Name _______________________________ Date __________________ Block _____
1920s-1930s Study Guide
What resulted from the improved transportation brought about by affordable automobiles?
1)
2)
3)
4)
Greater mobility
Creation of jobs
Growth of transportation-related industries (road construction, oil, steel, automobile)
Movement to suburban areas
What were some communication changes during the early 20th century?
1) Increased availability of telephones
2) Development of the radio and broadcast industry
3) Development of the movies
How did electrification change American life?
1)
2)
3)
4)
Labor-saving products (washing machine, electric stove)
Electric lighting
Entertainment (radio, movies)
Improved communication
What is important about Henry Ford?
He created the assembly line in his automobile factories, leading to the rise of mechanization
Who is credited for having invented the airplane?
The Wright Brothers (Orville and Wilbur) in 1903
What was Prohibition?
It was imposed by the 18th constitutional amendment that made it illegal to manufacture, transport, and sell
alcoholic beverages.
What were the illegal clubs or bars called during Prohibition?
Speakeasies
What were the results of Prohibition?
1) Speakeasies were created as places for people to drink alcoholic beverages
2) Bootleggers made and smuggled alcohol illegally and promoted organized crime
Which amendment repealed (ended) Prohibition?
21st Amendment
What was the Great Migration?
It was a time period when African Americans moved to cities in the North and Midwest in search of better
employment opportunities
What caused the Great Migration?
1) Jobs for African Americans in the South were scarce and low paying
2) African Americans faced discrimination and violence in the South
What continued to happen after African Americans participated in the Great Migration?
African Americans also faced discrimination and violence in the North and Midwest
Who was an artist who was known for urban scenes and, later, paintings of the Southwest?
Georgia O’Keeffe
Who was a novelist who wrote about the Jazz Age of the 1920s?
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Who was a novelist who portrayed the strength of poor migrant workers during the 1930s and the Dust Bowl?
John Steinbeck
Who were the two composers who wrote uniquely American music?
Aaron Copland and George Gershwin
What was the Harlem Renaissance?
African American artists, writers and musicians based in Harlem, NY, who revealed the freshness and variety
of African American culture; the popularity of these artists spread beyond Harlem to the rest of society
How did the Harlem Renaissance affect African Americans?
The Harlem Renaissance encouraged African Americans to take pride in their culture
Who was a painter who chronicled the experiences of the Great Migration through art?
Jacob Lawrence
Who was a poet who combined the experiences of African and American cultural roots?
Langston Hughes
Who were two jazz musicians during the Harlem Renaissance?
Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong
Who was a blues singer during the Harlem Renaissance?
Bessie Smith
What were the causes of the Great Depression? Circle the short-term, immediate cause.
1) People over speculated on stocks, using borrowed money that they could not repay when stock prices
crashed
2) The Federal Reserve failed to prevent the collapse of the banking system
3) High tariffs discouraged international trade
What was the impact of the Great Depression on Americans?
1)
2)
3)
4)
A large number of banks and other businesses failed
One-fourth of workers were without jobs
Large numbers of people were hungry and homeless
Farmers’ incomes fell to low levels
What were the major features of the New Deal?
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
Social Security
Federal work programs
Environmental improvement programs
Farm assistance programs
Increased rights for labor