RACE & RIGHTS
In 1921, a prospering African American district in Oklahoma was destroyed by violent white mobs, leading to widespread loss of life and property.
What was the Tulsa Race Massacre?
Though famous for paying a generous daily wage, this automaker later trimmed benefits, revealing how precarious paternalistic labor practices could be.
Who was Henry Ford?
Riding a promise of a national “return to normalcy,” this Republican won the 1920 presidential election but later faced scandals that tarnished his tenure.
Who was Warren G. Harding?
In the 1920s, U.S. planners promoted credit to unstable governments abroad, often accompanied by military oversight, a system critics labeled by this term.
What was the policy called “dollar diplomacy”?
Gertrude Stein coined this term for the circle of American writers who, scarred by WWI’s horrors, rejected old ideas and chronicled a cynical modern world.
Who were the authors of the “Lost Generation”?
This large-scale relocation of Black Southerners to northern urban centers intensified during World War I and reshaped demographics and politics in those cities.
What was the Great Migration?
Faced with labor unrest, some employers offered sports facilities and “employee representation plans” to forestall unionization, yet avoided genuine collective bargaining.
What were paternalistic or “company union” policies?
Achieved after a long struggle by suffragists, this constitutional change—ratified in 1920—granted women full ballot rights nationwide.
What was the Nineteenth Amendment?
Though Woodrow Wilson had championed it, America never joined this international organization, opting instead for its own economic and diplomatic initiatives.
What was the League of Nations?
Early hit records like “Crazy Blues” targeted Black consumers, opening a lucrative segment of the music industry known by this marketing label.
What were “race records”?
These brutal acts targeted returning Black servicemen—many of whom wore their uniforms—especially in the “Red Summer” of 1919, proving that heroism overseas offered no protection from racial terror at home.
What were the lynchings and mob violence faced by African American World War I veterans?
With European agriculture reviving, American farmers found themselves producing more than they could sell, causing plummeting prices and severe hardship.
What was the farm crisis (or agricultural overproduction)?
By the late 1920s, two hundred large companies controlled half of all nonbanking corporate wealth, reflecting a wave of these sweeping consolidations.
What were the massive corporate mergers?
rom 1915 to 1934, U.S. Marines occupied this Caribbean nation, tightening an American grip on local politics and finances under the banner of “stability.”
What was Haiti?
Eschewing traditional forms, these 1920s creatives experimented with unconventional prose and painting styles, challenging established morality and aesthetics.
Who were the modernists?
An anthropologist, folklorist, and novelist, she studied Southern African American communities and celebrated their culture in fiction like Their Eyes Were Watching God.
Who was Zora Neale Hurston?
Completed in 1930, this soaring Art Deco skyscraper became a symbol of both corporate ambition and the rapid business expansion of the 1920s.
What was the Chrysler Building?
This divisive issue pitted “drys” against “wets,” splintering the Democratic Party and playing a major role in Alfred E. Smith’s electoral defeat.
What was Prohibition?
Negotiated among major naval powers in the early 1920s, this set of accords sought to limit battleship construction but provided minimal enforcement.
What was the Washington Naval Conference (or Five-Power Treaty)?
Characterized by syncopated rhythms and improvisation, this musical form developed in southern cities and ultimately captivated audiences across racial lines.
What was jazz?
Renowned venues such as the Cotton Club sprang up in this uptown district, showcasing jazz stars for integrated audiences but typically under segregated hiring practices.
What was Harlem?
Fueled by speculation, easy credit, and “buying on margin,” this frenzy of share-trading unraveled in late 1929, triggering widespread economic fallout.
What was the stock market mania leading to the Crash of 1929?
Proposed by Alice Paul, it sparked fierce debate by calling for equal legal rights across genders, prompting concern it might undo protective labor laws for women.
What was the Equal Rights Amendment?
Designed to help Germany manage reparations and restore global economic stability, this 1924 plan was soon undercut by the worldwide financial slump.
What was the Dawes Plan?
Highlighting a “double consciousness,” this influential thinker pressed Americans to confront racial inequality and the complex identity of Black citizens.
Who was W. E. B. Du Bois?