A Time to Review – The Twenties
US History/Napp
1. The Scopes trial and the Sacco and
Vanzetti case both involved
(1) disputes over the death penalty
(2) clashes over cultural values
(3) protests by temperance leaders
(4) challenges to search and seizure
protections
2. The prosperity of the United States
in the mid-1920s resulted in part
from
(1) increased demand for new consumer
goods
(2) high-wage contracts negotiated by labor
unions
(3) record-high farm prices
(4) increased government regulation of the
Economy
3. After World War I, one way in which
the Red Scare, the passing of the
Quota Acts, and the growth of the
Ku Klux Klan were similar is that
they all
(1) exploited fears about people who
were considered un-American
(2) encouraged the assimilation of
new immigrants into American
society
(3) supported the goals of the
suffrage movement
(4) exhibited prejudice against
African Americans
4. What was one feature of the United
States economy during the 1920s that
contributed to the Great Depression?
(1) increase in federal regulation
(2) expansion of easy credit
(3) growth of the trade deficit
(4) influence of foreign corporations
Name: _________________
5. Duke Ellington, Langston Hughes,
and Bessie Smith are most closely
associated with efforts to
(1) expand the Back to Africa movement
(2) fight discrimination through the judicial
system
(3) promote the cultural identity of African
Americans through the arts
(4) establish the National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People
6. The Red Scare, the growth of the Ku
Klux Klan, and the murder
convictions of Sacco and Vanzetti
were influenced by
(1) the rise of organized crime
(2) the passage of immigration quota acts
(3) a distrust of foreigners
(4) an effort to stop fascism
7. “…Our whole system of selfgovernment will crumble either if
officials elect what laws they will
enforce or citizens elect what laws
they will support. The worst evil of
disregard for some law is that it
destroys respect for all law.…”
~ President Herbert Hoover, 1929
Which issue is President Hoover
discussing in this statement?
(1) national Prohibition
(2) environmental conservation
(3) Social Security taxes
(4) voting rights for women
8. The division in public opinion over
the Scopes trial and Prohibition
demonstrates which characteristic of
the 1920s?
(1) discrimination against immigrants
(2) clash of cultural values
(3) fear of international communism
(4) opposition to the Ku Klux Klan
9. During the 1920s, much of the debt
accumulated by consumers was due to
(1) installment buying of manufactured
goods
(2) overproduction of farm products
(3) long strikes by labor unions
(4) rising income taxes
10. What was the primary reason many
African Americans migrated to the North
both during and after World War I?
(1) More economic opportunities existed in
the North.
(2) Few chances to gain political office were
available in the South.
(3) Racism and discrimination had been
eliminated in the North.
(4) Southern cities were overcrowded.
11. The Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s
most enhanced American culture by
(1) pressuring southern states to extend
voting rights
(2) expanding African American access to
education
(3) popularizing African American
contributions to the arts
(4) convincing the Supreme Court to allow
affirmative action
12. Which development most clearly
illustrates the nativist attitudes that existed
in the United States in the 1920s?
(1) limits on immigration established by the
Quota Acts
(2) pro-business policies of the federal
government
(3) artistic and literary achievements of the
Harlem Renaissance
(4) conflicts between religion and science as
shown in the Scopes Trial
13. Which movement’s primary goal was the
ratification of a constitutional amendment
authorizing Prohibition?
(1) abolitionist
(3) temperance
(2) Populist
(4) settlement house
14. The main reason for the increased
migration of African Americans out of the
rural South during and following World
War I was the
(1) availability of cheap farmland in the
West
(2) opportunity for factory jobs in the North
(3) chance to escape racial segregation by
joining the military
(4) elimination of the Ku Klux Klan in the
northern states
15. National attention was drawn to the
Scopes trial of 1925 because the case
(1) represented a conflict between science
and religion
(2) reversed a previous Supreme Court
decision on free speech
(3) upheld the right of veterans to protest in
Washington, D. C.
(4) revealed the extent of prejudice against
Immigrants
16. The economic boom of the 1920s was
fueled in part by
(1) government subsidies paid to farmers
(2) tariff reductions on European goods
(3) increased investment in the stock market
(4) construction by the Tennessee Valley
Authority (TVA)
17. Which American author was part of the
Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s?
(1) F. Scott Fitzgerald (3) Langston Hughes
(2) Ernest Hemingway (4) John Steinbeck
18. What was a major cause of the Great
Depression?
(1) overproduction and underconsumption
(2) a decrease in the supply of consumer
goods
(3) an increase in demand for imported
products
(4) an increase in the price of wheat on the
world market
23. The contributions of Langston Hughes
and Duke Ellington illustrate the
importance of the Harlem Renaissance to
(1) economic growth
(2) educational reform
(3) the creative arts
(4) political leadership
24. Between 1880 and 1920, the majority of
the “new” immigrants to the United States
19. The conflict between science and religion came from
in the 1920s was most clearly shown in the
(1) northern and western Europe
(1) trial of John Scopes
(2) southern and eastern Europe
(2) arrest of Sacco and Vanzetti
(3) Canada and Latin America
(3) nativist reactions to immigration
(4) China and Southeast Asia
(4) poetry of the Harlem Renaissance
25. Why did many United States farmers
20. One of the major causes of the stock
fail to benefit from the economic prosperity
market crash of 1929 was
of the 1920s?
(1) excessive buying of stocks on margin
(1) No technological advances were made in
(2) overconsumption of goods and services
agriculture.
(3) failure of international banking systems
(2) Levels of farm production declined.
(4) low prices of stocks and bonds
(3) Farm exports were heavily taxed.
(4) Agricultural goods were overproduced.
21. In the mid-1920s, the immigration policy
of the United States was mainly designed to 26. The Scopes trial of the 1920s dealt with a
(1) deport illegal immigrants
conflict between
(2) continue the traditional policy of open
(1) communism and capitalism
immigration
(2) Protestants and Catholics
(3) establish quotas for immigrants from
(3) science and religion
certain nations
(4) labor and management
(4) favor immigrants from southern and
eastern Europe
27. Which economic factor contributed most
directly to the start of the Great
22. What was the major problem facing
Depression?
American farmers during the 1920s?
(1) low worker productivity
(1) shortage of fertile land
(2) high income taxes
(2) overproduction of crops
(3) decreasing tariff rates
(3) low prices of imported farm products
(4) buying stocks on margin
(4) limited labor supply
28. The convictions of Sacco and Vanzetti in
the 1920s most closely reflected the
(1) increase in nativist attitudes
(2) federal government’s war on crime
(3) corruption of political machines
(4) rise in labor unrest
29. What was one cause of the stock market
crash of 1929 and the Great Depression that
followed?
(1) Costs associated with World War I had
bankrupted the economy.
(2) Speculators had purchased shares of
stock on margin with borrowed funds.
(3) Federal tax cuts had caused high
inflation.
(4) Low farm production had weakened
banks.
30. National Prohibition, as authorized by
the 18th amendment, stated that
(1) Americans must be 18 years old to
purchase alcoholic beverages
(2) only imported alcoholic beverages would
be sold
(3) alcoholic beverages could be sold only in
government-run stores
(4) the manufacture and sale of alcoholic
beverages was banned
31. During the 1920s, Congress passed a
series of immigration laws that were
primarily designed to
(1) increase immigration from Asia
(2) expand the workforce for the growing
economy
(3) limit immigration from southern and
eastern Europe
(4) prohibit immigration from Latin
America
32. During the second half of the 1920s,
which economic trend was a major cause of
the Great Depression?
(1) deficits in the federal budget
(2) reductions in tariff rates
(3) creation of national and state sales taxes
(4) overproduction and underconsumption
33. President Herbert Hoover’s response to
the Great Depression was often criticized
because it
(1) wasted money on new social programs
(2) caused widespread rioting and looting in
major cities
(3) raised taxes on businesses and the
wealthy
(4) failed to provide direct relief for the
neediest persons
34. The Harlem Renaissance promoted
African American culture by
(1) increasing factory employment
opportunities for minorities
(2) encouraging immigration from Africa
(3) focusing attention on artistic
contributions
(4) bringing an end to legalized racial
segregation
35. During the 1920s, the United States
changed its immigration policy by passing
new laws that
(1) provided incentives to attract more
immigrants to factory jobs
(2) encouraged Chinese immigrants to enter
the country
(3) allowed unrestricted immigration of war
refugees from Vietnam
(4) established quotas that reduced the
number of immigrants from certain
countries
36. What was a main result of national
Prohibition during the 1920s?
(1) Respect for the law decreased.
(2) Woman’s suffrage was restricted.
(3) Racial prejudice increased.
(4) Religious tolerance grew.
37. Which foreign policy did Warren G.
Harding support when he used the phrase
“return to normalcy” during his
presidential campaign of 1920?
(1) appeasement
(3) containment
(2) internationalism (4) isolationism
38. Which event led to the start of the Great
Depression?
(1) Red Scare (1919–1920)
(2) election of President Herbert Hoover
(1928)
(3) stock market crash (1929)
(4) passage of the Emergency Banking Act
(1933)
39. The Scopes trial of 1925 illustrated the
(1) desire for new voting rights laws
(2) need for better private schools
(3) conflict between Protestant
fundamentalism and science
(4) effects of the Red Scare on the legal
system
40. What was a major cause of the Great
Depression?
(1) decrease in the production of goods
during most of the 1920s
(2) unequal distribution of wealth in the
United States
(3) overregulation of the banking industry
(4) low tariffs on foreign goods
Base your answer to question 41 on the
poem below and on your knowledge of social
studies.
Mother to Son
Well, son, I’ll tell you:
Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.
It’s had tacks in it,
And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor—
Bare.
But all the time
I’se been a-climbin’ on,
And reachin’ landin’s,
And turnin’ corners,
And sometimes goin’ in the dark
Where there ain’t been no light.
So boy, don’t you turn back.
Don’t you set down on the steps
’Cause you finds it kinder hard.
Don’t you fall now—
For I’se still goin’, honey,
I’se still climbin’,
And life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.
—Langston Hughes, 1922
41. One purpose of this poem, written
during the Harlem Renaissance, was to
(1) explain the advantages of inner-city life
(2) discuss ideas in the language used by
immigrant Americans
(3) ask African Americans to accept things
as they are
(4) encourage African Americans to
continue their struggle for equality
Base your answer to question 42 on the
44. Which statement about the stock market
poem below and on your knowledge of social crash of 1929 is most accurate?
studies.
(1) It was the single cause of the Great
Depression.
I, Too
(2) It was caused by the effects of the Great
I, too, sing America.
Depression.
I am the darker brother.
(3) It continued long after the Great
They send me to eat in the kitchen
Depression ended.
When company comes,
(4) It helped lead to the Great Depression.
But I laugh,
And eat well,
45. Many farmers failed to share in the
And grow strong.
general prosperity of the 1920s mainly
Tomorrow,
because they
I’ll be at the table
(1) lacked new farm machinery to increase
When company comes.
production
Nobody’ll dare
(2) did not have sufficient numbers of farm
Say to me,
laborers
“Eat in the kitchen,”
(3) had to pay high wages to their workers
Then.
(4) received low prices for crops due to
Besides,
overproduction
They’ll see how beautiful I am
And be ashamed —
46. What was a primary reason for the great
I, too, am America.
migration of African Americans to northern
~ Langston Hughes, in Rampersad and
cities during World War I?
Roessel, eds., The Collected Poems of
(1) Job opportunities were available in
Langston Hughes, Alfred A. Knopf
northern factories.
(2) Jim Crow laws in the South had been
42. This Langston Hughes poem illustrates a repealed.
major theme of the Harlem Renaissance by
(3) Voting rights laws had been passed in
(1) supporting the creation of colleges
northern states.
operated by African Americans
(4) The federal government had guaranteed
(2) stressing the need for economic reform
an end to discrimination.
(3) expressing the pride and hope of many
African Americans
47. Which characteristic of the 1920s is
(4) detailing mistreatment of African
illustrated by the trial of Sacco and
Americans by the music industry
Vanzetti?
(1) hostility toward woman’s suffrage
43. One goal of many Harlem Renaissance
(2) support for segregation
writers was to
(3) opposition to separation of church and
(1) increase pride in African American
state
culture
(4) intolerance toward immigrants
(2) support existing racial barriers
(3) cut off connections with mainstream
American values
(4) encourage African Americans to create
their own political party
48. During the Harlem Renaissance of the
1920s, African American authors and artists
used literature and art to
(1) end segregation of public facilities
(2) promote affirmative action programs
(3) celebrate the richness of their heritage
(4) urge voters to elect more African
Americans to political office
49. Which economic condition was a major
cause of the Great Depression?
(1) high wages of industrial workers
(2) deficit spending by the federal
government
(3) inability of industry to produce enough
consumer goods
(4) uneven distribution of income between
the rich and the poor
53. The Harlem Renaissance was important
to American society because it
(1) highlighted the cultural achievements of
African Americans
(2) isolated African Americans from
mainstream society
(3) provided new political opportunities for
African Americans
(4) brought an end to racial segregation in
the North
54. What common problem did farmers of
the 1890s and farmers of the 1920s face?
(1) failure to plant enough crops to meet
local needs
(2) government overregulation of farming
(3) low tariffs on crops
(4) overproduction compared to consumer
demand
50. In the 1920s, both Langston Hughes and
Duke Ellington made major contributions to 55. • Teapot Dome Scandal
(1) economic growth
• Harlem Renaissance
(2) educational reform
• Scopes trial
(3) the creative arts
During which decade did these events
(4) political leadership
occur?
(1) 1920s
(3) 1940s
51. The changing image of women during
(2) 1930s
(4) 1950s
the 1920s was symbolized by the
(1) passage of an equal pay act
56. The Red Scare, the National Origins
(2) drafting of women into the army
Acts of the 1920s, and the verdict in the
(3) popularity of the flappers and their style Sacco and Vanzetti trial are examples of
of dress
negative American attitudes toward
(4) appointment of several women to
(1) immigrants
President Calvin Coolidge’s cabinet
(2) business leaders
(3) African Americans
52. The economic prosperity of the 1920s
(4) labor union leaders
was mainly the result of the
(1) adoption of lower tariff rates
57. The Scopes Trial of 1925 is an example
(2) stricter enforcement of antitrust laws
of
(3) success of most United States farmers
(1) the effects of assimilation on American
(4) development of new industries for
culture
consumer goods
(2) a clash between scientific ideas and
religious beliefs
(3) increase in violence in American society
(4) government intervention in racial
conflicts
58. Improved mass-production techniques
affected the American economy of the 1920s
by
(1) reducing prices of consumer goods
(2) lowering the quality of most products
(3) causing higher unemployment
(4) decreasing the quantity of manufactured
Products
62. What was a principle reason for rapid
economic growth in the United States
during the 1920s?
(1) prosperity of American agriculture
(2) increase of American imports
(3) development of many new consumer
goods
(4) increased spending on defense
59. The influence of nativism during the
1920s is best illustrated by the
(1) increase in the popularity of the
automobile
(2) emergence of the flappers
(3) expansion of trusts and monopolies
(4) growth of the Ku Klux Klan
63. What was one factor that led to the
Great Depression?
(1) government limitations on the amount of
money in circulation
(2) high wages paid by employers
(3) increases in the tax rate for corporations
(4) excessive speculation in the stock market
60. “Public Ignores Prohibition
Restrictions”
“Evolution and Creation Debated in
Scopes Trial”
“Women Bring Change to the Industrial
Workforce”
64. Much of the economic growth of the
1920s was based on
(1) increased trade with other nations
(2) the production of new consumer goods
(3) rising prices of agricultural products
(4) the rapid development of the West
What do headlines such as these from the
1920s illustrate?
(1) conflict between traditional and modern
values
(2) trend toward mass consumption of
consumer
goods
(3) hostility of certain groups toward ethnic
minorities
(4) debate over the role of government in the
Economy
65. Langston Hughes and Duke Ellington
are noted for their contributions to the
cultural movement
of the 1920s known as the
(1) Gospel of Wealth
(2) Lost Generation
(3) Harlem Renaissance
(4) Gilded Age
61. Which factor contributed most to the
growth of nativist attitudes in the United
States in the years immediately following
World War I?
(1) the establishment of national Prohibition
(2) a decline of organized religions
(3) the increase in the number of settlement
houses
(4) the large numbers of immigrants from
southern and eastern Europe
66. The failure of national Prohibition led to
a public awareness that
(1) crime rates decline when the sale of
alcoholic beverages is banned
(2) economic prosperity encourages social
conformity
(3) unpopular laws are difficult to enforce
(4) geographic conditions affect law
enforcement
67. Which pair of events illustrates an
accurate cause-and-effect relationship?
(1) Sacco and Vanzetti trial → ratification of
the woman suffrage amendment
(2) rebirth of the KKK → formation of the
Populist Party
(3) Red Scare → demand for limits on
immigration
(4) high food prices → start of the Great
Depression
68. Which situation helped cause the stock
market crash of 1929?
(1) excessive speculation and buying on
margin
(2) unwillingness of people to invest in new
industries
(3) increased government spending
(4) too much government regulation of
business
72. Which group of Americans generally
failed to experience the economic prosperity
of the 1920s?
(1) farmers
(3) consumers
(2) retailers
(4) manufacturers
73. During the 1920s, controversies
concerning the Scopes trial, national
Prohibition, and the behavior of “flappers”
were all signs of disagreement over
(1) the return to normalcy
(2) traditional values and changing lifestyles
(3) causes of the Great Depression
(4) the benefits of new technology
74. A major goal of the immigration acts of
the 1920s was to
(1) allow unlimited immigration from
Southeast Asia
(2) assure equal numbers of immigrants
from all nations
(3) favor wealthy and well-educated
immigrants
(4) use quotas to limit immigration from
southern and eastern Europe
69. In the United States, regional differences
in economic development are primarily due
to
(1) settlement patterns of immigrant groups
(2) pressure from various religious groups
(3) state and federal election laws
75. The economic boom of the 1920s was
(4) geographic factors in various parts of the primarily caused by the
Nation
(1) new economic policies of the League of
Nations
70. Which event of the 1920s symbolized a
(2) development of new consumer goods
conflict over cultural values?
industries
(1) election of Herbert Hoover
(3) advent of advertising on radio
(2) transatlantic flight of Charles Lindbergh (4) elimination of barriers to international
(3) Scopes trial
trade
(4) stock market crash
76. During most of the 1920s, which group
71. The migration of African Americans to
experienced the most severe economic
the North during and following World War problems?
I was mainly a result of the
(1) owners of small family farms
(1) success of military desegregation
(2) workers in the automobile industry
(2) efforts of the civil rights movement
(3) bankers in urban centers
(3) availability of new factory jobs
(4) entertainers in the field of radio
(4) impact of affirmative action programs
Base your answers to questions 77 and 78 on the chart below and on your knowledge of
social studies.
77. What was an effect of the immigration laws of 1921 and 1924?
(1) Reduction of immigration from southern and eastern Europe and Asia
(2) Establishment of equality among ethnic groups seeking entrance to the United States
(3) Increase in the total number of immigrants allowed to enter the United States
(4) Removal of restrictions from the nations of northern and western Europe
78. One reason for the passage of the laws shown in this chart was to
(1) Limit economic growth
(2) Protect the jobs of workers in the United States
(3) Improve working conditions in American factories
(4) Promote non-European immigration
79. One responsibility of the Federal Reserve System is to
(1) Balance the federal budget
(2) Raise or lower income taxes
(3) Control the supply of money
(4) Regulate the stock market
80. President George Washington in his Farewell Address, President James Monroe in the
Monroe Doctrine, and the opponents of the League of Nations all wanted the United States
to
(1) Avoid European conflicts
(2) Avoid trade with foreign nations
(3) Refuse diplomatic recognition of nondemocratic nations
(4) Reduce foreign influence by establishing immigration quotas
81. The works of Duke Ellington and Langston Hughes reflected the
(1) Expanding role of women in the 1920s
(2) Achievements of the Harlem Renaissance
(3) Architectural innovations of the 1930s
(4) Influence of southern European immigrant groups
Base your answers to questions 82 and 83 on the chart below and on your knowledge of
social studies.
82. The data in the chart support the idea that the immigration laws of 1921 and 1924 were
primarily designed to
(1) Stop illegal entry into the country
(2) Admit skilled workers
(3) Encourage immigration from southern Europe
(4) Reduce immigration from specific regions
83. The United States adopted the immigration policies shown in the chart mainly because
of
(1) Pressures from nativists and labor unions
(2) Hardships caused by the Great Depression
(3) Prejudices generated during World War II
(4) Threats from other nations to stop migration to the United States
84. What was a major result of Prohibition in the United States during the 1920s?
(1) Restriction of immigration
(2) Growth of communism
(3) Destruction of family values
(4) Increase in organized crime
85. Which statement most accurately describes conditions of American farmers during the
economic boom of the mid-1920s?
(1) Shortages of fertile land and farm equipment lowered farm income.
(2) Overproduction helped keep farmers from participating in the prosperity of the times.
(3) Subsidies and other government programs dramatically increased farmers’ incomes.
(4) Higher prices for farm products resulted in a higher standard of living for farmers.
Base your answers to questions 86 and 87 on the map below and on your knowledge of
social studies.
86. The main purpose of this map is to illustrate the
(1) Sources of important natural resources
(2) Development of United States imperialism
(3) Growth of the Atlantic slave trade
(4) Results of the Spanish-American War
87. The conclusion that can best be supported by the information on this map is that
construction of the Panama Canal was motivated by the desire of the United States to
(1) Raise the living standards of Latin American people
(2) Increase naval mobility and expand overseas markets
(3) Improve relations with Latin American and Asian nations
(4) Maintain a policy of collective security
88. Which economic trend of the 1920s helped cause the Great Depression?
(1) Rising cost of mass-produced goods
(2) Increasing income tax rates
(3) Falling tariff rates
(4) Widening income gap between the rich and the poor
Base your answer to question 89 on the graph below and on your knowledge of social
studies.
89. Which statement about population distribution in the United States between 1860 and
1920 is best supported by the graph?
(1) Rural population declined after 1910.
(2) Many Americans migrated from urban to rural areas.
(3) Immigration played a limited role in urban growth.
(4) The population of cities grew at a faster rate than that of rural areas.
90. Which event represents an expression of nativism during the 1920s?
(1) Trial of John Scopes for teaching evolution
(2) Adoption of a quota system to limit immigration
(3) Charles Lindbergh’s solo transatlantic flight
(4) Rise in popularity of spectator sports
91. Which generalization can best be drawn from the experiment with national Prohibition
(1919–1933)?
(1) Social attitudes can make laws difficult to enforce.
(2) Americans resent higher taxes.
(3) Morality can be legislated successfully.
(4) People will sacrifice willingly for the common good.
92. Which situation is associated with the trends in agriculture shown in these tables?
(1) Farm foreclosures decreased.
(2) Farm size was substantially reduced.
(3) Farm output declined.
(4) Farmers became a smaller percentage of the labor force.
93. Which conclusion is best supported by the information on the graph?
(1) The level of automobile production remained constant.
(2) The average American family found the automobile too expensive to purchase.
(3) By 1929, most of the automobiles in the world were produced in the United States.
(4) Changes in economic conditions led to changes in automobile production.
Base your answers to questions 94 and 95 on the song excerpt below and on your
knowledge of social studies.
The Farmer is the Man
When the farmer comes to town
With his wagon broken down,
Oh, the farmer is the man
Who feeds them all…
The farmer is the man,
The farmer is the man,
Lives on credit till the fall;
Then they take him by the hand
And they lead him from the land,
And the middleman’s the man
Who gets it all…
~ American folk song
94. The problem identified by this folk song was a result of
(1) Farm productivity declining for several decades
(2) Too many Americans entering the occupation of farming
(3) Poor farming practices destroying cropland
(4) Low profits forcing many people out of farming
95. Which political party focused most of its efforts on the problem identified in this song?
(1) Bull Moose
(2) Free Soil
(3) Populist
(4) Progressive
96. The Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s can best be described as
(1) An organization created to help promote African-American businesses
(2) A movement that sought to draw people back to the inner cities
(3) A relief program to provide jobs for minority workers
(4) A period of great achievement by African-American writers, artists, and performers
97. What was a major reason American farmers failed to obtain a fair share of the
economic prosperity of the 1920s?
(1) Crops failed due to poor weather conditions.
(2) The government controlled food prices.
(3) Farm crops were overproduced.
(4) Banks refused to lend money to farmers.
Base your answer to question 98 on the poem below and on your knowledge of social
studies.
One Way Ticket
I am fed up
With Jim Crow laws,
People who are cruel
And afraid,
Who lynch and run,
Who are scared of me
And me of them.
I pick up my life
And take it away
On a one-way ticket
Gone Up North
Gone Out West
Gone!
~ Langston Hughes, 1926
98. The author states that he has “Gone” because
(1) Jobs were available in northern industries
(2) There was no racial prejudice in the West
(3) Farmland was more available in the North
(4) Racial discrimination drove him away
99. In the 1920s, which economic factor led to the Great Depression?
(1) Lack of investment in the stock market
(2) Attempt by the United States to promote free trade
(3) Failure to develop new consumer goods industries
(4) Overproduction of farm products and manufactured goods
100. A result of the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s was the
(1) Restoration of buildings and the infrastructure in New York City
(2) Increased recognition of African-American writers and musicians
(3) End of racial segregation laws in New York State
(4) Appointment of several African Americans as presidential advisors
101. A study of the “flappers” of the 1920’s would indicate that
(1) Some women rejected traditional feminine roles
(2) Many women were elected to national political office
(3) Women were fired from traditionally male occupations
(4) The earning power of women was equal to that of men in the same occupation
Word Bank: Sacco and Vanzetti, Immigration Acts, Harlem Renaissance, Red Scare,
Flappers, Isolationism, Stock Market Crash, Monkey Trial, Lost Generation, Teapot Dome
Scandal, Calvin Coolidge
1- The “Roaring Twenties” were good times for many Americans. During the
Twenties, Republicans regained the presidency and ushered in a new era of probusiness policies. Government policies, progress in technology, and a new consumer
society produced a booming economy. Radio helped transform the U.S. into a single
national market, and a mass popular culture developed based largely on the
consumption of luxury items. To take full advantage of the profits to be made,
businesses merged and grew ever larger. Tired from the war and disillusioned by
Wilson’s failure with the League of Nations, America entered a period of
___________. The U.S. aimed to stay out of European affairs and severely limited
immigration.
2- During the Twenties, the younger generation rebelled against traditional morals.
College students took to drinking and throwing wild parties. Women became more
forward in dress and behavior. The two symbols of this new, looser social behavior
were jazz and the “flapper.” __________ were young women in the twenties who
showed freedom from conventions (as in conduct).
3- At first, the nation faced the difficult task of adjusting to peace – the government
stopped its wartime spending and soldiers returned home looking for jobs, creating
a recession from 1919 to 1921. There were also attacks on civil liberties. When a
wave of strikes hit the nation in 1919, citizens feared they were seeing the beginning
of a Communist revolution. This “_________” led Attorney General Palmer to
arrest radicals accused of plotting to overthrow the government. During the Scare,
civil liberties were sometimes grossly violated and many innocent aliens were
deported.
4- Soon after the “Red Scare,” two Italian immigrants, __________ were convicted of
murder to get funds for an anarchist revolution. Although the evidence was
insufficient, they were found guilty and executed. Socialists and radicals protested
the men’s innocence. Many people felt that the trial had been less than fair and that
the defendants had been convicted for their radical, anarchist beliefs rather than for
the crime for which they had been tried. All attempts for retrial on the ground of
false identification failed.
5- The “Red Scare” and the Sacco and Vanzetti trial greatly contributed to the rise of
nativism – a dislike of foreigners. The ____________ of 1921, 1924, and 1929
restricted immigration from Southern and Eastern Europe (the “New Immigrants”)
by establishing quotas for each nationality based on America’s existing ethnic
composition.
6- Religious Fundamentalists in Tennessee brought to trial in 1925 John C. Scopes for
breaking a Tennessee state law forbidding the teaching of evolution. These
Fundamentalists advocated traditional values and condemned Darwin and evolution
as against the Bible’s story of creation in seven days. They saw a breakdown in the
traditional attitudes and believed these had been brought about because Darwinian
philosophy made people doubt the truths of the Bible. The Scopes trial (nicknamed
the _________ by the press because evolution suggested humans were descended
from monkeys and not created by God) attained national prominence. William
Jennings Bryan, Fundamentalist and three-time presidential candidate, testified as
an expert on the Bible. Scopes was found guilty, but the trial lawyers made Bryan
appear ridiculous, and the Fundamentalist cause was temporarily set back
nationally.
7- During the Twenties, Republicans regained the Presidency. In general, Presidents
Harding, Coolidge and Hoover supported laissez-faire economic policies, with
minimal interference in business activities. President Warren Harding (1921 –
1923) captured the national spirit by calling for a “return to normalcy.” However,
the ___________ revealed that a high-ranking administration official had been
bribed to lease oil-rich government lands at Teapot Dome, Wyoming, to
businessmen.
8- President _________ (1923 – 1929) symbolized old-fashioned values like honesty and
thrift. Continuing Harding’s policies, Coolidge’s motto embodied his philosophy:
“The business of America is business.”
9- A new group of writers, known as the ___________, rejected the desire for material
wealth. Novelists such as Sinclair Lewis in Main Street and Babbitt, ridiculed the
narrowness and hypocrisy of American life. In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald
hinted that the search for purely material success often led to tragedy.
10- The 1920s is often referred to as the Jazz Age, reflecting the greater importance of
African-American music. The migration of African Americans to Northern cities
increased in the 1920s. The center of African-American lie at that time was Harlem,
where jazz flourished. An awakening of African-American culture in these years
became known as the “___________.” African-American writers such as Langston
Hughes and Countee Cullen expressed a new pride in their heritage, while attacking
racism.
11- On October 29, 1929, prices on the New York Stock Exchange began to plunge, and
soon hit all-time lows (the ____________). Corporations could no longer raise
funds. People were unable to repay their loans or rents, leading to bank failures.
Thousands of people lost their life savings. In this new economic climate, the
demand for goods decreased sharply. As prices fell, factories closed and workers
lost their jobs. Demand was reduced still further, causing prices to fall more. Other
factories closed, and the country became caught in the grip of a vicious downward
spiral.
