History Test

Black Sox Scandal (1920)

A scandal in which several members of the Chicago White Sox were accused of intentionally losing the 1919 World Series in exchange for money from gamblers, showing corruption in professional sports.

Teapot Dome Scandal (1923)

A major scandal during the 1920s in which government officials, including Secretary of the Interior Albert B. Fall, illegally leased federal oil reserves to private companies in return for bribes. It became a symbol of government corruption.

Jazz Music

A music genre that began in African American communities, especially in New Orleans, known for improvisation, syncopated rhythms, blues notes, and complex harmonies.

Charles Lindbergh

An American aviator who became famous in 1927 for completing the first nonstop solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean, flying from New York to Paris in 33 hours.

Al Jolson

A famous American singer, actor, and entertainer of the 1920s, known as one of the most popular performers of the era and a major star of early sound films.

Corruption

Dishonest or illegal behavior, especially by people in power, such as accepting bribes or abusing authority for personal gain.

Prohibition (1920–1933)

A period in U.S. history when the production, sale, and transportation of alcohol were illegal under the 18th Amendment

Speakeasy

A secret illegal bar that operated during Prohibition where people went to drink alcohol, socialize, and listen to music.

Bootleggers

People who illegally made, transported, or sold alcohol during Prohibition.

Al “Scarface” Capone

A notorious Chicago gangster who built a criminal empire through bootlegging, gambling, and violence during Prohibition.

St. Valentine’s Day Massacre (1929

A violent event in Chicago in which seven members of a rival gang were killed, likely connected to Al Capone’s efforts to eliminate competition.

Eliot Ness and the “Untouchables

A team of federal agents led by Eliot Ness, famous for fighting Capone’s illegal operations and bootlegging network.

Herbert Hoover (31st President)

the 31st president of the United States (1929–1933). He was president when the Great Depression began and believed the economy would recover on its own with limited government intervention, which many people later saw as ineffective.

Franklin D. Roosevelt (32nd President)

the 32nd president of the United States, elected in 1932 and taking office in 1933 during the Great Depression. He believed the government should actively help citizens through relief, recovery, and reform programs.

The New Deal

The New Deal was a series of programs and reforms created by Franklin D. Roosevelt to fight the Great Depression. It focused on relief for the unemployed, economic recovery, and reform of the financial system.

Emergency Banking Relief Act of 1933

A law passed in 1933 to stabilize the banking system during the Great Depression. It allowed the government to inspect banks and reopen only those that were financially stable, helping restore public confidence in banks. 100 days -first 100 days he become president

Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)

A New Deal program that gave jobs to young, unemployed men during the Great Depression. They worked on conservation projects such as planting trees, building parks, and improving the environment.

Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA)

A New Deal program that tried to raise farm prices by reducing agricultural production. Farmers were paid to grow fewer crops and limit livestock so supply would decrease and prices would rise.

Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA

A New Deal program created to help the poor Tennessee Valley region by building dams, controlling floods, generating electricity, and improving farming. It brought jobs and cheap electric power to millions

National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA)

A New Deal law created to help industries recover and reduce unemployment during the Great Depression. It set fair business rules such as minimum wages and maximum work hours.

Social Security Act (1935)

A major New Deal law signed by Franklin D. Roosevelt that created a system of old-age pensions, unemployment insurance, and aid for dependent children and people with disabilities. It was designed to provide financial security during and after the Great Depression.

United States Housing Act / Wagner-Steagall Act (1937)

A New Deal law that provided federal funding for low-cost public housing projects. It was meant to improve poor living conditions and create jobs through construction.

Fair Labor Standards Act (1938)

A federal law that established minimum wage, overtime pay, recordkeeping rules, and child labor standards. It helped protect workers by setting fair work conditions.

Glass-Steagall Banking Act (1933)

A law passed during the Great Depression that separated commercial banking from investment banking. Its purpose was to make banks safer and restore public confidence after many banks failed.

21st Amendment (1933)

repealed the 18th Amendment, officially ending Prohibition and making alcohol legal again in the United States

Works Progress Administration (WPA)

A major New Deal agency created by Franklin D. Roosevelt that provided millions of jobs for unemployed Americans through public projects such as roads, schools, parks, and buildings.

Wagner National Labor Relations Act (1935)

A law that protected workers’ rights to form labor unions and bargain collectively with employers. It strengthened labor rights during the Great Depression.

Depression

An extreme recession lasting 3+ years or causing a GDP decline of at least 10%, with high unemployment and failing businesses.

Stock Market Crash of 1929

Started on Black Thursday (Oct 24, 1929) and peaked on Black Tuesday; U.S. stock prices collapsed, billions in wealth lost, caused by speculation, margin buying, and slowing production.

Hoovervilles

Shantytowns built by homeless Americans during the Depression, named sarcastically after President Hoover due to federal inaction

Hoover Hotels

Makeshift hotels or shelters (like converted small hotels) for people who couldn’t afford housing during the Depression.

Hoover blanket

A newspaper used as a blanket by homeless people during the Great Depression, named sarcastically after President Hoover to highlight the lack of federal relief.

Hoover Flag

An outturned empty pocket symbolizing poverty; people used the term to mock President Hoover for not helping those suffering during the Depression.

Mulligan stew

A cheap soup made from whatever ingredients were available, often by homeless people or in soup kitchens during the Depression.

soup kitchen

A place where free meals were provided to the unemployed and poor during the Great Depression.

breadline

A line of people waiting to receive free food from charities or government programs during the Depression.

Bonus Army

WWI veterans who marched on Washington D.C. in 1932 to demand early payment of a promised bonus; many were forcibly removed by the U.S. Army.

Dust Bowl

A period of severe drought and dust storms in the 1930s, especially in the Great Plains, which ruined farms and forced mass migration.

“Okie” Migration

Movement of farmers, especially from Oklahoma, to California and other states during the Dust Bowl, seeking work and better living conditions.

folk music

It told stories of hardship and struggle, often reflecting the experiences of ordinary Americans; artists like Woody Guthrie became famous for these songs.

escapism

Entertainment (like movies, music, or radio) that allowed people to temporarily forget the struggles of the Depression.

Golden Age of Hollywood Cinema?

A period in the 1930s when Hollywood produced many classic films, musicals, and comedies; movies offered both entertainment and escapism during hard economic times.

The roaring twenties

the decade of the 1920s, marked by rapid economic growth, cultural change, and social transformation in the United States and Western society. It was driven by mass production, consumer goods like automobiles and radios, and the popularity of jazz music.

isolationism

is a foreign policy in which a country avoids permanent military alliances and political involvement with other nations. In the 1920s, the United States followed this policy by focusing on domestic issues and staying out of many international conflicts after World War I.

nativism

a political and social belief that favors the interests of native-born citizens over immigrants. In the 1920s, it led to anti-immigrant attitudes, stricter immigration laws, and discrimination against people from certain countries and cultures.

the First Red Scare

a period of intense fear in the United States that communism, anarchism, and radical political ideas would spread and threaten the American way of life. This fear increased after the Russian Revolution and led to suspicion, arrests, and deportations of many people accused of being radicals.

the Sacco and Vanzetti Trial

involved two Italian immigrants and anarchists, Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, who were accused of robbery and murder in Massachusetts. Many people believed the guilty verdict was influenced more by prejudice against their immigrant background and radical beliefs than by solid evidence, making it a major controversy of the Red Scare era.

The Immigration Act of 1924

was a law signed by President Calvin Coolidge that severely restricted immigration to the United States. It established national-origin quotas based on the 1890 census, which greatly limited immigrants from southern and eastern Europe while favoring northern and western Europeans. This law reflected the nativist attitudes of the 1920s

Ku Klux Klan

including men, women, and children, marched down Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. wearing white robes. The march showed the Klan’s large influence and growing membership during the 1920s, when it promoted white supremacy, nativism, and anti-immigrant beliefs.

The Birth of a Nation

was a groundbreaking film directed by D. W. Griffith in 1915. It was important because it introduced major filmmaking techniques and changed the movie industry, but it was also deeply racist. The film portrayed African Americans in harmful stereotypes and glorified the Ku Klux Klan, influencing racist attitudes and helping revive the Klan in the 1920s.

fundamentalism

the strict, literal, and unwavering adherence to the basic principles or doctrines of a religion or ideology. In the 1920s, it often referred to religious groups who insisted on a literal interpretation of the Bible and opposed modern ideas such as evolution.

revivalism

the belief in or promotion of a renewed religious enthusiasm or awakening. It often involves large gatherings, passionate preaching, and strong emotional expressions of faith meant to “revive” people’s religious commitment.

Billy Sunday

a famous American evangelist and former professional baseball player who became one of the most influential preachers of the early 20th century. Known for his energetic sermons and revival meetings, he promoted strict Christian values and helped spread evangelical Christianity during the 1920s.

Aimee Semple McPherson

a Canadian-American Pentecostal evangelist, media celebrity, and founder of the Foursquare Church. She became famous for using radio to spread her religious message and was one of the first women to gain national fame as a preacher in the United States.

the Scopes “Monkey” Trial

a famous 1925 court case in which teacher John T. Scopes was tried for teaching evolution in violation of Tennessee’s Butler Act. The case symbolized the conflict between religious fundamentalism and modern scientific ideas during the 1920s.