Everywhere was the atmosphere of a long debauch that had to end; the orchestras played too fast, the stakes were too high at the gambling tables, the players were so empty, so tired, . . .maybe wake on a very distant morning and hear nothing, whatever, no shouting or crooning, find all things changed."
---Malcolm Cowley, Exile's Return: A Literacy Odyssey of the 1920s
Experiencing the high human toll of conflict in the industrial age, disillusioned dough boys returned home seeking security, family, and fun. Reluctant participants in the Great War, Americans quickly reverted back to isolationism after the war. Wilson lost his battle with the Senate and the US did not join the League of Nations. Returning African-American solders facing a segregated south and violent oppression added numbers to the Great Migration out of the South. Even with the right to vote, women found themselves pushed out of the war factories and back into the home with limited legal ways to gain equal treatment. Reform movements pushed for the ratification of the 18th amendment prohibiting manufacturing and distribution of alcohol; and unknowingly supported growth in organized crime. Like teenagers rebelling parental rules, the lost generation embraced a culture uniquely their own.
The Roaring Twenties boom of excessive consumerism and speculation is busted abruptly by a crash to reality with the Depression. Fortunes lost overnight drive more westward seeking the land of dreams. As banks close, farms are foreclosed on, and unemployment rises; tempers clash. Government troops march on veterans, communists are suspected of spying in the growing suburbs, and expanding African-American populations in urban centers set off firestorms. Americans turn to movies and radio programs to escape harsh realities. The public reject Hoover's indirect policies and instead usher in a dramatic expansion of the federal government with Roosevelt's New Deal. Principles of the Constitution are tested as FDR's policies for relief, reform, and recovery are implemented. And eyes are cautiously watching the growth of Fascist dictatorships in Europe.
The Roaring Twenties boom of excessive consumerism and speculation is busted abruptly by a crash to reality with the Depression. Fortunes lost overnight drive more westward seeking the land of dreams. As banks close, farms are foreclosed on, and unemployment rises; tempers clash. Government troops march on veterans, communists are suspected of spying in the growing suburbs, and expanding African-American populations in urban centers set off firestorms. Americans turn to movies and radio programs to escape harsh realities. The public reject Hoover's indirect policies and instead usher in a dramatic expansion of the federal government with Roosevelt's New Deal. Principles of the Constitution are tested as FDR's policies for relief, reform, and recovery are implemented. And eyes are cautiously watching the growth of Fascist dictatorships in Europe.
What to know for the EOC
- Explain the significance of the following years as turning points: 1929 (the Great Depression begins)
- Analyze causes and effects of events and social issues, such as immigration, Social Darwinism, Eugenics, race relations, nativism, the Red Scare, Prohibition, and the changing role of women
- Analyze the impact of significant individuals such as Clarence Darrow, William Jennings Bryan, Henry Ford, Glenn Curtiss, Marcus Garvey, and Charles A. Lindbergh
- Analyze the impact of physical and human geographic factors on the Dust Bowl
- Analyze the causes and effects of changing demographic patterns resulting from migration within the United States, including the Great Migration
- Understand the effects of governmental actions on individuals, industries, and communities, including the impact on Fifth Amendment property rights
- Analyze causes of economic growth and prosperity in the 1920's including Warren G. Harding's Return to Normalcy, reduced taxes, and increased production efficiencies
- Identify the causes of the Great Depression, including the impact of tariffs on world trade, stock market speculation, bank failures, and the monetary policy of the Federal Reserve System
- Analyze the effects of the Great Depression on the U.S. economy and society such as widespread unemployment and deportation and repatriation of people of European and Mexican heritage and others
- Compare the New Deal policies and its opponents' approaches to resolving the economic effects of Great Depression
- Describe how various New Deal agencies and programs, including the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Social Security Administration, continue to affect the lives of U.S. citizens
- Evaluate the impact of New Deal legislation on the historical roles of state and federal governments
- Explain constitutional issues raised by federal government policy changes during times of significant events, including the Great Depression
- Describe the effects of political scandals, including Teapot Dome, on the views of U.S. citizens concerning trust in the federal govenrent and its leaders
- Discuss historic reasons why the constitution has been amended
- Evaluate various means of achieving equality of political rights, including the 19th amendment
- Describe how the characteristics and issues in U.S. history have been reflected in various genres of art, music, film, and literature
- Describe both the positive and negative impacts of significant examples of cultural movements in art, music, and literature such as the Harlem Renaissance, and the Beat Generation
- Identify the political, social, and economic contributions of women such as Eleanor Roosevelt