The Roaring Twenties
Explain how WWI led to the Roaring 20s
The economic boom following WWI, driven by industrial expansion, consumerism, and technological innovation.
Identify the Harlem Renaissance and its impact on African Americans.
The Harlem Renaissance, a cultural movement celebrating black art, music and literature with figures like Langston Hughes and Duke Ellington
Describe factors behind the stock market crash of 1929
Over-speculation in the stock market, buying on margin, and the October 1929 crash.
Explain Hoover’s response to the economic crisis and why it failed.
Hoover’s belief in “rugged individualism,” limited government relief, and failed policies like the Reconstruction Finance Corporation.
Analyze the second new deal and important programs that came from it
the Second New Deal’s focus on long-term reforms, including Social Security, the Wagner Act, and expanded work programs.
Analyze the economy and labor during the 1920s
The rise of mass production, assembly lines, low unemployment, and a growing wage gap between workers and business owners.
Explain the effects of prohibition and organized crime
The failure of prohibition, leading to bootlegging speakeasies, and the rise of organized crime bosses like Al Capone
Explain the different causes of the Great Depression
Bank failures, reduced consumer spending, declining international trade, and the Dust Bowl.
Analyze the 1932 election and its results
FDR’s landslide victory in the 1932 election, reflecting public frustration with Hoover’s handling of the Depression.
Describe controversies of FDR’s presidency and problems with the new deal
FDR’s controversial Court-Packing Plan, increased national debt, and failures to end racial discrimination
Describe the new cultural changes in America
Radio and films as national entertainment, advertising fueling consumer culture, and installment plans increasing household purchases
Analyze elements of the nativist movement and the resurgence of the KKK
A rise in anti-immigrant sentiment, leading to restrictive laws like the National Origins Act of 1924 and the resurgence of the KKK
Analyze the human cost of the Depression
Widespread unemployment, homelessness, breadlines, and Hoovervilles.
Identify and explain the importance of FDR‘s election and his plan to solve the bank crisis
FDR’s promise of a “New Deal,” including the Emergency Banking Relief Act and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation to restore faith in banks.
Explain how the new deal impacted woman and minorities
Expanded job opportunities for women but continued wage gaps, as well as mixed effects for minorities due to discrimination in relief programs
Explain how the roles of women changed during the 1920s
Greater workforce participation, the right to vote, flappers challenging social norms, and more women attending college
Describe fundamentalism and events associated with it
Religious fundamentalism, emphasizing a literal interpretation of the Bible, exemplified by the 1925 Scopes Trial over the teaching of evolution
Identify the impact of the Dust Bowl and who it affected the most.
An environmental disaster caused by over farming and drought, primarily affected farmers in Oklahoma, Texas, and Kansas.
Identify the three R’s of the new deal and detail important programs from each
Relief, Recovery, and Reform
In what way was the new deal a failure?
The argument that the New Deal didn’t end the Depression, failed to fully resolve unemployment, and led to an overreliance on government aid
Describe the youth movement and the “Lost Generation”
The lost generation, disillusioned writers like Hemingway and Fitzgerald, and rebellious youth rejecting traditional values
Identify the presidents of the 1920s and describe their presidencies
Warren G. Harding, Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover
Explain the effect of the Great Depression on minorities
Increased discrimination, higher unemployment rates, and intensified poverty among African Americans, Mexican American, and women.
Identify the critics of the new deal and their criticisms
Huey Long, Father Coughlin, and conservatives who believed the New Deal expanded government too much
In what way was the new deal a success?
The argument that the New Deal created a lasting safety net and redefined the federal government’s role in the economy.