America 1920-1973

Question 1

How did republicans policies help to make America wealthier during the work war 1

Answer 1

-America had exported weapons and food to Europe which made American companies very wealthy by 1918
-laissez faire approach to the economy; this meant they left businesses alone as much as possible to make as much profit as possible
-tariffs meant that goods made in the USA were cheaper this resulted in wealth staying in America for example the ford net mccumber tariff act in 1922
-low taxes wages increased but taxes stayed low this meant people had more disposable income to spend on American goods

Question 2

Why were people buying more American goods during the 1920s

Answer 2

-new consumer items were being produced- radios vacuums washing machines fridges
-more disposable income due to lower taxes
-tarries on foreign goods
-mass production goods were produced on large scales using machines rather than workers this meant the goods were sold for cheaper
-new advertising techniques using the radio newspapers billboards magazines
-hire purchase and credit meant people didn’t need to pay up front 6in 10 cars were bought this way
-people started investing in shares due to their increased confidence in the economy

Question 3

Stats about ford

Answer 3

1913 ford created the first production line
1927 one car was produced every 10 seconds
By the late 1920s ford was the biggest employer in the USA
By 1929 more than 27 million cars were registered in the USA and 50% of them were ford

Question 4

Who didn’t gain from the economic boom

Answer 4

Farmers struggled in the 1920s as demand for food fell dramatically after WW1 many fell into debt and wondered america they were known as hobos. By 1924 600,000 farmers lost their farms
Workers in the old industries like coal and textiles lost their jobs as they were being replaced by machines
Native Americans: their land was seized for mining and they were moved to reservation with terrible soil so it was really hard to grow crops
Immigrants had little education so were willing to work for really low wages this caused them to be exploited
African Americans majority worked on land owned by white people. they were either sharecroppers or labourers and lived in immense poverty.
Around 5% of Americans were earning 33% of the countries wealth

Question 5

How much did average wages rise by and how much did working hours fall by during the 1920s

Answer 5

Average wages rose by 11%
Average working hours fell by 5 hours a week
This mostly affected people in cities not in the rural areas

Question 6

How many registered radio stations were there in 1921 and how many by the end of 1922 and how many people owned a radio by the end of the 1920s

Answer 6

1921-1
End of 1922-508

50 million

Question 7

Cinema stats and facts

Answer 7

Hollywood produced 800 films a year on average
In 1927 on average 60 million Americans went to the cinema weekly
Clara bow was known as the it girl and encouraged the flapper life style
1927 first talkie(movies with sound)
1930 hays code was drawn up due to religious objections to the cinema, prohibited nudity and sexual dancing and more.

Question 8

Jazz facts

Answer 8

African Americans brought jazz to the cities it was often performed in speakeasies (illegal bars)
Jazz was popular among the younger generation and inspired dances like the Charleston
Louis Armstrong and Bessie smith were famous jazz musicians of the time
The 1920s is sometimes referred to the jazz age due to its popularity

Question 9

Sport facts and stats

Answer 9

Yankee stadium was built in 1923
Over 60 million people heard the coverage of the 1927 world title boxing fight
Babe Ruth was a famous baseball player of the time he earns over $2 million over his career

Question 10

What were the differences in women’s dress and behaviour before and during the 20s

Answer 10

Before:
Wore restrictive clothing didn’t wear makeup
If unmarried had to be chaperoned
Couldn’t smoke in public

During:
Smoked in public wore daring clothes
Women could go out with men unchaperoned

Question 11

How did women’s work change before and during the 20s

Answer 11

Before:
If married expected to stay home
If unmarried teacher housewife or secretary
There were few paid jobs for middle class women

During:
During ww1 women worked in munition factories and filled in for men earning them more respect
Labour saving devices eg vacuums gave women more free time allowing them to find work
By 1929 10 million women were in paid work 24 % more than in 1920

Question 12

What did women win in 1920

Answer 12

The vote (19th amendment) with help from NAWSA national american woman suffrage association

Question 13

Which women didn’t enjoy the flapper lifestyle

Answer 13

Older women were more prone to traditional views on women and formed the anti flirt club
Poor women and African Americans didn’t have the money time or freedom to enjoy the lifestyle
Southern states didn’t adopt the new lifestyle

Question 14

What inequalities and limitations did women still face

Answer 14

Traditional views of women continued especially in rural areas
Women were paid less than men
There were few female politicians

Question 15

Why was prohibition intorduced and how was it enforced

Answer 15

-many groups in the US feared alcohol was damaging America
-The temperance movement (a Christian group campaigning for the prohibition) argued that it was destroying family life and meant the health of children were at risk
-National ban was introduced by the Volstead act of 1920
-prohibition only decreased alcohol consumption by 30%
-government appointed enforcement officers to enforce the prohibition that they were easily bribed as their pay was so low and there was 1520 of them across the US


Question 16

How did the prohibition lead to increased organised crime

Answer 16

-by1930 there were 250,000 speakeasies (illegal bars) across America they were supplied by bootleggers( people who smuggled alcohol into America
-gang warfare was common in order to gain control of the illegal alcohol between 1926-27 there were 130 gangland murders in Chicago
-most famous gangster was al Capone in 1929 he organised the st valentines day massacre where 7 members of bugs Moran’s gang (a rival gang) were killed
-the prohibition was repealed in 1933

Question 17

How were racial tension in the 1920s

Answer 17

-Segregation in the south meant African Americans were unable to get good education or fair housing and they couldn’t vote due to literacy tests and discriminatory violence (the kkk would have physically stopped them)
-the ku klux klan believed that WASPs (white Anglo Saxon Protestant Americans) were superior
-between 1919 and 1925, 300 African-Americans were lynched (killed by a mob without a trial)
-KKK won’t persecuted for their crimes, as many of them were in high positions like officers or were able to bribe officers and judges as well as this many judges and officers were racists
-The kkk peaked in 1925 at 4 million however, by the end of the 1920s membership was falling
Many African-Americans moved from the south to the north in order to find work and more freedom however, they still faced poverty and discrimination in the northern states

Question 18

What was the red scare and why were Americans scared
and what happened as a result of the red scare

Answer 18

-The red scare was the widespread fear of communism in America
-The Russians became communist in 1917
-Strikes and riots in America led to increased fear in the red scare
-Trade unions to campaign for better pay, were accused of communism
-The Palmer raids were led by Mitchell Palmer they consisted of a 10,000 arrests and 556 deportations of suspected communists
-in 1927, two, Italian immigrant sacrament Manetti were tried, found guilty and executed for a burglary and murder despite the fact that many people testified in favour of them. The judge didn’t like them due to the fact that they were Italian immigrants, and they held anarchist political beliefs. People organised, rallies, marches, and demonstrations against the death penalty verdict.

Question 19

How and why did America reduce immigration in the 1920s?

Answer 19

America fed immigrants and their political impact, especially communism
1921. Emergency quota act limited.
The emergency quote to act of 1921, limited how many immigrants were able to arrive in America
By 1924, the USA was only accepting one 150,000 immigrants per year
immigrants had poor housing and poor wages
Immigrants often live together, which meant there were little integration


Question 20

How did the stock market cause the Wall Street crash and what was the result of the Wall Street crash

Answer 20

In the 1928 election hoover stressed how prosperous America was
Most Americans agreed and hoover won the election easily
Investment in the stock market was at an all time high as people believed the economy would keep growing and therefore share prices would keep rising
Speculators borrowed money from banks to buy shares they cannot afford in the hope of a quick profit. This depended on confidence.
This all changed in autumn, 1929, when the stock market crashed
It started with worries that the economy was not as strong as people hoped share prices started to go down investors panicked and tried to sell Their shares(on Black Thursday 24 October 1929, 12.9 million shares were sold) Prices plunged speculators couldn’t repay the money they had borrowed. This was known as the Wall Street crash.

Banks recalled loans->businesses who couldn’t pay went bankrupt-> bankrupt companies laid off workers so unemployment soared -> unemployed people bought less so companies sold less and made less profit so more workers were laid off -> production dropped 40% between 1929 and 1933 unemployed was at 14million in 1933 and wages fell by 60%
Hoovervilles (shanty towns) appeared in cities
People relied on charities such as soup kitchens
In 1931 238 people were admitted to New York hospitals suffering from severe malnutrition

Question 21

How did farmers suffer from the depression

Answer 21

American food exports had fallen from $10 billion in 1929 to 3 billion in 1932
Demand for meat fell so low that it
cost more to take animals into market then you could sell them for.
Many farmers went bankrupt
Some southern states suffered from the dustball, which was when overfarming put the soil in bad condition, making the land unusable.
More than 2.5 million farmers migrated to the west coast to look for work, but they couldn’t find much

Question 22

How did Hoover respond to the depression?

Answer 22

He believed in rugged individualism, which meant he wanted people to help themselves, rather than rely on the government
He introduced tax cuts and encouraged businesses to keep their wages high
He also introduced more tariffs, however, this just reduced international trade
Many saw Hoover as the “do nothing” president
In 1932 War veterans March to Washington to ask for their war pension to be paid earlier Hoover refused and sent troops to violently ended the march. This damaged hoovers reputation.

Question 23

Who was FDR and how did he win the election in 1932

Answer 23

He was a democrat
He promised a new deal for America in his campaign
He promised active government, and that he would spend money on creating jobs and use experts to advise how to boost the economy
He also travelled 20,800 km around the USA giving over 76 speeches
He won the election by a massive majority of 7 million Democrats. Also won majority in the Senate so it was easier for him to pass laws

Question 24

What were Roosevelt’s 100 days and what alphabet agencies were made?

Answer 24

The three month period after Roosevelt took office is known as the hundred days

Restoring confidence:
.emergency banking act- he closed all banks then gradually reopened the safe ones
.fireside chats- friendly radio broadcasts explaining what the government was doing

tackling poverty:
. Federal emergency relief and administration-provided soup kitchens, nursery care and blankets
. Home owners loan corporation-rescued about 20% of American mortgages

Tackling unemployment:
. National recovery administration-controlled industry and boosted wages
. Public works administration- built schools, dams, bridges and airports, created millions of jobs
. Civilian conservation corps- gave unemployed, young men, low paid work in conservation -helped around 2,.5 million under 25s ran 250,000 African-Americans and around 88,000 when native Americans

Helping farmers and the environment:
. Agricultural adjustment administration-set quotas for farm production to steady food prices and gave machinery to farmers
. Tennessee Valley authority-built, dams and irrigation channels on the Tennessee river, which created jobs prevented erosion and made land more of the farmers

Question 25

What did the new deal achieve?

Answer 25

Restored confidence
Helped trade unions
Created millions of jobs
Improved banking systems
Fewer businesses failed
Standards of living roses, for many
African-Americans
benefited from some of the alphabet agencies
Native Americans got money to improve their living conditions
Roosevelt was very popular and got re-elected three times

Question 26

Who criticised the new deal?

Answer 26

Some like Huey Long said that the new deal didn’t do enough businesses still had too much power Huey Long wanted to share everyone’s wealth equally. He had 7.5 million supporters.
Others like business leaders felt that Roosevelt was interfering too much 11 of the alphabet agencies were deemed unconstitutional
The new deal took power away from local government
Usa recovered more slowly than some countries in Europe. Unemployment problem only ended when the USA entered the Second World War world.
The new deal failed to challenge discrimination against African-Americans, women and native Americans

Question 27

How did pop culture change in the 1930s

Answer 27

The most popular forms of entertainment was radio and film
28 million homes owned a radio big companies increasingly used advertising on the radio
The development of Talkies in the late 1920s, made the 1930s boom for hollywood
Studio profits soared. The 1930s is called the golden age of Hollywood.
Musical, gangsters and horror films were increasingly popular
Films took peoples mind off the depression and helped to restore confidence in America

Question 28

How did WW2 boost American industry?

Answer 28

-In 1942 Roosevelt set up the war production board to organise production and recruitment to meet the increased demand for war goods
-500,000 new businesses were established during the war
-lend lease was set up where America would immediately send weapons to it’s allies and receive payment later, this stimulated production. $10 billion of goods were sent to Europe
-By 1944 the USA was making half of all the world’s weapons
-Farmers got a huge boost as food exports increased
-civilians were encouraged to invest in war bonds where they’d give the government money and were promised a return in later years

Question 29

How did WW2 help unemployment?

Answer 29

-14 million Americans were employed in factories producing war goods
-General motors(which was americas biggest vehicle maker) took on 750,000 more workers making shells bombers tanks machine guns and engines
-Americans were drafted for the the army
-with workers in demand wages had increased and workers had more disposable income

Question 30

How African American lives change due to WW2?

Answer 30

-over 1million African Americans were enrolled in the army
-they were fight a racist regime in Germany yet some felt they faced racism at home
-the uk was more integrated
-by 1944 2 million African Americans worked in factories and as a result the northern states felt less segregated
-membership of the NAACP (national advancement of coloured people) surged by the end of the war it had around 500,000 members, therefore African Americans were still facing problems but felt more empowered to challenge them

Question 31

How did women’s lives change as a result of WW2?

Answer 31

-The percentage of women in paid employment increased from 35% in 1941 to 50% in 1944
-women replaced the men who had gone to war many of them had never seen a workplace before
-1/3 of workers in plane construction were women
-Women’s wages increased
-60% of managers said that their best workers were women
-despite this there were still stereotypical views of women and they were expected to return back to looking after the household once the war was over

Question 32

How did the American dream in the 50s impact americans

Answer 32

-Wealth was distributed more fairly
-on average Americans were earning three times the uks average salary
-the USA produced half the worlds consumer goods in the 50s
-the American dream encouraged spending on luxury goods
-goods could be bought on hire purchase and newly invented credit cards

Question 33

How did television impact American life in the 50s

Answer 33

-In 1948 less than 1 percent of households owned a TV by 1958 83% owned a tv
-TV programmes were interrupted with adverts to promote consumer goods
-tv encouraged family time
-popular programmes included children shows soap operas and sport
-tv exposed Americans to a wider range of news,ideas and role models

Question 34

How did teenagers’ lives change during the 1950s

Answer 34

-teenagers were old enough to be independent, had money to spend and no family responsibilities
-teenagers had different style, music and lesiure activities to their parents
-on average teenagers spent around $12 a week in comparison to the 40s where they spent between $1-2 a week
-rock and roll music became particularly popular with young people. Elvis Presley had over 170 hit records
-some teenagers were seen as rebels and disapproved of
-James dean summed up this image in the film “rebel without a cause” which portrayed the misunderstanding between the older and younger generations

Question 35

Why did fear of communism increase during the 50s

Answer 35

-WW2 was followed by the Cold War
-it caused a nuclear arms race between the USA and USSR which made ordinary people worried and the government worried about spies stealing their nuclear secrets

HOUSE OF UNAMERICAN ACTIVITIES COMMITTEE (HUAC)
-People had to show complete patriotism to America otherwise they were accused of being communists
-HUAC was originally set up in 1938 to investigate suspected communists
- after WW2 it gained fame by investigating film stars
-some stars were blacklisted from working in Hollywood due to these investigations

MCCARTHYISM
Senator Joe McCarthy gained to notoriety when he claimed to have a list of communists working in the government
-the senate set up its own committee to investigate, these hearings were shown live on tv
- McCarthy fell out of favour when he started accusing people on the army he was accused of being a bully
- this damaged the reputation of the USA

Question 36

How were segregated educations systems challenged in the 1950s

Answer 36

1954
Brown v board of education- the NAACP helped take the case of
Linda brown a young African American girl who had to walk a long way to her school when there were white schools nearby. Linda brown won her case the judge deemed segregated schools unconstitutional and therefore the laws had to change. However some states refused to comply with this

1957
In Arkansas segregated schools were still allowed. 9 African American students challenged this by attending the white school Little Rock Arkansas; they are known as the Little Rock 9. President Eisenhower sent in troops to enforce integration.

Question 37

Summary of the Montgomery bus boycott

Answer 37

In, Montgomery Alabama 1955 Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger. As a result she was arrested.
The MIA (Montgomery improvement association) helped organise a boycott. One its leaders were Martin Luther king .
Passenger fell dramatically. The bus company’s profits fell by 60%. And 10000 turned up to hear MLK speak.
In 1956 the Supreme Court ruled that segregation in public spaces were illegal. This was the first success of non-violent direct action.

Question 38

Summary on sit ins and freedom rides

Answer 38

Sit ins
Sit ins began with a segregated cafe in greensboro, North Carolina in 1960. When black students sat on “white” seats, the company changed their policy. By 1960, 126 cities had desegregated.

Freedom rides
Began in may 1961
White and black Americans would ride in buses into states that were ignoring the desegregation law.
These buses were violently attacked by white mobs. Kennedy had to step in to stop the violence

Question 39

Who were some civil rights activists who promoted violence?

Answer 39

The Nation of Islam- led by Malcolm x, he wanted African Americans to form their own state. He was assassinated in 1965

The black panther party thought that African Americans should carry weapons to defend themselves against white Americans and to force them to give them equality.

1965-67 saw race riots for example in the Watts area of Los Angeles, the cause was poor relations between African Americans and the police

These radical black power groups gained national press attention. However some people were alarmed by their actions and argued it slowed the pace of change

Question 40

What were the civil rights acts of the 1960s

Answer 40

May 1963- bull Connor ordered troops to violently attack a peaceful march led by MLK,many people was arrested and faced violence from law enforcement. These events were broadcasted on tv and helped people to see the discrimination faced by African Americans.

August 1963- March on Washington MLK gave his I have a dream speech. 200,000 African Americans and 50,000 white Americans attended

Civil rights act 1964-made it illegal to discriminate against people in employment

Voting rights marches 1965- only 2.4% of African Americans were enrolled to vote in Alabama. This campaign encouraged people to register and challenge the intimidation tactics used to stop them.

Voting rights act 1965- ensured that voting took place properly. Literacy test were banned as qualification for voting.

1968 civil rights act- stopped in discrimination in housing

1968 MLK is assassinated

Question 41

What did JFK achieve during his presidency

Answer 41

Succeses of the new frontier

Civil Rights: He created the Commission on Equal Employment Opportunity (CEEO), to ensure that all people employed by the federal government had equal opportunities.
❖Economy: He made $900 million available to businesses to create new jobs, and gave grants to companies to buy new hi-tech equipment.
❖Poverty: He made $4.9 billion available for loans to improve housing, clear slums, and build roads.
❖ Education: JFK set up the Peace Corps, an organisation that sent volunteers abroad to help in poorer countries.

Failures

❖ Civil Rights: The CEEO only helped those employed by the government.
❖Economy: Unemployment only declined by 1 million, and it was twice as high for African Americans as it was for whites.
❖ Healthcare: Congress defeated JFK’s proposals for cheaper and, in some cases free, healthcare.
❖ Education: Congress was dominated by southern politicians, who refused to support his plans for funding for schools after they clashed over Civil Rights.

Question 42

What did LBJ achieve during his presidency

Answer 42

1964 economic opportunities act- provided education and training for disadvantaged youths so they would be able to find work
1964 development act - provided money to remove slum housing
1965 Medicare and Medicaid provide medical insurance for over 65s and hospital care for the poor
Republicans criticised that he was doing too much
He passed several of the civil rights act
He was responsible for the Vietnam war

Question 43

How did women fight for equal rights through the 60s and 70s

Answer 43

In 1966 the national organisation of women (NOW) was formed
In 1968 its members adopted a bill of rights calling on the government to ban sex discrimination, guarantee maternity leave, offer tax breaks for childcare, provide equal education and training to men and women, allow access to contraceptives and abortion
1963- equal pay act-there were many exceptions
1969- married couples can use contraceptives
1972 equal rights amendment act tried to close some of the loopholes women were still only earning 70% of what men were earning
1973 unmarried women have access to contraceptives
1973-roe v wade abortion is legal in the first three months

Question 44

Why was there slow progress towards women equality

Answer 44

• some women were opposed to the women eg.Stop ERA run by Phyllis’s schlafley
  -many middle class women were comfortable already
  Changing a law didn’t mean changing people’s mind
  Religious views affected thoughts on contraception and abortion