APUSH Unit 7B

Yalta Agreement of 1945

The Yalta Agreement involved the "Big Three" Allied leaders: Franklin D. Roosevelt (U.S.), Winston Churchill (Great Britain), and Joseph Stalin (Soviet Union). They agreed to divide Germany into occupation zones, hold free elections in Eastern Europe, and create the United Nations. This increased U.S. global influence but also heightened tensions between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, leading to the Cold War.

Scopes Trial (1925)

The Scopes Trial, or Monkey Trial, was a conflict between Christian fundamentalists who opposed teaching evolutionin public schools and modernists who supported it. John T. Scopes, a teacher in Tennessee, was put on trial for violating the Butler Act by teaching evolution. Scopes was convicted, but public opinion favored modernists, highlighting the cultural divide of the 1920s.

New Deal Programs

  • Immediate Relief: Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA), Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC).

  • Economic Recovery: National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA), Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA).

  • Long-Term Reform: Social Security Act, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Women in Factories During WWII

As men went off to war, women filled industrial jobs, especially in factories. Campaigns like “Rosie the Riveter”promoted patriotic duty to work. Propaganda reassured families that women's roles would return to traditional domestic roles after the war.

Korematsu v. U.S. (1944)

The Supreme Court upheld Executive Order 9066, which led to the internment of Japanese-Americans during WWII. Fred Korematsu challenged the policy, but the Court ruled that national security outweighed individual rights. This ruling demonstrated the limits of civil liberties in wartime.

Harlem Renaissance

The Harlem Renaissance emerged in Harlem, New York, during the 1920s, showcasing African-American art, literature, and music. Major figures included Langston Hughes (poetry), Duke Ellington (jazz), and Zora Neale Hurston (literature). This movement celebrated Black culture and challenged racial stereotypes.

Impact of New Deal Programs

Programs like the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and Works Progress Administration (WPA) expanded the federal government's role by directly providing jobs and relief. The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) transformed infrastructure and improved economic conditions in rural areas.

Bolshevism and Freedom of Speech Restrictions

Fears of Bolshevism (communism) and anarchy after the Russian Revolution (1917) led to suppression of speech. The Schenck v. United States (1919) case upheld the Espionage Act of 1917, limiting speech that posed a “clear and present danger” to the U.S.

1920s Immigration Restrictions

Fears of radicalism and cultural differences led to strict immigration quotas. The Emergency Quota Act of 1921 and the National Origins Act of 1924 established quotas favoring Northern and Western Europeans, excluding Southern and Eastern Europeans and Asians.

Mass Media and Consumer Culture

The development of radio, movies, and advertising in the 1920s encouraged mass consumption. This led to increased consumer spending, overproduction, and rising debt, which contributed to the Great Depression.

New Deal and Farmers

The Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA) paid farmers to reduce crop production, stabilizing prices. The Rural Electrification Administration (REA) brought electricity to rural areas, improving farm productivity.

WWII Opportunities for Minorities

  • Women: Filled factory jobs traditionally held by men.

  • African-Americans: Served in the military and worked in industrial jobs, boosting the Double V Campaign(victory against fascism abroad and racism at home).

  • Mexican Immigrants: The Bracero Program brought Mexican laborers to work in U.S. agriculture, addressing labor shortages.

New Deal and Populist/Progressive Goals

The New Deal resembled Populist and Progressive goals by promoting government intervention to aid farmers, workers, and the poor. It expanded federal power, a drastic shift from the laissez-faire policies of the 1920s.

Laissez-Faire Opposition to New Deal

Proponents of laissez-faire capitalism believed the New Deal overreached by intervening in the economy, increasing government power, and undermining free market principles.

Flappers and Gender Norms

Flappers represented a cultural shift for women in the 1920s by challenging traditional gender roles. They wore short hair, shorter dresses, smoked, drank, and pursued careers, promoting social independence.

1932 Election: Hoover vs. FDR

  • Hoover: Advocated rugged individualism, limited federal relief, and voluntary cooperation.

  • FDR: Promoted direct federal relief, public works programs, and New Deal legislation to combat the Great Depression.

Quarantine Speech (1937)

FDR suggested that aggressive nations (like Germany, Italy, and Japan) should be “quarantined” to prevent the spread of fascism and militarism. He aimed to prepare Americans for future conflict while still maintaining neutrality.

U.S. Development of the Atomic Bomb

The Manhattan Project, led by J. Robert Oppenheimer, combined scientific resources from universities and military funding, allowing the U.S. to develop the atomic bomb before other nations.

Japanese-American Internment

During WWII, Japanese-Americans on the West Coast were forcibly relocated to internment camps due to fear of espionage. This mirrored historical forced relocations like the Trail of Tears.

19th Amendment (1920)

The 19th Amendment granted women the right to vote, expanding political participation and influencing future women’s rights movements.

Great Depression’s Social Shifts

The Great Depression caused mass unemployment, migration (like the Dust Bowl exodus), and a shift from agriculture to industrial work. The federal government expanded its role to provide relief and recovery.

Reasons for Dropping the Atomic Bomb

  1. End the war quickly and minimize American casualties.

  2. Demonstrate U.S. power to the Soviet Union.

  3. Justify the cost of the Manhattan Project.

Causes of the Great Depression

  1. Overproduction and underconsumption.

  2. Stock market speculation and crash of 1929.

  3. Laissez-faire policies that failed to regulate banks.

Opposition to the New Deal

  • Conservatives: Believed it expanded the federal government too much.

  • Business Leaders: Opposed regulations and higher taxes.

  • Supreme Court: Struck down some New Deal programs as unconstitutional.

Great Migration (1916-1970)

African-Americans migrated from the South to Northern cities seeking industrial jobs and escaping Jim Crow laws. This led to increased racial tensions in urban areas.

U.S. Ending Neutrality in WWII

The attack on Pearl Harbor (1941) prompted the U.S. to join WWII. Prior to this, Lend-Lease Act (1941) allowed the U.S. to aid Allied powers, breaking neutrality.