1920s and Great Depression Flashcards

Flashcards about the 1920s and the Great Depression

Fundamentalism

A religious movement emphasizing literal interpretation of the Bible; clashed with science (Scopes Trial); symbol of religious vs secular divide.

Immigration Act of 1924

Set strict quotas on immigration, especially from southern/eastern Europe; nearly banned Asians; reflected racism and nativism.

Harlem Renaissance

A Black cultural revival (art, music, poetry) centered in Harlem; celebrated identity; laid groundwork for Civil Rights.

Great Depression

Global economic collapse starting in 1929; led to mass unemployment and poverty; triggered the New Deal and expanded gov’t role.

Sacco-Vanzetti case

Trial of two Italian anarchists with weak evidence; symbol of 1920s nativism and fear of immigrants.

Jazz Age / Roaring Twenties

A nickname for the 1920s marked by youth culture, jazz, and rebellion; reflected rising consumerism and social change.

Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)

A proposed constitutional amendment for gender equality; not ratified in the 1920s; showed division in the women’s movement.

Flappers

Young 1920s women who challenged norms with fashion and behavior; symbol of new gender roles and independence.

Teapot Dome scandal

1920s bribery scandal over oil leases; symbol of political corruption under pro-business Republicans.

Lost Generation

Writers disillusioned by war and materialism (like Hemingway); critiqued shallow 1920s culture.

ACLU

American Civil Liberties Union (1920); defended rights like free speech; response to Red Scare repression.

Schenck v. United States (1919)

Supreme Court ruling that allowed limits on speech during wartime; set precedent for national security over civil liberty.

Scopes Trial

1925 case about teaching evolution; represented a clash between modern science and religious fundamentalism.

Herbert Hoover

President during the 1929 crash; believed in limited gov’t; blamed for deepening the Great Depression.

Black Tuesday

Oct. 29, 1929 stock market crash; triggered the Great Depression and exposed economic weaknesses.

Bonus Army

WWI vets demanding early payments (1932); forcibly removed by army; showed desperation during the Depression.

Smoot-Hawley Tariff

Raised tariffs in 1930 to protect U.S. industry; worsened global depression by reducing trade.

Americanization efforts

Forced immigrants to conform (language, religion); resisted in places like Harlem and ethnic neighborhoods.