Goal 9 The US between the World Wars
Mar 27, 2015
Goal 9
The US between the World Wars
9.01
Elaborate on the cycle of economic boom and bust in the
1920’s and 1930’s
The Impact of Presidential policies on economic activity--Harding, Coolidge, Hoover,
and Roosevelt
Warren Harding
• “Return to Normalcy”-Republican elected in 1920; promised to return to America peacetime
• Teapot Dome Scandal- Harding’s Sec. of Interior Albert Fall arrested for leasing gov. owned oil fields to private business
Calvin Coolidge
• “business of America is business”
• Laissez-faire; government will stay out of the affairs of business
• Hawley Smoot Tariff- large protective tariff
Herbert Hoover
• President when depression begins
• Thought depression would fix itself
• Rugged Individualism- people take care of their own family everything would be okay; no need for government handouts
Franklin D. Roosevelt(FDR)
• Direct Relief to help people during Great Depression
• Relief, Recovery, Reform
• FDR’s government programs of giving food and money known as “New Deal”
Rise and decline of major industries in the United States
Mechanization
• Jobs were lost to machines
• Production of durable goods such as cars and washing machines increases
• Unemployment increases and a surplus of goods is created
Factors leading to Stock Market crash and the Great
Depression
1. Overproduction
• Main cause
• Surplus = lower sale price
• Lower sale price = lower profit
• Lower profit = inability to pay workers
• Inability to pay workers = unemployment
2. Speculation
• Buying large quantities of stocks hoping the price will go up and you can turn a quick profit
3. Buying on Margin
• Borrowing money from a stockbroker to buy stock with hopes to make a profit to pay back the broker
• The broker can make a “margin call” for their money to be repaid
4. Easy Credit
• Buy now pay later
• Installment buying…getting the product and making payments (car)
• People begin to spend money on debt and can’t buy any new products
5. Lack of Foreign Trade
• WWI; Treaty of Versailles hurts Europe’s ability for foreign trade
• Hawley Smoot tariff
6. Unequal Distribution of Wealth
• Small percent of people control large percent of the money
• Large gap between rich and poor
Black Tuesday
• Oct 29, 1929
• Stock Market crashes
• Over $3 Billion lost
• Triggers the Great Depression
9.02 / 9.03
-Analyze significant social, intellectual, and technological
changes in the US
- Analyze life during the Great Depression
The Impact of Mass Media
Radio
• TV of that generation
• Allowed people to listen to programming
• Allowed people to hear news
• Allowed people to hear advertisement
Advertising
• Created a “need” for products such as deodorants, soap, etc.
• Used celebrities to endorse products
Jazz
• New music of the era
• Derived from the African-American community
• Duke Ellington
Films
• Silent Movies• Charlie Chaplin• First “talkie” was
The Jazz Singer
Lost Generation
• Group of artists that didn’t fit into society after WWI
• F Scott Fitzgerald- The Great Gatsby: about materialism of the 20s
• Ernest Hemingway- A Farewell to Arms: talked about the meaningless of war
The Harlem Renaissance
Harlem Renaissance
• Flowering of African American art, music, and literature
• Expressed cultural pride and discontent with racism in America
Langston Hughes
• Major black writer of the Harlem Renaissance
Louie Armstrong
• Famous Jazz musician of the Harlem Renaissance
Prohibition
Organized Crime
• 18th Amendment prohibit alcohol
• Competition for control of the illegal liquor trade
• Gangsters such as Al Capone
Speakeasies
• Illegal bars that served alcohol
• Bootleggers- people that illegally produced alcohol
Leisure Time and Spectator Sports
Babe Ruth
• Sultan of Swat; King of Swing
• Famous baseball player; most famous athlete of the 20s
• Comparable to Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods of today’s era
Charles Lindberg
• 1st to fly solo across the Atlantic
• New York to Paris• 33 1/2 hours• “Lucky Lindy”• Plane: The Spirit of
St. Louis
Life During the Depression
• No unemployment or welfare
• Homeless built shantytowns such as this one. They referred to these homeless areas as “Hoovervilles.”
Breadlines
• Many had to stand in breadlines such as this one to receive their only meal of the day
Soup Kitchens
• Many went to soup kitchens to get their only meal
Problems of Prosperity
• Farmers do not enjoy prosperity. Farm prices drop while the cost of farming increases.
• People are getting rich by speculating and buying on the margin.
• People also acquire consumer goods through installment plans (credit)
The Dust Bowl
• Farmers continue to suffer.
• Prices continue to drop and a severe drought in the mid 1930’s crushed the farm industry.
• Many farmers leave the midwest and head to farms on the east and west coasts.
• Okies
The Bonus Army
• Many WWI vets demanded their retirement pensions early
• Vets march on Washington
• Hoover locks himself in his office
Fireside Chats
• FDR uses the radio to communicate with America about getting out of the depression
• Weekly broadcast• “the only thing we
have to fear is fear itself”
9.04
Describe challenges to traditional practices in religion, race, and
gender
Back to Africa
• Marcus Garvey• Founded the UNIA• Unsuccessful• Garvey was found
guilty of embezzlement and was deported
Fundamentalism
• Belief that The Bible is literal and should be seen and taught as such
• Prevailing idea in the rural south
Scopes Trial
• Dayton, TN passed a law prohibiting the teaching of evolution
• John T. Scopes was arrested for teaching evolution
• Case focused more on evolution or creationism instead of guilt or innocence
Billy Sunday
• Evangelical preacher
• Fundamentalist• Anti-communist
Changing role of Women
• Flapper: new woman of the 20s
• Promiscuous, smoke, drank alcohol
• Margaret Sanger: began planned parenthood and abortion clinic
9.05
Assess the impact of the New Deal reforms in enlarging the role
of the federal government.
New Deal
• Social Securtiy-pensions for the elderly
• FDIC-protected depositors’ money in the bank
• SEC-regulated trading on stock market
• PWA-built schools, hospitals, roads, dams-----public works
• CCC-gave young men jobs in parks
New Deal-cont.
• AAA-paid farmers not to grow crops
• TVA-built dams in the Appalachian region
• WPA-created work: blue collar workers
3 R’s
• Relief-give out money
• Recovery-help economy recover
• Reform-take measures to prevent a crash from happening
Critics of New Deal
• Father Charles Coughlin-redistribution of wealth
• Dr. Francis Townsend-early retirement
• Huey Long-Share our Wealth; Robin Hood idea of take from reach and give to the poor
More FDR
• Frances Perkins-first female to the cabinet
• Brain Trust
• Elected 4 times
• Attempts to expand size of Supreme Court