Name: ______

American Studies:

1920’s Unit Prep Packet

Demographics and Social Change in the 1920’s

  1. Demographics are statistics that describe characteristics of a population. This could include things like the unemployment rate or percentage of people in a country who are a certain religion. What were the three main demographic shifts that occurred in the 1920’s?
  1. List the cultural divide between rural and urban America in the 1920’s.

UrbanRural

  1. What was the Scopes Trial?
  1. How did rural and urban Americans generally differ in their opinions on the Scopes Trial?

The Ku Klux Klan in the 1920’s

  1. When did the Ku Klux Klan originate? Why then?
  1. What were the three main phases of Klan activity in American history?
  1. In addition to African-Americans, which groups became targets of the KKK in the 1920’s?
  1. Who were the primary KKK targets in Oregon? Why?

Increasing Consumerism

  1. How did consumerism change in the 1920’s? Why?
  1. How did advertising change in the 1920’s?
  1. What were some modern techniques used by advertisers?
  1. Explain how installment plans worked?
  1. How did easy credit contribute to the boom times in the 1920’s?
  1. What problems might easy credit have caused in the decades following the 1920’s?

The Harlem Renaissance

  1. What was the Harlem Renaissance?
  1. Where did jazz come from, and what was its appeal?
  1. What are some of the cultural accomplishments of the Harlem Renaissance?
  1. How did these accomplishments increase the pride of African-Americans?

Information on Prohibition

  1. What was the U.S. temperance movement? What did its supporters believe?
  1. What did the Eighteenth Amendment outlaw? How did it affect society?
  1. How did Americans acquire and conceal alcohol during prohibition?
  1. How did Prohibition affect law and order (crime) in American society?
  1. What role did organized crime play during the 1920’s?
  1. Why was Prohibition difficult to enforce?

Popularity of Radio and Movies

  1. Why did radio broadcasting become widespread during the 1920’s?
  1. How did the radio industry grow?
  1. In what ways did the radio broadcasting transform American lifestyles?
  1. What were some of the limitations and criticisms of the movie industry before the 1920’s?
  1. What was responsible for the growth of the movie industry?
  1. How did fans idolize movie stars?
  1. What were talkies, and how did they change the movie industry?

The Changing Role of Women

  1. How did World War I change women’s roles in society?
  1. What was the 19th Amendment? How did Women help achieve its ratification?
  1. Why did many women lose interest in politics during the 1920’s?
  1. How did the 1920’s social changes affect women?
  1. What fashion and social trends did young women embrace during the 1920’s?
  1. Who were flappers, and what kind of reputation did they carry?
  1. How did women’s sexual ideas and practices change during the decade?

Improved Transportation

  1. How did Henry Ford change the way automobiles were produced?
  1. How did automobiles change the lives of ordinary Americans?
  1. How did World War I affect the development of aviation?
  1. How did aviators capture the attention of the American people?
  1. What did American aviation gain from Lindbergh’s flight to Paris?

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Video Notes: The Century (Boom to Bust)

  1. The ______Amendment made the ______and ___of alcohol illegal.
  2. What is a speakeasy?
  1. Why was alcohol prohibited?
  1. How did Prohibition help increase the presence of organized crime in America?
  1. In 1920, more people lived inthan in .
  2. Describe how the rich showed off their wealth?
  1. How was jazz music different than previous music forms?
  1. What occurred during the Harlem Renaissance? Did African-Americans use this term?
  1. Who was the “new negro”?
  1. List two ways that the car changed daily life.
  1. How did credit change the way people spent their money?
  1. Describe how the new woman of the 1920s behaved.
  1. The Scopes Trial was a fight between______and .
  2. List two social groups the KKK was against.
  1. The KKK population grew tomillion.
  2. The KKK gained political control of states.
  1. What happened to the stock market in October 1929? How did it affect the American people?