Prohibition and Other Things
What was the prohibition and why was it unsuccessful?
Prohibiting the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcoholic beverages in the U.S. This law was passed because many people believed that alcohol was the cause of crime, poverty, and domestic violence. However, the prohibition led to an increase of crime and illegal sale of alcohol. People were still drinking alcohol, the government lost a ton of money in taxes, and the prohibition was not enforced well, resulting in corruption and bribery.
What was the Red Scare and why?
The American people were afraid of socialists, anarchists, and communists as a result and effect of their isolationist policy and limit of immigrants.
What were Credit and Installment Plans and why were they bad?
Consumers would sign agreements with banks to borrow money for new products and they would give a down payment to pay the rest over a series of months or years. Over time, too many people started borrowing money and couldn't pay back their installment plans. Also, by paying the rest of the cost of the product over the course of months led the product to be more expensive then if paid in full. More than 60% of Americans lived below the poverty line.
What were the three R's of Roosevelt's New Deal?
Relief - from poverty, homelessness, hunger, debt
Recovery - for the economy, banks, businesses, stock market, farmers
Reform - of credit, banking, stock market, industries
What led to the stock market crash?
Years of overproduction and overuse of credit and installment plans eventually led businesses to lose money. The stock market dropped and people lost a lot of money.
What was the Quota System or Emergency Quota Act of 1921?
It limited immigration from Eastern and Southern Europe a lot and completely prohibited Asian immigration.
What were the Palmer Raids?
The U.S. government arrested suspected communists often unfairly and more often than not, they would be charged with the death penalty.
How did new industries emerge?
After WWI, mass production occurs with the leftover wartime industrial materials, booming the economy. Men coming home from war causes more working people and more production and many families had two working people causing more disposable income. Aviation and auto industries caused more travel and leisure and radio caused more connection of the country and encouraged the entertainment industry.
What were the hundred days?
Roosevelt passed so many laws in his first 100 days in congress that it was named the "100 days congress."
What led to bank failures?
People had to pay off their debts so they went to the banks to withdraw their money. The banks ran out of cash because they either lent it out or gave it to people who "ran on the banks" first.
What was organized crime like in the 1920s?
Primarily fueled by the Prohibition, it created the black market for alcohol, bootlegging, and rum-running which was illegally bringing alcohol over the border.
Who were Sacco and Vanzetti and what happened to them?
Two Italian immigrants executed for suspected communist activities. Although they were anarchists and not communists, they had an unfair trial and were not guilty.
What was mass advertising?
An onslaught of advertisements, often aired on the radio, to target women and housewives. They persuaded people to keep buying with installment plans, leading to more debt.
What was social security during the New Deal?
The Social Security Act created a federal insurance program based on automatic collection of taxes. It included financial benefits for retired workers, unemployment insurance, and disability benefits. This was a Reform act to fix the economy and is still around today.
What was the dust bowl?
Over-farming of land combined with drought led to massive clouds of dust in the midwest/South. Crops and homes were destroyed, making farmers' lives worse and many were forced to migrate.
What was the Scopes Trial?
A teacher in Tennessee was arrested and tried for teaching evolution in school. He was found guilty because the Butler Act had banned teaching evolution in schools.
What was women's suffrage?
Women fighting for the right to vote. This movement first started in 1848 and was met with a lot of backlash from people saying that it would upset the natural order of things, women are not smart enough to make wise political decisions, and that men should speak on behalf of women. Eventually women were granted the right to vote in 1920 because they gained sympathy for their cause when they were being mistreated, had significant contributions during WWI, and President Wilson eventually supported women's rights.
What was court packing and why was it deemed unconstitutional?
What was the Ku Klux Klan like in the 1920's?
It increased in the North and the South. Klansmen held political office throughout the country and marched in D.C.
Who were flappers?
Bold, rebellious, and carefree women who smoked, drank, danced, and rejected traditional norms. They embraced independence and challenged gender roles, coming out of the polished image that women were supposed to have. They were considered the "new woman" of the 1920s.
What was redlining?
A form of housing discrimination where minorities and immigration were denied loans for homes because they were deemed to be a poor financial risk, and would decrease the value of property. Minorities and immigrants couldn't move to "green" and "blue" neighborhoods and live with whites.