american people and the boom Flashcards
who are the four different types of immigrants?
early immigrants = white settlers (wasps) from Britain, Germany and the Netherlands.
Native Americans = original settlers, American Indians
new immigrants = eastern and southern Europeans + Hispanics.
African Americans = brought over to America, free but limited rights.
why was their an economic boom in the 1920s?
first world war (jobs from weapons + loans from war countries).
aftermath of ww1 (recovered quick, no debts owed, produced world’s goods).
growing industries and mass production (motor, assembly line).
new ways to buy and sell (adverts, catalogues, hire purchase/pay over time).
consumer society (high demands = more jobs, electrical demands for homes).
what were the republican government policies?
ford mccumber tariff = high taxes on non-american goods, american products bought.
cut taxes of rich/businesses, more jobs, lower taxes means more money spent.
‘laissez-faire’ = leave businesses alone.
who didn’t benefit from the boom?
farmers (European farms recover meaning less demand, new machinery = fewer workers, overproduction). traditional industries (new fabrics, less demand = unemployment, cotton and wool decreasing sales, less demand for coal, new fuels). African Americans (discrimination, poor, sharecroppers, appalling living conditions). native Americans (forced on reservations, land taken for mining, soil too poor for crops, extreme poverty). inequalities of wealth (richest 5% had 33% of riches, 1921 = 21 over $1 mill, 1926 = 207 over $1 mill, 6 mill families (42%) on less than $1000 a year).
who was henry ford?
ford car creator. introduced assembly line. one colour, one type of car. affordable. lots of jobs created (marketing, production, sales).
what happened in the jazz age?
more money + more leisure. sports stars became celebrities. jazz music popular with African Americans which spread to young white people. a surge of culture. new dances.
how did some women benefit in the 1920s?
they could go clubbing, smoke, drink, ride motorbikes, and go on unchaperoned dates.
they could work for themselves.
they could vote.
how did some women not benefit in the 1920s?
many had families and limited income for luxuries.
women were still not equal to men (less skilled jobs + less wage for equal jobs).
many in rural areas/traditional people disliked changes and saw it as the evils of modern life.
what is prohibition?
the law that banned the production, selling and transporting of alcohol.
why was prohibition introduced?
violence due to consumption.
longstanding campaigns.
declining moral values.
anti-saloon leagues (33 states already had limits).
what happened when prohibition was introduced?
include stats
gangs ran illegal bars called speakeasies.
alcohol from bootleggers available.
homemade spirit, moonshine.
98 people died from poisoning in 1920, 800+ in 1926.
what were the consequences of prohibition?
criminal gangs (Roosevelt ended prohibition). police, lawyers and judges bribed with money made. 1930 = 200,000 speakeasies.
why would people move to America?
pull and push factors
pull:
jobs, healthcare, freedom, ‘the American dream’ pay and conditions, land and opportunities.
push:
war + conflict in own country, poor health conditions, no jobs or education, lack of space and persecution.
what were some of the immigration restrictions?
1917 - anyone over the age of 16 who could not read a sentence over 40 words was banned.
1921 - ‘immigration quota law’ - only 350,000 immigrants permitted to enter America a year.
1924 - ‘national origins act’ - immigration cut to 150,000 a year.
what was the red scare?
1917-1920
the Russian revolution scared Americans into fearing anarchists, communists and socialists.
period of anti-radical hysteria.
police investigations on government overthrow.
6000 suspected communists jailed.
trade union membership fell in the 1920s.
