Critical Thinking Questions
Directions:
- Using pages 422-427 in your textbook, The Americans: Reconstruction to the
21 st Century; complete the Mind Map on Technology and Business Changes of the 1920s.
- Include (at least) 5 business/technological changes of the 1920s
- In each of the 5 categories, include (at least) 3 ways in which that technology changed American Life.
- Complete the list of key terms.
- Using examples from your Mind Map, complete the following questions:
1.
How did changes in technology in the 1920s influence American Life?
___ The technological changes of the 1920s influenced American Life by adding_____ many conveniences to the way of life and changing business practices. Technologies_ such as the automobile and airplane provided a new method of transportation. They___ also provided Americans with the freedom to travel to places that they may not have___ ever gone to without these conveniences. The transportation also affected the business__ industry by creating the assembly line that made making products more efficient.___
Electricity started being used in factories, and the development of an alternating_____ electrical current made it easier to send power to long distances, creating electricity-__ run homes outside of the city. Advertising also largely affected American Life by____ persuading consumers to purchase certain goods by the use of psychological slogans._
In order for consumers to purchase these goods, businesses offered credit so that people_ could pay on an installment plan. The 1920s turned American Life into the consumer life.
___________________________________________________________
2.
Explain how the technologies/business changes of the 1920s affect/don’t affect American Life today. (Use examples from your personal experience if allowed.)
___ All of the technologies still affect American Life today. Almost every adult in____
America owns a car, and travelling by plane is a common occurrence. Every place that
I have ever gone to relies on electricity to run their appliances, machines, and lighting.
When there is a power outage, no one can do anything because nothing will turn on.__
Every day on TV there are commercials that are advertisements for products.__________
Companies also use billboards and other forms of advertising that Americans see_____ every day. We still use credit to make purchases, most everybody that owns a home___ has a mortgage, and no one really pays all cash for items, especially large ones like__ cars and homes. We are still a consumer society.
___________________________
_____________________________________________________________
Key Terms
Calvin Coolidge-
____ President during the 1920s. Pro- business. Kept taxes down and business profits up.____
Kept government interference to a minimum. __________________________________
Urban Sprawl-
_____ The automobile allowed workers to live further from their jobs, allowing cities to expand in all directions.
_______________________________________________________
Status Symbol-
_____ A possession believed to enhance the owner’s social standing. __________________
___________________________________________________________________
Installment Plan-
_____ Enabled people to buy goods over an extended period, without having to put down much money at the time of purchase. Banks provided the money at low interest rates. __________