Roaring 20s and Great Depression 1919-1932 — Practice Quiz
A US History cheat sheet for Roaring 20s and Great Depression 1919-1932 — every key formula with its symbols defined — plus a medium-level practice quiz to test recall.
Formulas & key concepts
Campaign slogan of Warren G. Harding in 1920; promised a return to pre-WWI isolationism and prosperity
Where: Marked the end of the Progressive Era
Corruption scandal during Harding administration involving leasing of government oil reserves
Where: Secretary of the Interior Albert Fall was first cabinet member sent to prison
30th US President; known for his pro-business policies and laissez-faire approach
Where: "The business of America is business"
Automobile manufacturer who revolutionized industry with the assembly line and Model T
Where: Made cars affordable for the average American
Culture of buying goods and services, fueled by advertising and easy credit (installment plans)
Where: Radios, refrigerators, and cars became common
Young women in the 1920s who challenged traditional gender roles (short hair, short skirts, smoking)
Where: Symbol of the "New Woman"
Flowering of African American art, literature, and music in Harlem, NY
Where: Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, Duke Ellington
Term coined by F. Scott Fitzgerald to describe the 1920s; era of jazz music and rebellion
Where: Louis Armstrong, Bessie Smith
Ban on the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcohol (18th Amendment)
Where: Led to rise of organized crime (Al Capone) and speakeasies
Trial of teacher John Scopes for teaching evolution in Tennessee
Where: Clash between Fundamentalism (William Jennings Bryan) and Modernism (Clarence Darrow)
Rebirth of the KKK in the 1920s; targeted African Americans, immigrants, Catholics, and Jews
Where: "Native, white, Protestant supremacy"
Laws that severely restricted immigration, especially from Southern and Eastern Europe and Asia
Where: Reflected nativist sentiment
Italian anarchists executed for murder; case seen as result of anti-immigrant bias
Where: Global protests against their execution
Aviator who made the first solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic (1927)
Where: Plane: Spirit of St. Louis; became a global hero
Group of writers disillusioned by WWI and American materialism
Where: Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald
Stock market crash on October 29, 1929; marked the beginning of the Great Depression
Where: Caused by speculation and buying on margin
Severe worldwide economic depression that took place mostly during the 1930s
Where: Causes: overproduction, unequal wealth distribution, bank failures
31st US President; believed in "rugged individualism" and limited government intervention
Where: Blamed for the Depression; "Hoovervilles"
Shantytowns built by unemployed and destitute people during the Depression
Where: Named after President Hoover
Severe drought and dust storms in the Great Plains during the 1930s
Where: Forced migration of "Okies" to California
High protective tariff intended to help American industry
Where: Backfired by reducing international trade and worsening the Depression
WWI veterans who marched on Washington DC to demand early payment of a promised bonus
Where: Dispersed by US Army (MacArthur); hurt Hoover's reputation
Agency established by Hoover to provide emergency loans to banks and businesses
Where: Too little, too late
Hoover's belief that people should succeed through their own efforts without government help
Where: Reason for his reluctance to provide direct relief
African American leader who advocated for black pride and a "Back to Africa" movement
Where: Founded Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA)
Nurse and activist who opened the first birth control clinic in the US
Where: Founded organization that became Planned Parenthood
International agreement in which signatory states promised not to use war to resolve disputes
Where: Symbolic but ineffective
International conference called by US to limit naval arms race
Where: First successful disarmament treaty
Plan to resolve WWI reparations issue; US loaned money to Germany to pay Allies
Where: Created a cycle of debt
Landslide victory for Franklin D. Roosevelt over Herbert Hoover
Where: Promised a "New Deal" for the American people
Practice quiz
What was the primary promise of Warren G. Harding's "Return to Normalcy" campaign slogan in 1920?
- A) A return to pre-WWI isolationism and economic prosperity.
- B) Increased government intervention in the economy.
- C) Greater involvement in international alliances.
- D) Expansion of Progressive Era reforms.
Answer: A) A return to pre-WWI isolationism and economic prosperity.
The Teapot Dome Scandal, which occurred during the Harding administration, primarily involved what type of corruption?
- A) Illegal sale of wartime weapons.
- B) Leasing of government oil reserves for personal profit.
- C) Bribery related to Prohibition enforcement.
- D) Embezzlement from the national treasury.
Answer: B) Leasing of government oil reserves for personal profit.
Which US President was known for his pro-business policies and the famous quote, "The business of America is business"?
- A) Warren G. Harding
- B) Herbert Hoover
- C) Calvin Coolidge
- D) Franklin D. Roosevelt
Answer: C) Calvin Coolidge
The rise of consumerism in the 1920s was significantly fueled by which of the following?
- A) Government-mandated price controls.
- B) Increased agricultural exports.
- C) Widespread advertising and easy credit (installment plans).
- D) A decline in manufacturing output.
Answer: C) Widespread advertising and easy credit (installment plans).
What did "Flappers" symbolize in the 1920s?
- A) Women who advocated for traditional domestic roles.
- B) Young women who challenged traditional gender roles and social norms.
- C) Female factory workers who supported labor unions.
- D) Suffragettes who fought for the right to vote.
Answer: B) Young women who challenged traditional gender roles and social norms.
The Harlem Renaissance was a significant cultural movement characterized by what?
- A) A revival of traditional European art forms in New York.
- B) The flowering of African American art, literature, and music in Harlem, NY.
- C) A political movement advocating for civil rights legislation.
- D) The establishment of new jazz clubs across the United States.
Answer: B) The flowering of African American art, literature, and music in Harlem, NY.
What was a major consequence of Prohibition (the 18th Amendment) in the United States?
- A) A significant decrease in crime rates.
- B) The widespread establishment of legal alcohol distilleries.
- C) A rise in organized crime and illegal speakeasies.
- D) Increased government revenue from alcohol sales.
Answer: C) A rise in organized crime and illegal speakeasies.
The Scopes Trial in 1925 was a famous legal battle that highlighted the clash between which two ideologies?
- A) Capitalism and Socialism.
- B) Isolationism and Internationalism.
- C) Fundamentalism and Modernism.
- D) Nativism and Immigration.
Answer: C) Fundamentalism and Modernism.
What event on October 29, 1929, is widely considered the beginning of the Great Depression?
- A) The passage of the Hawley-Smoot Tariff.
- B) The stock market crash known as Black Tuesday.
- C) The Bonus Army march on Washington.
- D) The election of Herbert Hoover.
Answer: B) The stock market crash known as Black Tuesday.
President Herbert Hoover's belief in "rugged individualism" led him to primarily advocate for what approach to the Great Depression?
- A) Extensive federal government intervention and direct relief.
- B) Strong reliance on individual effort and limited government assistance.
- C) Nationalization of major industries.
- D) Immediate military intervention to restore order.
Answer: B) Strong reliance on individual effort and limited government assistance.
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