Roaring 20s and The Great Depression

Nativism

Favoring native‑born Americans over immigrants; fueled 1920s immigration restrictions.

Sacco and Vanzetti

Italian immigrants executed after a controversial trial, reflecting anti‑immigrant prejudice.

Emergency Immigration Act (1921)

Limited immigration to 3% of each nationality based on the 1910 census; first major quota law.

National Origins Act (1924)

Limited immigration to 2% based on the 1890 census and banned Asian immigration; favored Northern Europeans.

Fundamentalism

Belief in a literal interpretation of the Bible; reaction against modern science and social change.

Scopes Trial

1925 trial over teaching evolution; symbolized the clash between modernism and traditionalism.

Billy Sunday

Evangelist who supported Prohibition; represented religious conservatism.

Prohibition

Nationwide ban on alcohol (18th Amendment); unintentionally increased organized crime.

Al Capone

Chicago crime boss who profited from bootlegging during Prohibition.

Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre

1929 gangland killings in Chicago; highlighted Prohibition‑era violence.

Lost Generation

Writers disillusioned after WWI who criticized materialism and modern society.

Ernest Hemingway

Lost Generation writer known for themes of war and disillusionment.

Scott Fitzgerald

Author of The Great Gatsby; critiqued 1920s wealth and excess.

The Birth of a Nation

1915 film glorifying the KKK; helped revive the Ku Klux Klan.

NAACP

Civil rights organization fighting segregation through legal challenges.

Harlem Renaissance

Cultural movement celebrating Black art, music, and literature; promoted racial pride.

Marcus Garvey

Black nationalist leader promoting “Back to Africa” and racial self‑determination.

Du Bois

NAACP co‑founder advocating integration and higher education for Black Americans.

Langston Hughes

Harlem Renaissance poet who celebrated Black life and culture.

Scottsboro Boys

Black teenagers falsely accused of rape; exposed racial injustice in the legal system.

Ponzi Schemes

Fraudulent investments paying old investors with new money; reflected risky speculation.

Florida Land Boom

1920s real estate bubble; example of economic overconfidence.

Black Thursday (1929)

First major stock market panic.

Black Tuesday (1929)

Massive sell‑off marking the collapse of market confidence.

Stock Market Crash of 1929

Sudden drop in stock prices that triggered the Great Depression.

The Great Depression

Severe 1930s economic crisis with massive unemployment and poverty.

Herbert Hoover

President during the early Depression; favored limited government intervention.

Rugged Individualism

Hoover’s belief in self‑reliance and minimal federal aid.

“Fundamentally Sound”

Hoover’s claim that the economy would recover on its own; underestimated the crisis.

Deserving Poor

Belief that only certain people deserved aid; restricted relief efforts.

Reconstruction Finance Corporation (RFC)

Provided government loans to banks and businesses to stabilize the economy.

Smoot-Hawley Tariff

Raised tariffs on imports; worsened global trade decline.

Hoover-Stimson Doctrine

U.S. refusal to recognize Japan’s takeover of Manchuria; reflected isolationism.

Charles Curtis

Hoover’s Vice President; first Native American VP.

Bonus Army

WWI veterans demanding early bonuses; their removal damaged Hoover’s reputation.

Ford Hunger March

Protest by unemployed workers; showed rising unrest.

Farm Holiday Association

Farmers protesting low prices; highlighted agricultural distress.

Penny Auction

Farmers buying back foreclosed farms cheaply to resist banks.

POUR (Production for Use)

Proposal to produce goods based on need; example of radical reform ideas.

Okies

Dust Bowl migrants moving west; symbol of displacement.

The Grapes of Wrath

Novel about Dust Bowl migrants; depicted the human cost of the Depression.

Indian Citizenship Act (1924)

Granted U.S. citizenship to Native Americans; expanded rights but discrimination continued.

Sheppard-Towner Act (1921)

Provided federal funding for maternity and child health programs; early example of federal welfare involvement.