The Roaring 20's

Another important aspect of the Roaring Twenties was the rise of cities. In 1920, the urban population surpassed the rural population in the US. Black Americans and immigrants from other countries settled in cities, creating a diversity of races, religions, and cultures. A cultural divide grew between these fast-growing cities and the rural areas that weren’t able to catch up. After World War I ended, farmers had a hard time making money. Other rural industries, like coal mining and shipbuilding, also slowed down. Many rural Americans didn’t have electricity, so their families didn’t get to participate in consumer culture.

According to the passage, the 1920s saw a growing divide between ________.

• urban and rural communities

• coal miners and shipbuilders

• Black Americans and immigrants

• soldiers and civilians

Why did Prohibition not work the way the government hoped it would?

• The government didn't mean to make alcohol illegal.

• Crime increased and people still found ways to drink alcohol

• Crime decreased

• People didn't even notice a change

Even for the people who seemed to benefit from the urban, consumerist lifestyle of the 1920s, things weren’t as great as they seemed on the surface. Many Americans had begun to rely on credit to keep up with consumer culture. The income gap was growing, and by the end of the decade, wages started to stagnate. The stock market finally crashed in October 1929, resulting in the loss of billions of dollars. The hidden weaknesses of the Roaring Twenties’ economy eventually led to the Great Depression that would dominate the next decade.

Which of these is true?

• The booming economy of the Roaring Twenties wasn't as strong as it seemed.

• The Great Depression began in 1925.

• The stock market was not a large part of the economic growth that took place during the Roaring Twenties.

• The stock market has risen and fallen over the years, but it has never taken a very large hit.

Prohibition banned the sale of which of these?

• Sugar

• Real Estate

• Alcohol

• Stocks

The image of a short-haired, freewheeling “flapper” often comes to mind when we talk about the 1920s. While most women did not have that experience, they did gain unprecedented freedoms during this decade. In 1920, the 19th Amendment granted White women the right to vote. Many women worked in office jobs, earning money to participate in consumer culture. New household appliances like the washing machine also made housework less time-consuming, so women had more time for leisure.

Which of these is true?

• Almost all American women adopted a “flapper” lifestyle in the 1920s.

• American women had always been able to vote, but most didn’t until the 1920s.

• Women were discouraged from working during the 1920s.

• Many, but not all, women gained economic and political freedoms in the 1920s.

Which war had recently ended at the start of the 1920s?

• Civil War

• Spanish-American War

• World War I

• World War II

The 1920s saw the rise of a shared national culture in America for the first time, thanks in large part to the popularization of radio. After being introduced to many Americans during the war, radios became a common household feature. People listened to the same shows and the same music all over the country. Black art, music, and culture, which flourished during the Harlem Renaissance, became popular nationwide. Young people from coast to coast danced the Charleston.

Radio also led to a boom in advertising. Factories that had been built to make weapons and ammunition for the war shifted gears to make consumer products like cars, telephones, refrigerators, and washing machines. Advertisements made these new luxuries seem like necessities for the good life. Cars, especially, made up the biggest part of the economic boom. By 1929, there was one car on the road for every five Americans.

According to the passage, which of these was essential to the growth of a shared national culture?

• The television was invented.

• Radios became a household item.

• Cars allowed people to travel more.

• Telephones became obsolete.

Which best describes laissez-faire economics?

• Businesses must follow many strict rules set by the government.

• The value of the dollar changes on a regular basis.

• The government does not interfere much in economic affairs.

• Many businesses shut down due to poor economic conditions.

Which style of music became popular in the 1920s?

• Hip Hop

• Classical

• Bluegrass

• Jazz

True or False: By the end of the 1920s, more people lived in cities than in rural areas.

• True

• False