Study Guide Chapter 25: Transition to Modern America
Summary: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…”- Charles Dickens
The 1920s can be viewed in two different ways. One being, “the Roaring Twenties”, the rise of
the 2nd industrial revolution, where people could afford luxury items like cars, women could vote, and
everyone was all about having a good old time dancing the “Charleston” and listening to jazz music. The
other side being “the Terrible Twenties”, a time of gang violence from prohibition, discrimination
against immigrants like Sacco and Vanzetti, and rise to the KKK once again. The 1920s was a period
where America experienced tremendous growth and prosperity but as well as immense downfall and
backwardness.
Key Terms
1. Scopes Monkey Trial-
2. Volstead Act-
3. KKK-
4. Emergency Quota Act 1921-
5. National Origin Quota Act 1924-
6. Sacco and Vanzetti Case-
7. Red Scare-
8. Teapot Dome-
DBQ
Question: Analysis the social and political environment of African Americans in the 1920s?
Document A
I, too, sing America.
I am the darker brother.
They send to eat in the kitchen
When company comes, But I laugh,
And eat well,
And grow strong
Tomorrow,
I’ll be at the table
When company comes
Nobody’ll dare
Say to me,
“Eat in the kitchen,”
Then,
Besides They’ll see how beautiful I am
And be ashamedI, too, am America
-Langston Hughes Poem
Document B
Louis Armstrong Poster- "American Jazz Culture in the 1920S."
Document C
“If you believe that the Negro has a soul, if you believe that the Negro is a man, if you believe the Negro
was endowed with the senses commonly given to other men by the Creator, then you must
acknowledge that what other men have done, Negroes can do. We want to build up cities, nations,
governments, industries of our own in Africa, so that we will be able to have a chance to rise from the
lowest to the highest position in the African Commonwealth.”
Source: Courtesy of the Marcus Garvey and the UNIA Papers Project at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Recording courtesy of Michigan State University, G. Robert Vincent Voice Library
Document D
Source: Cotton Club- Harlem, New York- "Hot Spots for Harlem.”
Multiple Choice
1. Why did the number of working women decrease after the war?
a. Women were not educated enough to work
b. Women were no longer needed now that the men had returned
c. It was improper for a 1920s woman to work
d. It did not and men took the on the domestic role of a woman
e. The government eliminated women from the workplace
2. The republican policies surrounded the idea of…
a. Normality
b. Reform
c. Foreign relations
d. Aggression
e. Peace
3. What caused the end to the red scare?
a. The National Origin Quota Act of 1924
b. The assassination of Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer
c. “May Day”
d. The Sacco and Vanzetti Case
e. Prohibition
4. Which race was banned from entering the country in the National Origins Quota Act of 1924?
a. Eastern Europeans
b. Hispanics
c. Western Europeans
d. Asians
e. Africans
5. The 18th Amendment resulted in….
a. A woman’s right to vote
b. An increase in alcoholics
c. Woman were given equal rights
d. People stopped drinking completely
e. An increase in crime and gang violence
6. Who won the election of 1928?
a. Smith
b. Hoover
c. Roosevelt
d. Coolidge
e. Truman
Answer Key
Key Terms
1. Scopes Monkey Trial- was a court case where John Scopes, a teacher, was accused of teaching
evolution in his classroom which was a complete violation of the Butler Act, which outlawed the
teachings of evolution. This case received a lot of public attention, and later on it was found that
the case was just a stunt to get people to come to the small town in Tennessee.
2. Volstead Act- enacted national prohibition in which no one was allowed to drink, purchase, or
sell alcohol unless they were prescribed by a doctor.
3. KKK- was a group of people who were discriminate towards Roman Catholics, Jews, immigrants,
and Blacks.
4. Emergency Quota Act 1921- limited the number of European immigrants to enter the United
States to only 3% of the residents living in the United States in 1910.
5. National Origin Quota Act 1924- not only limited immigration to 150,000 a year but also banned
Asians from entering as well as limiting the number of Easter European immigrants.
6. Sacco and Vanzetti Case- Sacco and Vanzetti were two Italian immigrants accused of both
robbery and murder. They were trialed and pledged guilty. Some accused the trail being unfair
and the court was discriminatory towards these two men. The case received a lot of national
attention because of the injustice.
7. Red Scare-was an anti-communist, anti-foreign, anti-labor response after WWI. Many
immigrants were deported out of the country without a proper trail as to why (S.O.S. “Ship or
Shoot). The reaction was partially instigated by the attempt assassination of Attorney General A.
Mitchell Palmer.
8. Teapot Dome Scandal- Albert Fall, secretary of the interior, was accused of accepting bribes
from private oil businessmen and giving them oil lands in Wyoming (Teapot Dome) and
California (Elkshill).
DBQ
Separate the DBQ into two parts. Address the social influence African Americans had in America
using Doc B, the poster of Louis Armstrong, and then use Doc D, displaying a picture of the Cotton Club
one of New York’s most popular clubs in the 1920s. Elaborate the happiness and entertainment it
brought to people. Outside information would include Harlem Renaissance, other African jazz artists like
Lillian Harden, and poets like Countee Hullen. In the second part of the DBQ address the segregation
and political aspects of African American life after the war using Doc A, and C where Langston and
Garvey address the discrimination of the African American community. Refer to the determination
within the tone of Doc A, and C, that African Americans are just as American as any white folk, and have
the same capabilities. Include outside information about the KKK, and the reason as to why Harlem was
established in the first place.
Multiple Choice
1. C
2. A
3. C
4. D
5. E
6. B
Works Cited
"American Jazz Culture in the 1920S." Jazz Culture: The 1920s. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2013.
"Hot Spots for Harlem." Hot Spots for Harlem. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2013.
"I, Too, Sing America." - Poets.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2013.
""If You Believe the Negro Has a Soul": "Back to Africa" with Marcus Garvey." "If You Believe the Negro Has a
Soul": "Back to Africa" with Marcus Garvey. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2013.