Chapter 22—The “New Era”
BIG PICTURE QUESTIONS FOR SECTION I: What were some major features of the “New Economy” in America in the
1920s?
I. The New Economy
A. Technology and Economic Growth—What were some signs of economic growth in America?
1. Sources of the Boom—Why did the economic boom occur?
2. Radio—How did radio contribute to the boom? How did other technologies contribute?
B. Economic Organization
1. Modern Administrative Systems—How did GM organize itself?
C. Labor in the New Era—What was happening to the distribution of wealth during the 1920s?
1. “Welfare Capitalism”—What was “welfare capitalism” and why did employers use it? How did most unskilled laborers fare
during the 1920s?
D. Women and Minorities in the Workforce
1. “Pink Collar Jobs”—What were “pink collar jobs” and who filled them?
2. A. Philip Randolph—Why didn’t blacks and women become members of major unions? What challenges did Japanese
immigrants face? Who were Issei and Nisei? What challenges did Filipinos face? Where did many Mexican immigrants live?
E. The “American Plan”
1. Protecting the Open Shop—What was an “open shop”? Why did employers support the “American Plan”? Who helped
employers enforce such plans?
F. Agricultural Technology and the Plight of the Farmer
1. Mechanized Farming—What technological advances came to farming during this time? What hardships for farmers did these
advances cause?
BIG PICTURE QUESTIONS FOR SECTION II: What were some major features of the “New Culture” in America in the
1920s?
II.
The New Culture—How had Americans’ lives become more similar during the 1920s?
A. Consumerism
1. Growing Mass Consumption—How did Americans’ buying habits change during the 1920s?
2. Social Impact of the Automobile—What social effects did the automobile cause?
B. Advertising
1. The Man Nobody Knows
2. Mass Circulation Magazines—How did newspapers become more national in focus? What were some national magazines
that developed during this time?
C. The Movies and Broadcasting
1. Hollywood—What was the first movie with sound and when was it made? How did Hollywood “police” itself and why?
What was the most important form of communication during the 1920s?
D. Modernist Religion—What changes to Christian theology did modernists propose?
1. Harry Emerson Fosdick—Who was Fosdick?
E. Professional Women
F. Changing Ideas of Motherhood
1. “Companionate Marriages”—How did “companionate marriages” change the view of marriage from times past?
2. Birth Control—Who were Emma Goldman and Margaret Sanger? What did their careers entail?
G. The “Flapper”: Image and Reality—What was the image of the flapper (what kind of life did she lead)? What class were
most flappers?
H. Pressing for Women’s Rights—How did woman press for rights?
I.
Education and Youth—How did enrollments at all educational levels change during the 1920s?
1. Youth Culture—How did youth culture develop in America?
J.
The Disenchanted—Why did some become unhappy with life in America during the 1920s? Who had become disenchanted?
Who were the “Lost Generation”?
1. Lost Generation’s Critique—What about American society did members of the Lost Generation criticize?
2. H.L. Mencken—What did Mencken criticize?
3. Rejecting Success—How did The Great Gatsby critique American society?
K. The Harlem Renaissance—What was the “Harlem Renaissance” and where did it occur? What forms of artistic expression
flourished during this movement?
1. African American Pride—What was the message of the Harlem Renaissance?
BIG PICTURE QUESTIONS FOR SECTION III: How did the “new culture” of 1920s America conflict with traditional
values?
III.
A Conflict of Cultures
A. Prohibition
1. Failure of Prohibition—What was Prohibition? How successful was it?
2. Alcohol and Organized Crime—How did Prohibition lead to the rise of organized crime? Who in society began to oppose
Prohibition? How strongly supported it?
B. Nativism and the Klan—How did “old-stock” Americans begin to feel about immigrants after WWI? What laws were passed
as a result?
1. National Origins Act of 1924—How did the National Origins Act of 1924 tighten immigration to the U.S. (and what groups
were favored under the law)?
2. The New Klan—What events helped lead to the rise of the new Ku Klux Klan? What groups became the focus of the new
Klan? Where did the Klan have a strong following?
3. Defending “Traditional Values”—What were the “traditional values” that the Klan defended?
4. David Stephenson—What happened to the power of the Klan?
C. Religious Fundamentalism—How had Protestantism in America split by the 1920s? What were the two groups, where were
they primarily located, and what did they believe?
1. Scopes Monkey Trial—What was the Scopes Monkey Trial about, who was involved, and how did the trial unfold? What
were the results?
D. The Democrats’ Ordeal—How was the Democratic Party split during the 1920s?
1. Al Smith—Why was Al Smith such a controversial figure, even to members of his own party? Why were they suspicious of
him?
BIG PICTURE QUESTIONS FOR SECTION IV: What events characterized “Republican government” of the 1920s? What
was the nature of the Republican Party’s relationship with big business?
IV.
Republican Government—How long did Republican hold both the presidency and Congress?
A. Harding and Coolidge—How was Warren G. Harding as president? What were his weaknesses?
1. Teapot Dome—What was the Teapot Dome and how did it lead to scandal in Harding’s administration? What happened to
Harding?
2. Calvin Coolidge—How was Calvin Coolidge different from Harding?
B. Government and Business
1. Andrew Mellon—What was Mellon’s background before he became Secretary of the Treasury? What policies had Andrew
Mellon successfully encouraged Congress to pass during the 1920s?
2. Hoover’s “Associationalism”—What did Herbert Hoover encourage in the private sector to increase stability? How would
“associationalism” help organize certain industries?