Limits of the Boom

Question 1

What were the reasons farmers didn’t feel the boom of the 1920s?

Answer 1

• European recovery after WW1
• Overproduction
• Lack of Government Support
• Prohibition
• New technology
• Pests/ Boll weevil

Question 2

How did European recovery affect farmers?

Answer 2

Europe previously relied on the US for agriculture but recovers after WW1= less demand for US food exports.

Question 3

What was the issue with overproduction?

Answer 3

There was a surplus of crops= overproduction = reduces value of crops, agricultural prices dropped.

Question 4

What was the issue with the 1923 McNary-Haugen Bill?

Answer 4

Attempted to stabilise agricultural prices by buying surplus produce, but was NOT passed due to laissez-faire ideals= no support for farmers.

Question 5

What was the issue with the 1922 Fordney McCumber Tariff?

Answer 5

Raised tariffs on American imported goods= foreign countries did the same in retaliation, did nothing to deal with the problem of agricultural overproduction, American market remains saturated.

Question 6

What was the effect of national Prohibition on agriculture?

Answer 6

Reduced demand for grain (wheat, barley) used in alcohol= agriculture suffers even more

Question 7

What did crops suffer from?

Answer 7

Crops, esp cotton (main crop in south) destroyed by pests such as the boll weevil= huge losses

Question 8

What was the effect of new technology?

Answer 8

Combine harvester increased productivity = more overproduction, reduced need for manual labour= unemployment amongst farmers, many go into debt to purchase them.

Question 9

By how much had agricultural prices risen 1913-1917?

Answer 9

82% rise in agricultural prices

Question 10

How much did farming income fall 1919-1929?

Answer 10

1919: $22 billion
1929: $13 billion

Question 11

Why did agricultural workers move to cities? Why did they struggle?

Answer 11

Agricultural workers were unable to get their loans back from bankrupted banks, 6 million had to move to the city to find jobs, however most were unskilled= struggled to find jobs.

Question 12

What percentage of African Americans lived in the south?

Answer 12

85% of AA lived in the South, poorest region in the US

Question 13

How many black farmers were in the South in 1920? How many lost their jobs?

Answer 13

1920: over 920,000 black farmers in the South, hit hardest by fall of agriculture and boll weevil disaster, 750,000 lost their jobs, gov did not provide any aid.

Question 14

What was sharecropping? What percentage of African American farmers were sharecroppers?

Answer 14

50% of AA farmers were sharecroppers- in exchange for labour, would earn a share of crops rather than wages, rented land and tools from landowners, bad harvest= no wages, can’t pay back= debts, tied to contract so cannot leave if they are indebted= exploited.

Question 15

What was the Great Migration?

Answer 15

1920s: 850,000 Southern black Americans move North to cities in search for jobs/ education & to avoid poverty, racial discrimination and Jim Crow (legalised segregation, kept AA in inferior positions in society)

Question 16

What was the experience of African Americans in the North?

Answer 16

Still faced discrimination in housing & employment: most car factories operated “all white” policies, hired very few black Americans and would be paid significantly less, kept unskilled, only given menial jobs.

Question 17

What was housing like for African Americans in the North? How many lived in Harlem in 1930?

Answer 17

Were concentrated in “ghetto areas” (slums) with overcrowding, poor living conditions e.g. Harlem 165,000 AA lived there in 1930.

Question 18

What were job opportunities like for women? How many domestic workers were women?

Answer 18

Remained in low-paid menial jobs: 700,000 domestic workers

Question 19

What were the changes in women receiving a college education?

Answer 19

No. of women receiving a college education fell by 5% in the decade.

Question 20

What was the 1921 Sheppard-Towner Act?

Answer 20

Funded healthcare, clinics for pregnant women, but only encouraged women’s role as child bearers/ housewives

Question 21

What were the inequalities women faced in work?

Answer 21

Paid less than men for the same jobs, the first to go during layoffs, very few job opportunities e.g. less than 100 female accountants even by 1930. Banning of nightshift work= women lost their jobs, even less economic freedom.

Question 22

How many women were delegates in the House of Representatives in 1930?

Answer 22

Only 2/435

Question 23

What was per capita income in the North East vs the South East in 1929? For farmers?

Answer 23

Per capita income in 1929:

• North East: $921, South East: $365
• For farmers: only $129

Question 24

What % of American families had incomes below $2000?

Answer 24

60%

Question 25

What % of the nation’s wealth did the poorest 42% receive?

Answer 25

Only 10% of the nation’s wealth- the US’ wealth as a whole was growing but the poor stayed poor as the rich got richer

Question 26

What % of Americans were living below the poverty line?

Answer 26

50% of Americans living beneath the poverty line

Question 27

What % of families in Indiana were earning less than minimum income suggested for a good standard of living?

Answer 27

75% of families in Indiana

Question 28

What was the rise in real wages for the wealthiest in society compared to average workers?

Answer 28

Real wages rose by 50% for the wealthiest in society, 25% for average workers

Question 29

Why did old industries such as coal suffer?

Answer 29

Coal suffered from competition with new energy sources e.g. oil

Question 30

Why was there less demand for materials?

Answer 30

Less demand for cotton due to discovery of synthetic fibres. Changes in fashion e.g. shorter dresses and skirts reduced quantity of material required.

Question 31

Why were new industries drawn to the North?

Answer 31

New industries e.g. electrical, motor vehicles, drawn to North East and Midwest due to transport network, mobile workforce (often immigrant), proximity to large populations (Boston, NY), more raw materials= profitable