Unit 7: Prosperity and Depression

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering the social changes of the 1920s, the causes and effects of the Great Depression, and FDR's New Deal.

Roaring Twenties

A period of great change in America during the $1920s$ when it became a truly "modern" nation and new ideas conflicted with traditional beliefs.

Flapper

A symbol of freedom for many young women in the $1920s$, though some saw it as a sign of moral decline.

Scopes Monkey Trial

A battle between science and religion in the US that pitted scientific ideas like "evolution" against traditional religious beliefs like "creation."

18th Amendment

The amendment that outlawed liquor in the United States, which contributed to the rise of organized crime.

21st Amendment

The amendment that repealed the $18\text{th}$ Amendment, effectively ending Prohibition.

Nativism

An increase in prejudice against immigrants during the $1920s$, exemplified by the rebirth of the KKK and the Red Scare.

Sacco and Vanzetti Trial

A specific legal case from the $1920s$ that served as an example of the era's increased nativism.

Immigration Acts of 1921 and 1924

Laws passed to limit immigration into the United States by creating a quota system.

Harlem Renaissance

An African American movement of arts and culture based in Harlem featuring figures like Langston Hughes and Duke Ellington.

Great Depression

The period between $1929$ and $1939$ which was the worst economic downturn in United States history.

Laissez-faire

The economic philosophy followed by Herbert Hoover which suggests that the government should never intervene in the economy.

Hoovervilles

Villages of shacks built by homeless people during the Great Depression, named after President Herbert Hoover.

Dust Bowl

A situation in the Great Plains where drought and poor economic conditions caused massive dust storms, forcing farmers to flee to California.

Bonus March

A protest in which World War I veterans marched on Washington demanding promised bonuses, eventually resulting in military troops being used to chase them out.

New Deal

A program started by Franklin Delano Roosevelt in $1932$ that combined work relief, direct relief, and bank reform.

FDIC

A New Deal bank reform measure that provided insurance for savings accounts.

Court-packing scandal

An attempt by FDR to increase the number of Supreme Court justices from $9$ to $15$ to ensure support for his New Deal programs.

Stock Market Crash

An event on October 29th $1929$ when Wall Street faced its largest drop in value ever as sellers rushed to sell shares.

Smoot-Hawley Tariff

A $1930$ tax on imports intended to protect American companies that resulted in foreign countries buying fewer American goods.

Bank Failures

The collapse of over $9,000$ banks during the $1930s$, leading to the loss of uninsured savings.

Unemployment Rate of 1933

A statistic that reached as high as $25\text{ percent}$ as businesses and banks failed during the economic crisis.