925 for teaching evolution in the Scopes “Monkey” Trial

Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti

Italian immigrant anarchists executed after a controversial trial highlighting anti-immigrant prejudice

Babe Ruth

Famous baseball player who symbolized 1920s celebrity culture and popularized professional sports

Knute Rockne

Notre Dame football coach who helped popularize college football and died in a 1931 plane crash

Charles Lindbergh

Aviator who completed the first solo nonstop transatlantic flight in 1927

Louis Armstrong

Influential jazz musician and major figure in the Harlem Renaissance

Langston Hughes

Harlem Renaissance poet and writer who celebrated Black culture and advocated racial equality

Zora Neale Hurston

African American author and folklorist who emphasized Black heritage in works like Their Eyes Were Watching God

Al Smith

New York governor and 1928 Democratic presidential candidate who faced religious prejudice as the first Catholic nominee

Al Capone

Chicago gangster who dominated organized crime during Prohibition

Bugs Moran

Rival gangster of Al Capone connected to the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre

Huey Long

Populist Louisiana politician who promoted the Share Our Wealth program and was assassinated in 1935

John Steinbeck

Author who depicted working-class struggles during the Great Depression in novels like The Grapes of Wrath

Frances Perkins

First female Cabinet member who served as Secretary of Labor and helped create Social Security

Prohibition

Nationwide ban on alcohol under the 18th Amendment leading to speakeasies and organized crime

Red Scare

Fear of communism after WWI that led to raids deportations and anti-immigrant policies

Bull Market

Period of rising stock prices and strong investor confidence

Bear Market

Period of falling stock prices often following a crash

Buying on Margin

Purchasing stocks with borrowed money increasing risk and speculation

Bootlegger

Person who illegally produced or sold alcohol during Prohibition

Speakeasy

Secret illegal bar during Prohibition

Talkie

Motion picture with sound such as The Jazz Singer (1927)

Fad

Short-lived popular trend reflecting mass culture

Flapper

Symbol of the “New Woman” who challenged traditional gender norms

Communist

Supporter of collective ownership viewed as a threat during the Red Scare

Anarchist

Person who opposes government authority

Quota System

Immigration limits established by the National Origins Act of 1924

Rugged Individualism

Belief in self-reliance and minimal government aid

Volunteerism

Reliance on private charities rather than government assistance

Relief Program

Government aid to the needy during economic crisis

Public Works

Government-funded construction projects that create jobs

Fireside Chat

FDR’s radio addresses explaining policies and reassuring Americans

Bank Holiday

Temporary closure of banks to stop panic and stabilize the system

Pension

Retirement payments provided through Social Security

Subsidy

Government financial assistance to individuals or businesses

Inflation

Rise in prices that decreases purchasing power

Teapot Dome Wyoming

Location of the oil bribery scandal during Harding’s presidency

New Orleans Louisiana

Birthplace of jazz and center of African American culture

Harlem New York

Cultural center of the Harlem Renaissance

Pittsburgh Pennsylvania

Major industrial steel-producing city

South Braintree Massachusetts

Site of the Sacco and Vanzetti trial

Dayton Tennessee

Location of the Scopes “Monkey” Trial

Chicago Illinois

Center of Prohibition-era gang violence

Dust Bowl

Severe drought and dust storms in the Great Plains during the 1930s

Tennessee Valley

Region modernized by the TVA through dams electricity and jobs

Teapot Dome Scandal

Corruption involving oil leases for bribes under Harding

Harlem Renaissance

1920s cultural movement celebrating Black art music and literature

Scopes “Monkey” Trial

Court case over teaching evolution symbolizing modern versus traditional values

New Woman

Women seeking independence and social freedom during the 1920s

Spirit of St. Louis

Plane used by Lindbergh for his transatlantic flight

National Origins Act of 1924

Immigration law creating quotas favoring Northern and Western Europeans

Ku Klux Klan

White supremacist organization that resurged in the 1920s

Labor Unions

Worker organizations that declined after WWI due to Red Scare fears

St. Valentine’s Day Massacre

Gang violence between Capone and Moran in Chicago

Stock Market Crash of 1929

Collapse of stock prices that triggered the Great Depression

Bonus Army March

Protest by WWI veterans demanding early bonus payments in 1932

Hoovervilles

Shantytowns formed during the Depression and named to criticize Hoover

New Deal

FDR’s programs for relief recovery and reform

Hundred Days

First phase of FDR’s presidency when major New Deal laws passed

Court Packing Plan

FDR’s failed attempt to add Supreme Court justices

Thunder from the Left

Nickname for Huey Long reflecting radical wealth redistribution ideas

Black Cabinet

Group of African American advisors to FDR

Democratic Coalition

Diverse voter alliance supporting the Democratic Party under FDR

The Grapes of Wrath

Steinbeck novel about Dust Bowl migration

Brother Can You Spare a Dime

Song expressing Depression-era hardship

FDIC

New Deal agency insuring bank deposits

SEC

New Deal agency regulating the stock market

AAA

New Deal program paying farmers to reduce production

NRA

New Deal agency promoting fair business practices

WPA

New Deal agency creating jobs through public works

CCC

New Deal program employing young men in conservation

TVA

New Deal agency that built dams and provided electricity

FERA

New Deal program providing direct relief

FHA

New Deal agency insuring home loans

NYA

New Deal program providing jobs and education for youth

Wagner Act

Law protecting workers’ rights to unionize

Social Security Administration

Program providing pensions unemployment insurance and aid to the elderly and disabled