1. Describe how people struggled to survive during the depression.
Many people had to go to soup kitchens for something to eat because it costed little. since people had lost their jobs they were kicked out of their homes and forced to live on the street. People also lived in Shantytowns, which were areas that had a lot of shacks in them. The shacks were made out of whatever peolple could find. There was also a lot of racial violence, and people who were of Latino or African American race were deported, even though most of them had been born in the US.
Many farmers could provide for their families becasue they could grow food, but some were kicked out of their land.
2. How was what happened to men during the Great Depression different from what happened to women? Children?
Many women were against begging becuase they did not waqnt to advertise their poverty. Instead, they sewed clothes and managed tthe household budget. Some women had jobs but they were against it becasue there were so many unemployed men. Men lost there jobs during the great depression, when they couldnt find work,, some even left there families. Children were often malnourished and sick, so school was shortened for them. Teenagers would travel around trying to find jobs and work in sweatshops to help support there families.
3. Describe the causes and effects (on people) because of the Dust Bowl.
The dust bowl was where farmers had gotten rid of a protective layer of dirt with tractors in preparation for growing crops there. this loosened the dirt and wind swept it hundreds of miles. Many farmers had to leave for california in order to find jobs for there families after this point.
Objective: Summarize the initial steps Franklin D. Roosevelt took to reform banking and finance.
4. What was the New Deal and its three general goals? (The 3 Rs)
The New Deal was a program FDR devised to target the main problems of the depression and alleviate them;relief for the needy, economic recovery, and financial reform.
5. What did Roosevelt do during the Hundred Days?
Congress passed more than 15 major pieces of New Deal legislation. These laws expanded the federal government's role in the nation's economy.
Roosevelt declared a bank holiday to prevent further withdrawals. He persuaded congress to pass the Emergency Banking Relief Act which authorized the Treasury Department to inspect the country's banks. Banks that were stable reopened, the ones that were not stayed closed.
6. Why were Roosevelt's fireside chats significant? These were important because it seemed like FDR was directly talking with the people. The New Deal was explained in an easy to understend vvocabulary so that evertone could understand what the new deal was and how it planned to work. It brought America closer toegether as a whole becasue everyone could understand what was going on and the information was easy to access
7. Describe four significant agencies and/or bills that tightened regulation of banking and finance.
The Glass-Steagall Act of 1933 established the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation which provided federal insurance for individual bank accounts, reassuring millions of bank customers that their money was safe.
The Federal Securities Act of 1933 required corporations to provide complete information on all stock offerings and made them liable for any misrepresentations.
In June of 1934, Congress created the Securities and Exchange Commission to regulate the stock market. One goal of this commission was to prevent people with inside information about companies from rigging the stock market for their own profit
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Causes of the Great Depression Outline
To what extent was the Wall Street Crash a cause of the Great Depression of 1929? Support your argument with specific examples.
Thesis-
The Wall Street Crash did not have much of an impact on the Great Depression of 1929; the events that led up to it were the major causes of the Great Depression. The main causes that led up to it were: industries discovering new technologies, farmers who could support themselves because there was no longer a huge need for crops, and consumers having less money to spend. These were bigger factors in the cause of the Great Depression becasue they caused the stock market crash.
Main Point I-Industries were discovering new technologies and other companies fell behind
Evidence I-Industries like the railroads, textiles, and steel were no longer needed,they were losing to the newer technologies like cars, trucks, and buses.
Evidence II-Mining and steel demand had dropped because the war had ended
Evidence III-People were building less houses, and therefore using much less resources.
Evidence IV-Coal had become less popular due to the creation of hydroelectric power, and the discovery of natural gas.
Main Point II-Farmers were in debt because of the war.
Evidence I-Crop prices soared during the war, but fell by 40% after the war.
Evidence II-Farmers had thought that the demand would just keep going up, so they had invested in more land and equipment, but when the demand fell they became bankrupt because they could not afford to pay banks.
Evidence III-Farmers tried to sell more, but this only depressed prices further.
Evidence IV-In turn, banks ran out of money and couldn't pay anyone who wanted to take money out because there had been a big panic to take out as much money as people could before the banks ran out of money.
Main Point III-Consumers had little money and couldn't buy goods.
Evidence I- There wss a big gap between the rich and the poor.
Evidence II-The prices of goods were to expensive for consumers, they also had low incomes.
Evidence III-Consumers were buying on credit, and they could not afford to pay back the debt later.
Conclusion-The Wall Street Crash was the effect of the three main problems with the economy: The new technologies and new developments in transportation made railroad and steel and textile industries lose a lot of profit.Farmers became bankrupt becasuse they could no longer afford to pay back the debt they had earned buying more equipment and land. and consumers could not afford to buy anything because the prices of goods were to expensive and their incomes were to low.
Thesis-
The Wall Street Crash did not have much of an impact on the Great Depression of 1929; the events that led up to it were the major causes of the Great Depression. The main causes that led up to it were: industries discovering new technologies, farmers who could support themselves because there was no longer a huge need for crops, and consumers having less money to spend. These were bigger factors in the cause of the Great Depression becasue they caused the stock market crash.
Main Point I-Industries were discovering new technologies and other companies fell behind
Evidence I-Industries like the railroads, textiles, and steel were no longer needed,they were losing to the newer technologies like cars, trucks, and buses.
Evidence II-Mining and steel demand had dropped because the war had ended
Evidence III-People were building less houses, and therefore using much less resources.
Evidence IV-Coal had become less popular due to the creation of hydroelectric power, and the discovery of natural gas.
Main Point II-Farmers were in debt because of the war.
Evidence I-Crop prices soared during the war, but fell by 40% after the war.
Evidence II-Farmers had thought that the demand would just keep going up, so they had invested in more land and equipment, but when the demand fell they became bankrupt because they could not afford to pay banks.
Evidence III-Farmers tried to sell more, but this only depressed prices further.
Evidence IV-In turn, banks ran out of money and couldn't pay anyone who wanted to take money out because there had been a big panic to take out as much money as people could before the banks ran out of money.
Main Point III-Consumers had little money and couldn't buy goods.
Evidence I- There wss a big gap between the rich and the poor.
Evidence II-The prices of goods were to expensive for consumers, they also had low incomes.
Evidence III-Consumers were buying on credit, and they could not afford to pay back the debt later.
Conclusion-The Wall Street Crash was the effect of the three main problems with the economy: The new technologies and new developments in transportation made railroad and steel and textile industries lose a lot of profit.Farmers became bankrupt becasuse they could no longer afford to pay back the debt they had earned buying more equipment and land. and consumers could not afford to buy anything because the prices of goods were to expensive and their incomes were to low.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Causes & Early Effects of The Great Depression
1.On October 29th, Black Tuesday, the bottom fell out of the market and the nation's confidence collapsed.
2. How did the economic trends of the 1920s in industry, agriculture, and with consumers help cause the Great Depression?
During WWI, prices rose and international demand for crops like wheat and corn rose. After the war, demand fell and crop prices declined by more than 40%. Many farmers thought that if they increased production of the crops that the prices would go up, but the exact opposite happened. Farm income dropped from $10 billion to $4 billion from 1919-1921. Farmers in debt had difficulty paying it off, causing many rural banks to begin to fail. Congress tried to help with the McNary-Haugen bill which called for federal price-supports for key products like corn, wheat, cotton and tobacco. This meant that the government would buy surplus crops at guaranteed prices and sell them on the world market. President Coolidge vetoed the bill twice.
the Railroads, steel and textile industries were not making much profit. Railroads were losing a lot of business to the newer forms of transportation like trucks, buses and automobiles.Since the newer forms of energy had arisen, coal mining became less needed. One factor that showed how poor the economy was was that the number of houses that were being built had been declining. This had effects on the furniture and lumber industries.
Consumer'sincomes fell and prices rose so they bought fewer things. There was an uneven distribution of income. The gap was widening between the rich and the poor because production expanded faster than wages. Half of the homes in many cities had electric lights or a furnace for heat. One city home in ten had an electric refrigerator. Most americans couldn't fully enjoy the economic advances of the 1920s. During the 1920s, credit was popular, which mean that consumers agreed to buy now and pay later. This created a lot of consumer debt.People decided to join the stock market, but they ignored the risk factor of buying bonds and stocks. People were buying on margin, which meant that they payed a small percentage of a stock's price as a down payment and borrowed the rest. when the people who had bought on margin saw their stock prices declining they were unable to pay it back. In September of 1929 the prices of stocks reached their peak and then hit rock bottom. OOn the 24th of October, the market declined and any investors who had shares sold all of them off.On October 29th, Black Tuesday, the bottom fell out of the markwt and the nation lost all its confidence. Most people who had bought shares were saddled with huge debts. This was the beginning of the Great Depression which lasted a period of 11 years, or from 1929 to 1940.
3.-The Crash of the Stock Market
-Uneven Distribution of Income
-Industries in Debt
-Consumers Having Less Money to Spend
4. What was Hoover’s philosophy of government?
He thought that the governments role was to encourage and facilitate cooperation between competing groups and interests in society. He opposed any form of federal welfare, or direct relief to the needy. He believed that this would weaken people's self-respect.He thought that periods of rapid economic growth were naturally followed by periods of depression. Hoover felt that the government could play a limited role in helping to solve problems.
5. What was Hoover’s initial reaction to the stock market crash of 1929?
President Hoover tried to reassure Americans that the nation's economy was okay. He thought that the important thing was for Americans to remain optimistic and to go about their business as usual. Americans believed that this as a normal part of the business cycle. He called together key leaders in the fields of business and banking and labor and urged them to work together to find solutions. He asked the employers not to cut wages of lay off workers and asked labor leaders not to demand higher wages or go on strike.
6. What was the nation’s economic situation in 1930?
The economy was still shrinking and unemployment was still rising. Many more companies went out of business.
7. How did voters in 1930 respond to this situation?
As the country's economic difficulties kept increasing, the political tide turned against Hoover and the Republicans. Democrats won in the 1930 congressional elections.
8. What did Hoover do about the economic situation?
The Boulder Dam (the Hoover Dam), was a dam on the Colorado River which provided electricity, flood control and a water supply.
He negotiated agreements among private entities, reflecting his belief in a small government. He backed the creations of the Federal Farm Board which intended to raise crops prices by helping members to buy crops and keep them off the market temporarily until prices rose.
He tried to prop up the banking system by persuading the nations largest banks to establish the National Credit Corporation which loaned money to smaller banks which helped them not go bankrupt.
By late 1931, people could see that what he had done failed to turn the economy around, so Hoover appealed to congress to pass a series of measures to reform banking, provide mortgage relief, and funnel more federal money into business investment. In 1932, Hoover signed the Federal Home Loan Bank Act, which lowered mortgage rates for homeowners and allowed farmers to refinance their farm loans and avoid foreclosure.
The Reconstruction Finance Corporation (RFC) authorized $2 billion for emergency financing for banks, life insurance companies, railroads and other large businesses. He believed that the money would trickle down to the average citizen
9. How did the economy respond to his efforts?
The RFC loaned money to large corporations, but business failures continued. This was an example of federal involvement in a peacetime economy, but it was too late.
2. How did the economic trends of the 1920s in industry, agriculture, and with consumers help cause the Great Depression?
During WWI, prices rose and international demand for crops like wheat and corn rose. After the war, demand fell and crop prices declined by more than 40%. Many farmers thought that if they increased production of the crops that the prices would go up, but the exact opposite happened. Farm income dropped from $10 billion to $4 billion from 1919-1921. Farmers in debt had difficulty paying it off, causing many rural banks to begin to fail. Congress tried to help with the McNary-Haugen bill which called for federal price-supports for key products like corn, wheat, cotton and tobacco. This meant that the government would buy surplus crops at guaranteed prices and sell them on the world market. President Coolidge vetoed the bill twice.
the Railroads, steel and textile industries were not making much profit. Railroads were losing a lot of business to the newer forms of transportation like trucks, buses and automobiles.Since the newer forms of energy had arisen, coal mining became less needed. One factor that showed how poor the economy was was that the number of houses that were being built had been declining. This had effects on the furniture and lumber industries.
Consumer'sincomes fell and prices rose so they bought fewer things. There was an uneven distribution of income. The gap was widening between the rich and the poor because production expanded faster than wages. Half of the homes in many cities had electric lights or a furnace for heat. One city home in ten had an electric refrigerator. Most americans couldn't fully enjoy the economic advances of the 1920s. During the 1920s, credit was popular, which mean that consumers agreed to buy now and pay later. This created a lot of consumer debt.People decided to join the stock market, but they ignored the risk factor of buying bonds and stocks. People were buying on margin, which meant that they payed a small percentage of a stock's price as a down payment and borrowed the rest. when the people who had bought on margin saw their stock prices declining they were unable to pay it back. In September of 1929 the prices of stocks reached their peak and then hit rock bottom. OOn the 24th of October, the market declined and any investors who had shares sold all of them off.On October 29th, Black Tuesday, the bottom fell out of the markwt and the nation lost all its confidence. Most people who had bought shares were saddled with huge debts. This was the beginning of the Great Depression which lasted a period of 11 years, or from 1929 to 1940.
3.-The Crash of the Stock Market
-Uneven Distribution of Income
-Industries in Debt
-Consumers Having Less Money to Spend
4. What was Hoover’s philosophy of government?
He thought that the governments role was to encourage and facilitate cooperation between competing groups and interests in society. He opposed any form of federal welfare, or direct relief to the needy. He believed that this would weaken people's self-respect.He thought that periods of rapid economic growth were naturally followed by periods of depression. Hoover felt that the government could play a limited role in helping to solve problems.
5. What was Hoover’s initial reaction to the stock market crash of 1929?
President Hoover tried to reassure Americans that the nation's economy was okay. He thought that the important thing was for Americans to remain optimistic and to go about their business as usual. Americans believed that this as a normal part of the business cycle. He called together key leaders in the fields of business and banking and labor and urged them to work together to find solutions. He asked the employers not to cut wages of lay off workers and asked labor leaders not to demand higher wages or go on strike.
6. What was the nation’s economic situation in 1930?
The economy was still shrinking and unemployment was still rising. Many more companies went out of business.
7. How did voters in 1930 respond to this situation?
As the country's economic difficulties kept increasing, the political tide turned against Hoover and the Republicans. Democrats won in the 1930 congressional elections.
8. What did Hoover do about the economic situation?
The Boulder Dam (the Hoover Dam), was a dam on the Colorado River which provided electricity, flood control and a water supply.
He negotiated agreements among private entities, reflecting his belief in a small government. He backed the creations of the Federal Farm Board which intended to raise crops prices by helping members to buy crops and keep them off the market temporarily until prices rose.
He tried to prop up the banking system by persuading the nations largest banks to establish the National Credit Corporation which loaned money to smaller banks which helped them not go bankrupt.
By late 1931, people could see that what he had done failed to turn the economy around, so Hoover appealed to congress to pass a series of measures to reform banking, provide mortgage relief, and funnel more federal money into business investment. In 1932, Hoover signed the Federal Home Loan Bank Act, which lowered mortgage rates for homeowners and allowed farmers to refinance their farm loans and avoid foreclosure.
The Reconstruction Finance Corporation (RFC) authorized $2 billion for emergency financing for banks, life insurance companies, railroads and other large businesses. He believed that the money would trickle down to the average citizen
9. How did the economy respond to his efforts?
The RFC loaned money to large corporations, but business failures continued. This was an example of federal involvement in a peacetime economy, but it was too late.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Prohibition and the Scopes Trial
The Scopes Trial and the Volstead act were both attempts to reform the American way of life to a more traditional style. The Scopes trial was successful in accomplishing this task, however, the Volstead act wasn't, and the results were much more different from what they had hoped to accomplish.
The Scopes trial, which was about the fact that it was illegal to teach Darwin's theory of evolution in a classroom, brought back more traditional values to the schooling system. It increased upon the importance of the Bible and religion in the daily lives of the American citizen. Religion's importance was not being stressed as much as it had been in past times, such as the two Great Awakenings. This ruling, however, insured that at least in the classroom the Bible's importance would be maintained. This ruleing was likely considered a victory for Americans with more traditional values, and for the time being, proved to be so.
The Volstead act, which made alchohol illegal, was unsuccessful in bringing back traditional values to the daily life of the American citizen, and actually created more moral problems than there were when it was legal. Before the illegalization of alchohol pro-prohibitionists argues that such beverages caused problems in society such as: domestic abuse, poverty, and crime. Once the act was passed, however, those who still wanted to drink badly enough found ways to do so, but they were just behind the collective backs of law enforcement, and much more dangerous. Many created their own alchohol and distributed it illegalily, createing a general lack of respect for the law in the country at the time. Also, people often didn't know what they were doing when they created such beverages, and accidently hurt themselfs in the process. Another problem that the prihibition caused is a major rise in organized crime. "Gansters," as they were called, found that selling alchohol was a very successful way to make money for their gangs, which enabled them to become more powerful. The failure of the prohibition led to it being the first and only Constitutional Amendment in United States history to be repealed.
The Scopes trial, which was about the fact that it was illegal to teach Darwin's theory of evolution in a classroom, brought back more traditional values to the schooling system. It increased upon the importance of the Bible and religion in the daily lives of the American citizen. Religion's importance was not being stressed as much as it had been in past times, such as the two Great Awakenings. This ruling, however, insured that at least in the classroom the Bible's importance would be maintained. This ruleing was likely considered a victory for Americans with more traditional values, and for the time being, proved to be so.
The Volstead act, which made alchohol illegal, was unsuccessful in bringing back traditional values to the daily life of the American citizen, and actually created more moral problems than there were when it was legal. Before the illegalization of alchohol pro-prohibitionists argues that such beverages caused problems in society such as: domestic abuse, poverty, and crime. Once the act was passed, however, those who still wanted to drink badly enough found ways to do so, but they were just behind the collective backs of law enforcement, and much more dangerous. Many created their own alchohol and distributed it illegalily, createing a general lack of respect for the law in the country at the time. Also, people often didn't know what they were doing when they created such beverages, and accidently hurt themselfs in the process. Another problem that the prihibition caused is a major rise in organized crime. "Gansters," as they were called, found that selling alchohol was a very successful way to make money for their gangs, which enabled them to become more powerful. The failure of the prohibition led to it being the first and only Constitutional Amendment in United States history to be repealed.
The Twenties Woman
1. Note two ways women's fashions changed.
Women became known as flapper by embracing new fashions. One way women's fashions changed is cutting their hair into bobs and dying it black. Another example is close fitting hats.
2. Note two ways women's social behavior changed.
Fighting for the same rights as men is one way how women's social behavior changed. Also, refjecting values of the 19th century is another example.
3. Note two words that describe the attitude reflected by these changes.
Women started to become assertive about their rights and soon started doing things like smoking and drinking publically that would have once ruined their reputation.
4. Note one way women's work opportunities improved.
Job opportunities that opened up for women were teachers, nurses, and librarians.
5. Note two ways women's home and family life improved.
Women and men started to view marriage at home to be more of an equal partnership. Another way home and family life improved for women was the children spent less times in factories and more time in school were they were educated and well taken care of.
6. Note three negative effects that accompanied women's changing roles in the 1920s.
Teenagers started to put on an unusual attitude of a rebellious stage. Things like peer pressure started to rise and cause problems as well. The last thing that was a negative effect is was that all of this started to change the modern way of thinking and breaking old traditions
Women became known as flapper by embracing new fashions. One way women's fashions changed is cutting their hair into bobs and dying it black. Another example is close fitting hats.
2. Note two ways women's social behavior changed.
Fighting for the same rights as men is one way how women's social behavior changed. Also, refjecting values of the 19th century is another example.
3. Note two words that describe the attitude reflected by these changes.
Women started to become assertive about their rights and soon started doing things like smoking and drinking publically that would have once ruined their reputation.
4. Note one way women's work opportunities improved.
Job opportunities that opened up for women were teachers, nurses, and librarians.
5. Note two ways women's home and family life improved.
Women and men started to view marriage at home to be more of an equal partnership. Another way home and family life improved for women was the children spent less times in factories and more time in school were they were educated and well taken care of.
6. Note three negative effects that accompanied women's changing roles in the 1920s.
Teenagers started to put on an unusual attitude of a rebellious stage. Things like peer pressure started to rise and cause problems as well. The last thing that was a negative effect is was that all of this started to change the modern way of thinking and breaking old traditions
Monday, January 4, 2010
Americans Struggle With Postwar Issues
1. How did the Justice Department under A. Mitchell Palmer respond to this fear?Mitchell Palmer and his assistant, Hoover, and their agents hunted down suspected communists, socialists and anarchists (who opposed any form of government). They deported many foreign radicals without trials and invaded people's privacy without legal counseling.
2. Why did Palmer eventually lose his standing with the American public?
Palmer's raids didn't help find evidence of a revolutionary conspiracy. The public thought that Palmer was just trying to get people to support his presidential aspirations. The public stopped believing Palmer.
3. How did the Ku Klux Klan respond to this fear?
They were extremely prejudiced; they were against blacks, Roman Catholics and Jews and foreign born people. They wanted to drive them out of America. They destroyed saloons and opposed unions.
4. Why did the Klan eventually lose popularity and membership?
The Klan's criminal activity led to a decrease in power.
5. Briefly describe how Sacco and Vanzetti became victims of the Red Scare.
They were arrested and charged for robbery and murder. It was based on the fact that they were both Italians, which goes along with the Red Scare because the country was against foreign born people. They were sentenced to death.
Public opinion turned against labor unions as many Americans came to believe that unions encouraged communism.
6. Why was the strike by Boston police unpopular with the public?
The Boston police strike was unpopular with the public because if the policemen were on strike, the public safety would be at risk. With the policemen not doing their job, there would be chaos.
7. Why did Massachusetts governor Calvin Coolidge become so popular?
Massachusetts governor Calvin Coolidge became so popular because he hired new policemen and the public believed that he saved Boston from communism and anarchy.
8. Why was the strike at U.S. Steel unpopular?
The steel mill strike was unpopular because the strikers were linked to communists.
9. How did President Wilson respond to the steel strike?
President Wilson made a plea to the negotiators (between labor and management). The plea stated that in a time when the world is trying to stay out of war, the industrial workers and leaders should also try to avoid disputes.
2. Why did Palmer eventually lose his standing with the American public?
Palmer's raids didn't help find evidence of a revolutionary conspiracy. The public thought that Palmer was just trying to get people to support his presidential aspirations. The public stopped believing Palmer.
3. How did the Ku Klux Klan respond to this fear?
They were extremely prejudiced; they were against blacks, Roman Catholics and Jews and foreign born people. They wanted to drive them out of America. They destroyed saloons and opposed unions.
4. Why did the Klan eventually lose popularity and membership?
The Klan's criminal activity led to a decrease in power.
5. Briefly describe how Sacco and Vanzetti became victims of the Red Scare.
They were arrested and charged for robbery and murder. It was based on the fact that they were both Italians, which goes along with the Red Scare because the country was against foreign born people. They were sentenced to death.
Public opinion turned against labor unions as many Americans came to believe that unions encouraged communism.
6. Why was the strike by Boston police unpopular with the public?
The Boston police strike was unpopular with the public because if the policemen were on strike, the public safety would be at risk. With the policemen not doing their job, there would be chaos.
7. Why did Massachusetts governor Calvin Coolidge become so popular?
Massachusetts governor Calvin Coolidge became so popular because he hired new policemen and the public believed that he saved Boston from communism and anarchy.
8. Why was the strike at U.S. Steel unpopular?
The steel mill strike was unpopular because the strikers were linked to communists.
9. How did President Wilson respond to the steel strike?
President Wilson made a plea to the negotiators (between labor and management). The plea stated that in a time when the world is trying to stay out of war, the industrial workers and leaders should also try to avoid disputes.
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