APUSH Unit 7 Study Guide

The 1920s

Key Themes: Prosperity, cultural change, social conflict.

• Economic Boom: Rise of consumer culture, mass production (Henry Ford’s assembly line), stock market boom.

• Cultural Changes: Jazz Age, Harlem Renaissance, flappers, rise of Hollywood.

• Social Conflicts: Red Scare, Palmer Raids, Sacco and Vanzetti trial, KKK resurgence, immigration restrictions (Emergency Quota Act 1921, National Origins Act 1924).

• Prohibition: 18th Amendment, Volstead Act, rise of organized crime (Al Capone), speakeasies.

• Scopes Trial: Clash between modernism & fundamentalism over evolution.

• Women’s Suffrage: 19th Amendment (1920).

The Interwar Years

Key Themes: Isolationism, economic instability, rise of authoritarian regimes.

• Isolationism: U.S. rejects Treaty of Versailles & League of Nations.

• Kellogg-Briand Pact (1928): Agreement to outlaw war (symbolic, ineffective).

• Rise of Fascism: Mussolini (Italy), Hitler (Germany), militarism (Japan).

• Neutrality Acts: 1930s laws to prevent U.S. war involvement.

Foreign Policy (Interwar)

Key Themes: Isolationism vs. internationalism, economic diplomacy, lead-up to WWII.

• Washington Naval Conference (1921-1922): Limits on naval armaments.

• Dawes Plan (1924): U.S. loans to Germany for reparations.

• Good Neighbor Policy: FDR’s non-intervention in Latin America.

• Neutrality Acts (1935-1937): Prevent U.S. involvement in foreign wars.

• Lend-Lease Act (1941): U.S. aid to Allies before WWII entry.

• Pearl Harbor (1941): Japanese attack leads to U.S. entering WWII.

The Great Depression

Key Themes: Economic collapse, unemployment, social suffering.

• Causes: Stock market crash (1929), overproduction, wealth inequality, bank failures, Smoot-Hawley Tariff.

• Hoover’s Response: Limited government action, belief in voluntarism, Hoover Dam.

• Social Impact: 25% unemployment, Dust Bowl, migration, Hoovervilles.

• Bonus Army (1932): WWI veterans demand early bonuses, met with violence.

The New Deal

Key Themes: Relief, recovery, reform; expanded federal government.

• First New Deal (1933-1935): Immediate relief & recovery.

  • Programs: FDIC (banks), CCC (jobs), AAA (agriculture), NRA (industry), TVA (rural development).

• Second New Deal (1935-1938): Long-term reform & social welfare.

  • Programs: Social Security Act, Wagner Act (labor rights), WPA (public works).

• Criticism: Conservatives (Supreme Court opposition), liberals (Huey Long’s "Share Our Wealth").

• Legacy: Bigger government role, safety nets, labor rights.

World War II

Key Themes: Global conflict, U.S. mobilization, home front.

• U.S. Entry: Pearl Harbor (Dec 7, 1941).

• Military Strategy: Europe-first, D-Day (1944), island-hopping (Pacific).

• Home Front: War production, rationing, victory gardens, women in workforce (Rosie the Riveter).

• Civil Liberties: Japanese internment (Executive Order 9066), Korematsu v. U.S.

• Atomic Bomb: Manhattan Project, Hiroshima & Nagasaki (1945).

• Postwar Impact: U.S. as superpower, start of Cold War.