Roaring 20's and the Great Depression

Stallbaumer's College U.S. History

List examples of how the 1920s were similar to the 1990s.

• From the automobile industry to the computer industry

• Radio to television (cable and satellite evolving)

• Babe Ruth is to Michael Jordan

• Jazz is to rap

• Bull market economy

List the causes of the Great Depression.

• Crash of the stock market in October 1929

• Over speculation and people buying stocks without doing research

• Overproduction

• Struggling agricultural economy: crop prices were extremely low and farmers planted more and more to make a profit

When was the great crash of the stock market?

October 29, 1929

Describe the Depression Cycle.

Companies overproduced their products, workers got laid off, workers had less money, people couldn't afford to buy things, and companies had overflowing products.

What percentage of the workforce was unemployed by 1932?

25%

What was the national income in 1932?

$1,300

What was President Hoover's reaction to the Depression?

He continued the government's hands-off policy in the economy, and he thought that churches/states/charities should be able to help. He did try public works programs to stimulate the economy.

What was Hoover's fear about providing aid to the American people?

That government aid would make people lazy

What United States General was in charge of putting down the bonus army in 1932?

General Douglas MacArthur

Who ran for election in 1932 against Hoover?

Franklin Delano Roosevelt (NY governor)

What was the name given to President Roosevelt's plan for Recovery, Relief and Reform?

New Deal

Describe the Bank Holiday.

All banks in the US were closed; only "sound" banks could reopen, and the poor banks stayed closed. This assured people that banks were safe so that they wouldn't get scared and take their money out.

What organization was created to make the banks more secure?

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)

Compare and contrast the two public works programs first tried by the Roosevelt Administration.

• Civil Works Administration (CWA): overhired people to work so that more people would be employed, was widely criticized

• Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC): hired mainly single men 18 - 25; worked for conservation in parks, forests, and rivers; paid $1/day - 75% of paycheck sent home to help family; created 2.5 million jobs; people didn't like the military style with workers living away from home in barracks

What was the TVA, and what three things did it attempt to do?

Tennessee Valley Authority Build 26 hydroelectric dams along the Tennessee River: create jobs, provide electricity in the rural south, and control floods

Why did some people not support Roosevelt's plan?

Electric companies could not compete with cheap government electricity

What were some of the problems that farmers faced in the Great Depression?

• Drought and heat wave

• Had to fill large amounts of land with crops in order to make any kind of profit - price kept going down so they kept having to produce more

• Overproduction and overworking the land caused wind erosion - dried the topsoil to dust that was blown by the wind for miles

What was the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1933, and what did it do?

Government paid the farmers to not plant more crops so that the overplanted resources would get used up. Benefitted landowners but was hard on sharecroppers.

What kinds of things did families in the Great Depression try to do to cut back on spending?

• Eat cheaper food - more eggs, things from gardens, Jell-O, home-canned goods

• Spend less on going out on entertainment - stay home and play games or listen to the radio

What was 1 positive effect of the Great Depression?

The New Deal created modern America. The national government became large, powerful, and responsible to the people; presidents got much more power.

What were some forms of diversion that people indulged in to escape life and the Great Depression for a while?

Reading, radio, cards, board games, stamp collecting, puzzles, dance marathons, bike races, sports, movies

What was the emphasis of the second New Deal?

Reform of the economic system

What was the WPA, and what did it do?

Works Progress Administration It built schools, hospitals, parks, roads, and lakes. It paid workers $55/month and employed 8.5 million people.

What was the result of the 1936 election?

FDR defeated Republican nominee Kansas governor Alf Landon in a 523 - 8 landslide

List at least 3 movies that were escapism-type movies from the 1930s.

Wizard of Oz, King Kong, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves

Who was the "IT girl" of the movies in the 1920s?

Clara Bow

Who was the most famous male actor of the 1920s?

Rudolph Valentino

What was the National Origins Act of 1924?

It was an immigration act that put a strict quota on immigration - new immigrants were only allowed in at the same percentage per country as the number of people that were in the country prior to 1924. This act favored immigrants from Western Europe (France, Britain, Germany) over people from Eastern Europe (Italy, Greece, Serbia) - Mexico and Canada were not subject to restrictions.

Who wrote the anti-war novel "Farewell to Arms"?

Ernest Hemingway

What pilot made national fame by making the first ever non-stop flight from NY to Paris?

Charles Lindbergh

Who ran for President against FDR in 1936, and where was he from?

Alf Landon, Kansas

What gangster nicknamed "scarface" made a fortune during prohibition?

Al Capone

Name at least 3 singers from the Jazz age and the Harlem Renaissance.

Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie, Bessie Smith

What teacher challenged the Tennessee law against the teaching of evolution?

John T. Scopes

What was the first national radio broadcast station?

KDKA (from Pittsburg, PA)

What was nativism?

White protestants thought they were the only "real" Americans; they hated anything "foreign" - anyone Jewish, Catholic, black, or politically radical. Examples of nativism from the 1920s include the Sacco and Vinzetti trial and the KKK.