Concept Guide

Concept Guide 0.7.

1925 The Scopes Trial:

-          Creationism VS evolution, when a man is caught teaching creationism in school and in result he was sent to court because of doing so.

-          John Scopes, a high school Biology teacher was put on trial for teaching evolution.

-          Thus, found guilty, verdict was later overturned.

1920 Prohibition:

-          In January of year 1920, a prohibition went into full effect in the United States, Alcohol was made illegal to create, although it was not illegal to transport it, have it on you or drink it. Women and the IRS pushed for these laws to be enforced, because alcohol made men too aggressive. (drinking increased domestic violence and child abuse in 1920's)

-1933, 21st Amendment past, repealing 18th Amendment (FDR).
-18th Amendment: banned manufacture and sale of alcohol.

Flappers:

-          A new “type” of women; having short hair, smoked and drank in public.

-          Wearing short sleeveless dresses, showing cleavage and legs.

-          Called the “New Americans”

-          Did not conform to the societal sexual norms

-          Advocated for women’s rights

1920 Economic Issues:

-          Consumer demand, credit was no available to the consumers, low interest rates and introduction to the installment plan.

-          Buying on a margin, if stock market goes down, people would be in lots of debt with stock brokers.                 
-Immigration also became limited, reducing the number of workers in the economy.
-No discretionary rates

Dust Bowl:

-          Severe dust storms

-          Causes; drought, extensive farming without crop rotation, and mechanization.

-          Effects; Over 50,000 Americans left homeless

-          Americans migrated west

-          FDR created organizations to aid people 

Schneck vs. the United States

-          Created Patriot acts, sedition acts, and espionage acts. That was pro-American. Quotas system also came into play.

-          Upholding the Espionage Act

-          Schenck’s conviction was a constitutional decision

-          Sent letter to draftees saying that the draft was motivated by capitalist.

Agriculture Issues:

-          Drop/ Collapse in prices

-          No crop rotation and deep plowing caused dust storms

-          Long term agricultural depression

-          The farmers were overproducing with new machinery after the war, so they no longer needed much food.

Immigration Policies:

-Red scare
- immigrant law
- quota 2%
-Asians were banned
- reduced number of immigrants

Nativism:

 - This refers to the opposition of immigration or efforts to lower political or legal status of different ethnic groups because they are considered foreign.

1920 Significant Literary Works:
-Main Kampf (Hitler)
-The Jungle (Sinclair)
-The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald) , life during the 20's
-Grapes of Wrath (Steinbeck)
-Of Mice and Men (Steinbeck)
-How the Other Half Lives (Riis)
-The Ways of White Folks (Hughes)
-Unsafe at Any Speed (Nader)

Great Migration:

- African Americans moved from the rural south to the industrial city north. Caused lots of racial tensions between African Americans and Whites. African Americans began to celebrate and this caused the Harlem Renaissance.

Harlem Renaissance:

 - African Americans who recently moved to NYC took ownership for literature, art, music (especially jazz)

Sacco and Vanzetti

- were anarchist's which means that they were against the government. Both Italian's which were trailed for robbery and murder in Braintree, Massachusetts. Killed by the electric chair and did not know if they were guilty only thought they were.

1920 Labor Issues:
-Unions were suppressed
-Welfare
-Wages increased, work time decreased
-LOTS of strikes
-Unemployment rate = 5%
-Lack of leadership in labor movement