Prosperity of the 1920s
Rise of the Automobile
The single most important factor behind the prosperity of the 1920s was the expanded use of the ______.
From 8 million to 24 million users
Cars gave greater ______.
family ______
growth of ______
______busses to rural areas
Henry Ford
Engineer and early automobile manufacturer
His goal = build cars for ______!
He introduced the assembly line in ______.
Increased ______
By 1924, Ford was producing 1.6 million cars per year
In 1925, one car was coming off the line every ______SECONDS!
Rise of Other Industries
Improvements in:
transmitting ______power
______
trans-Atlantic ______service
New household appliances:
______cleaner
______
______
Widespread use of ______and ______pictures.
Glenn Curtis
1878-1930
______pioneer
Designed a plane that could take off and land on ______.
His “______” flew successfully in San Diego Bay, and landed on a naval ship.
This landing marked the birth of U.S. ______aviation.
Production Techniques
The 1920s saw a remarkable improvement in manufacturing ______.
Ford = assembly line with ______conveyor belts
Production occurred ______times faster.
Achieved dramatic ______in productivity
______benefited from lower prices
Consequences
Unforeseen ______:
Radical change in the nature of factory work!
______workers were no longer needed
While ______increased – number of employees decreased
Mass Consumption
Cheaper production led to new patterns of consumption.
advanced ______
______wages
more ______time
greater ______power
Buying on Credit
Retailers developed new programs for installment purchases – ______!
Buyers pay a small down payment and pay the balance in small monthly payments, plus ______.
Consumers could buy more expensive goods – that otherwise they could not afford.
______
______machines
______cleaners
______
radios
% of Items Bought on Installment Plans (1921-1929)
Consumer Item / Installment Plan / Consumer Item / Installment Planautomobiles / 75% / furniture / 85%
phonographs / 89% / washing machine / 75%
vacuum cleaner / 65% / jewelry / 25%
Speculation Boom
______– the purchase of any item with intent to sell it at a higher price later
Spread of speculation in ______and real estate.
Gains in stocks fueled speculation.
People read about the success of the stock market – so they bought stocks for easy ______.
As more people buy stocks, stock prices went up even higher.
Uneven Prosperity
Not all groups participated in the prosperity of the 1920s.
Many Americans still faced ______.
______groups faced discrimination in employment.
Farmers faced lower incomes due to ______.
Railroads suffered from ______competition.
Textile workers received lower wages because of ______competition.
Henry Ford Obituary
Directions: write an obituary for Henry Ford (he died in 1947). You must include information about his family, his early career, the impact of the assembly line and his motor cars. His impact on American society MUST be explained.
Include a picture of him and his Model T.