Roaring Twenties STAAR Review

Welcome

to US History

STAAR Review

of the

Roaring Twenties:

1920-1929

By the end of this lesson, you should be able to...

identify the political, economic, & social changes of the 1920s.

Open Ended

What do you remember about the Roaring Twenties? Look at the images for clues.

Multiple Choice

The Roaring Twenties were a period of immense prosperity in the United States following the -

• Gilded Age.

• Progressive Era.

• first World War.

WWI Cemented the US as a World Power

• by 1920, America was the richest & most industrialized country in the world

• mass production during the war meant America made & sold goods to the rest of the world

• wages were high, incomes were increasing

• Americans spent $ on new consumer goods & entertainment which led to the decade being labeled "the Roaring Twenties"

Post World War I Isolationism

• many Americans felt the US was tricked into joining WWI & pulled into European drama at the cost of $$ & American lives

• so, the US embraced ISOLATIONISM as we returned to normal

• which meant, the US refused to ratify - sign & agree to - the Treaty of Versailles that officially ended WWI because the US didn't want to be forced to join the new international peacekeeping organization, the League of Nations

• fear of foreign entanglements that would pull US into a future war made America commit to neutrality

• America continued to TRADE & LOAN $$ to European countries, we just didn't want binding alliances

The Red Scare:

Growing Fear of Communism

• fear of communist ideas coming from the Soviet Union after of the 1917 communist Bolshevik Revolution in Russia

• increased nationalism following WWI: America 1st & best, must keep radicals out

• Increased nativism which brought prejudice against Southern & Eastern European immigrants migrating from countries close to the Soviet Union that spoke different languages & were often Catholic

Growth of Eugene Deb's Socialist Party spread Americans fears of a Russian-style revolution in the US.

People suspected of being communists were called "Reds," radicals, anarchists, Bolsheviks.

US Attorney General Mitchell Palmer began leading government raids to arrest suspected radicals.

Red Scare & Nativism

• in response to fears that immigrants were responsible for the spread of radical communist ideas in the US, prejudice against immigrants rises

• Congress passed 2 laws that set immigration quotas to restrict the # of European & Asian immigrants could enter the US each year

• many immigrants were arrested & deported in the Palmer Raids simply for being accused of being radicals

Multiple Choice

Why did the US Senate refuse to ratify the Treaty of Versailles after World War I?

• The Senate would not support America's participation in the League of Nations.

• The Senate believed the treaty did not punish Germany enough.

• The Senate thought the treaty did not have the power to prevent secret alliances.

• The Senate could not agree on military disarmament levels.

Multiple Choice

What was the primary reason for the raids described in this excerpt?

• To prevent workers from joining labor organizations

• To block civil rights advocates from staging public protests

• To suppress the teaching of evolution in colleges

• To halt the spread of communist ideals by radicals

Multiple Choice

Cartoons such as this one took the position that deportation was necessary because -

• assimilation programs in the United States had been unsuccessful

• economic decline had increased the competition for jobs

• communists were infiltrating the United States

• political machines had too much power in urban areas

In 1920, Americans elected Repubican Warren Harding as President.

He promised a "Return to Normalcy" following WWI in the midst of this Red Scare.

The 3 Republican Presidents of the 1920s - Harding, Coolidge, Hoover - helped America "Return to Normalcy" using pro-business policies & low taxes.

Henry Ford's

Assembly Line Manufacturing

• in 1913, Henry Ford developed the 1st moving assembly lines for the mass production of cars

• before assembly lines, building 1 car took more than 12 hours

• having workers stay still & build 1 piece of the automobile as it moved down a line cut production time for 1 car down to 1 hour and 33 minutes

• assembly lines are now the standard because they increase production efficiency = aka produce more goods faster LOWERING THE PRICE OF GOODS

• Ford Motor Company was the 1st to sell cars that were affordable for the average American

• by 1929, 1 in 5 Americans owned a car

Multiple Choice

What was one immediate result of Henry Ford's manufacturing methods?

• Cars became affordable for more people.

• Cars required little fuel to operate efficiently.

• Cars replaced railroads as the fastest way to ship goods.

• Cars could be customized.

Multiple Choice

How did the events on this time line affect US businesses?

• Profit sharing became a standard practice for industrial corporations.

• Monopolistic practices were abolished by federal legislation.

• Mass-manufacturing techniques were adopted to maximize production.

• Retirement plans were guaranteed to factory workers.

By 1920, more people lived in cities than in rural areas due to the industrial revolution, immigration, & jobs during WWI.

The values of these 2 societies clashed in the 1920s.

The Prohibition Era

• women of the Temperance Movement push for the prohibition of alcohol because they believed drinking led to crime & social problems

• the 18th Amendment to the US Constitution began Prohibition & the Volstead Act outlawed the sale & manufacture of alcohol

• urban Americans RESISTED prohibition while rural Americans SUPPORTED prohibition

• illegal, underground bars called speakeasies became popular in urban areas

• demand for illegal alcohol led to a rise in

  smuggling & bootlegging

• organized crime emerged as the mafia took control of the illegal alcohol trade

Urban Women Challenge Traditional Roles

• in 1920, the 19th Amendment was added to the US Constitution & granted women the right to vote

• new fashion trends, voting rights, & cars led to an increased sense of freedom for women

• young, unmarried women in cities embraced their independence and sexuality as “flappers”

• "flappers" popularized new women’s fashions like shorter hemlines, “bobbed” hair, & hats

• flappers shocked traditional-minded women by smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol, dancing at clubs, using makeup, & going out with boys WITHOUT chaperones

Multiple Choice

Which of these resulted from the prohibition of alcohol during the 1920s?

• a decline in immigration rates

• a growing fear of communism

• the expansion of the consumer economy

• the rise of organized crime

Multiple Choice

What was a major influence on the popularity of the flapper during the 1920s?

• A decline in the number of women working in urban factories

• A shift away from the traditional roles of women

• An increase in the use of credit and installment plans

• A decrease in crime associated with prohibition

The Great Migration

• Between 1910 & 1940, 1.6 million Black Americans left the South & moved North

• Some moved to escape Jim Crow segregation & racial violence following the resurgence of the KKK

• Some were drawn to economic opportunities in the form of factory jobs that offered higher wages in industrial cities

• largest demographic shift in American history

The Harlem Renaissance

• during the Great Migration, many Black Americans that moved to NYC settled in the neighborhood of Harlem

• this gives birth to the Harlem Renaissance: an intellectual & cultural revival of Black art, literature, & music

• Jazz music is born during the Harlem Renaissance & becomes a prominent musical form in America

Multiple Choice

What was a primary reason for the demographic shift described in this excerpt?

• Increased demand for sharecroppers in the North

• A lack of educational institutions for African Americans in the South

• Increased availability of manufactured goods in the North

• Limited economic opportunities for African Americans in the South

Multiple Choice

Which pull factor contributed to the Great Migration?

• the availability of land grants for homesteaders

• economic opportunities in industrialized cities

• better soil conditions in previously uncultivated areas

• the lower cost of living in urban areas

Multiple Choice

Which of the following was a major contribution of the Harlem Renaissance to US culture?

• It led to the increased popularity of vaudeville stage performers.

• It brought the most significant beat poets together.

• It established jazz as a prominent musical form.

• It focused attention on the antiwar literary genre.

Want additional STAAR practice?

Follow the links in Google Classroom for practice questions & Quizlet!