Unit 9 Study Guide: The Great Depression, the New Deal, and World War II

Unit 9 Assessment Overview and Logistics

• Assessment Dates:   - Friday, May 1st, 2026 ("B" day)   - Monday, May 4th, 2026 ("A" day)   - Note: These dates replaced the original April 30th date due to the Reading SOL exam.

• Assessment Format:   - Total points: $65$   - $45$ Multiple choice questions   - $2$ Written Short Answer Questions (SAQ)

• Instructional Context:   - Time frame for unit: $3\frac{1}{2}$ weeks   - Required Amsco readings: Topics $7.8, 7.9, 7.10, 7.11, 7.12, 7.13$   - Included materials: All class handouts, in-class activities, Homework reading notes, class notes, and lesson slideshows.

• Scope of Content: The Great Depression, the New Deal, and World War II up through May $1945$.

Main Historical Ideas and Themes

• The 1920s: Analysis of social, political, and economic characteristics, cultural changes, and the various underlying problems and concerns hidden beneath the surface of the "Roaring 20s."

• The Great Depression: Investigation of all major causes of the economic collapse and the resulting impact on the American people and national culture.

• The New Deal: Evaluation of Franklin D. Roosevelt's (FDR) programs and their lasting significance on the American government and society.

• World War II Origins: Exploration of the causes of the war and the significance of the interwar period, specifically focusing on the policy of U.S. neutrality.

• Path to Engagement: Tracking the gradual shift of the United States from a stance of isolationism to full engagement in the global conflict in $1941$.

• Military and Domestic Conflict: Study of significant military battles/engagements and the various points of view regarding the U.S. home front during the war.

Political Revolts and Social Tensions of the 1920s

• The First Red Scare:  

•  - 1919 Strikes: A period of intense labor unrest following WWI that fueled fears of communist infiltration.   

• - A. Mitchell Palmer: U.S. Attorney General who led the government's crack down on suspected radicals.   

• - Palmer Raids: A series of raids conducted by the Department of Justice to arrest and deport suspected radical leftists and anarchists.   

• - J. Edgar Hoover: Involved in the early development of federal investigative efforts against radicals.   

• - FBI: The Federal Bureau of Investigation, which expanded its role during this era under J. Edgar Hoover.   

• - Sacco-Vanzetti Trial: A controversial trial of two Italian immigrants and anarchists who were convicted of robbery and murder with limited evidence, symbolizing the anti-immigrant and anti-radical sentiment of the time.

• Immigration and Nativism:   

• - Quota System: Legislative efforts to strictly limit specific groups of immigrants from entering the United States.   

• - KKK (Ku Klux Klan): The resurgence of the hate group, expanding its targets to include immigrants, Catholics, and Jews in addition to African Americans.

• Religious and Moral Conflict:  

•  - Fundamentalism: A religious movement characterized by a strict, literal interpretation of the Bible.   

• - Scopes Trial: Often called the "Monkey Trial," it featured a legal battle over the teaching of evolution in schools, representing the clash between traditional religious values and modern scientific thought.   

• - Prohibition: The legal prevention of the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcoholic beverages.   

• - Speakeasy: Illegal bars where alcoholic drinks were sold and consumed during Prohibition.   - Bootlegger: Individuals who illegally produced or smuggled alcohol into the United States.   - Al Capone: A notorious gangster who rose to power through the illegal trade of alcohol in Chicago.

Cultural Movements and the "Roaring 20s"

• The Harlem Renaissance: A significant cultural, social, and artistic explosion centered in Harlem, New York.   

• - Langston Hughes: A leading poet known for his insightful portrayals of black life in America.   

• - Claude McKay: A poet and novelist who was a seminal figure in the movement.   

• - Duke Ellington: A renowned jazz composer and piano player.   

• - Bessie Smith: A highly influential blues singer.   

• - Paul Robeson: A multifaceted artist, actor, and activist.   - Louis Armstrong: A foundational figure in jazz, famous for his trumpet playing and distinct vocals.

• African American Activism:   

• - Marcus Garvey: Leader of the Pan-Africanism movement.   

• - UNIA: The Universal Negro Improvement Association, founded by Garvey to promote racial pride and economic self-sufficiency.

• Societal Changes:   - The Lost Generation: A group of writers disillusioned by the carnage of WWI, including Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald.  

•  - Radio: A transformative technology that helped create a shared national culture.   

• - Red Summer: A period of bloody race riots that occurred in more than three dozen cities across the United States in $1919$.

Economic Developments of the 1920s

• Technological and Business Innovation:   

• - Henry Ford: Pioneer of mass production through the assembly line.   -

• Model T: The first affordable mass-produced automobile.

• Consumerism and Credit:   - Installment Plan: A system of purchasing where the buyer makes a down payment and pays the rest in periodic installments.   -

• Buying on Credit: The practice of purchasing goods with the promise of future payment.   - Buying on Margin: The practice of buying stocks with a small down payment and borrowing the rest, which contributed to market instability.

• Government Economic Policy:   

• - Laissez-faire: An economic philosophy of minimal government intervention in the market.   -

• President Warren Harding: His administration was marked by the "Ohio Gang" and various scandals.  

•  - President Calvin Coolidge: Known for his pro-business stance and belief that "the chief business of the American people is business."   - President Herbert Hoover: The last of the $1920s$ Republican presidents, who faced the onset of the Great Depression.

• Historical Comparison: Identifying similarities between the $1920s$ and the Gilded Age, particularly regarding corporate influence and wealth disparity.

The Interwar Period and Foreign Policy

• Myth of Isolationism: The idea that the U.S. completely withdrew from world affairs, whereas it actually remained active in international diplomacy.

• Washington Naval Conference: An international meeting to limit the naval arms race.

• Kellog-Briand Pact: An international agreement in which signatory states promised not to use war to resolve disputes.

• Dawes Plan: A plan to ensure Germany could pay its WWI reparations by coordinating U.S. loans to Germany.

• Weaknesses of the League of Nations: The inability of the organization to maintain peace, partly due to U.S. absence.

• Nye Committee: A senate committee that investigated the "merchants of death" theory, suggesting that arms manufacturers pushed the U.S. into WWI.

• Good Neighbor Policy: FDR’s policy aimed at improving relations with Latin American countries through non-intervention.

• U.S.-U.S.S.R. Relations: FDR's efforts to improve the diplomatic relationship with the Soviet Union.

The Great Depression: Causes and Impact

• Comprehensive Causes:   - Republican Economic Policies: Including laissez-faire approaches and high tariffs.   - Agricultural Distress: Chronic overproduction and falling prices for farmers throughout the $1920s$.   - Industrial Instability: Overproduction in major industries beyond consumer demand.   - Unequal Distribution of Wealth: A concentration of wealth at the top, which limited consumer purchasing power.   - Speculation: Excessive speculation in both real estate and the stock market.

• Key Terms and Events:  

•  - Black Tuesday: The catastrophic stock market crash of October $29, 1929$.   -

• Hoovervilles: Shantytowns built by unemployed and destitute people during the Depression.  

•  - Hoover Blankets: Newspapers used as bedding by the homeless.   

• - Reconstruction Finance Corp (RFC): Hoover's attempt to provide federal loans to banks and businesses to stimulate the economy.   

• - Trickle-down Theory: The economic idea that providing benefits to the wealthy and businesses will eventually benefit those at the bottom of the economic ladder.   -

• Rugged Individualism & Volunteerism: Hoover’s belief that individuals should succeed through their own efforts rather than through government handouts, and that private charities should handle relief.   -

• "Lame Duck": A period after an election where an outgoing official (Hoover) remains in office before the successor (FDR) is inaugurated.