| Term | Definition |
|---|
| leased | rented |
| anarchists | people who believe there should be no goverment |
| deported | expelled from the United States |
| capitalism | system based on private property and free enterprise |
| isolationism | abstention from alliances and other international political and economic relations; American foreign policy |
| recession | an economic downturn |
| gross national product | the total value of all goods and services produced by a country |
| productivity | the amount of work each worker can accomplish |
| installment buying | a consumers buys products by promising to pay small, regular amounts over a period of time |
| flappers | carefree young women with short, "bobbed" hair, heavy makeup, and short skirts The flapper symbolized the new "liberated" woman of the 1920s. Many people saw the bold, boyish look and shocking behavior of flappers as a sign of changing morals. Though hardly typical of American women, the flapper image reinforced the idea that women now had more freedom. |
| mass media | forms of communication, such as newspapers and radio, that reach millions of people |
| expatriates | people who choose to live in another country |
| prohibition | a total ban on the manufacture, sale, and transportation of liquor throughout the United States. 1919-1933 |
| nativism | belief that native-born Americans are superior to foreigners |
| quota system | an arrangement placing a limit on the number of immigrants from each country |
| evolution | the scientific theory that humans evolved over vast periods of time |
| The Red Scare | a period of time in American History when the governemtn went after "Reds" (Communists) and others with radical views |
| Teapot Dome Scandal | symbol of government corruption; government oil reserves were secretly leased to oil companies in exchange for financial compensation |
| Kellogg-Briand Pact | an agreement between 15 nations outlawing war; eventually 48 other nations joined the pact; had no way of enforcing peace |
| scientific management | hiring experts to study how goods could be produced more quickly |
| welfar capitalism | when companies provide incentives to build better relationships with employees; health insurance, safety standards, buy stock in the company |
| Detroit, Michigan | center of the automobile industry. Also known as Motor City |
| Model T | car built by Henry Ford; sturdy, reliable, inexpensive, only came in black |
| Model A | Ford's response to competition from other car manufacturers. Better engineering than the Model T and came in various colors |
| Nineteenth Amendment | granted women the right to vote in 1920 |
| Harlem | an African American section of New York City. Many A/A writers and artists gathered in Harlem |
| Harlem Renaissance | a flowering of African American culture in the 1920s; instilled interest in African American culture and pride in being an African American |
| Bootlegging | the making and selling of illegal alcohol |
| Eiteenth Amendment | banned the sale of alcohol in 1919 |
| Volstead Act | the means of enforcing Prohibition |
| G- men | men; agents who worked to find and destroy illegal alcohol |
| Twenty-First Amendment | repealed the 18th Amendment in 1933 |
| Ku Klux Klan | founded in the 1860s in the south; meant to control newly freed slaves through threats and violence; other targets: Catholics, Jews, immigrants and others thought to be un-American |
| Stock Exchange | is an organized system for buying and selling shares, or blocks of investments, in corporations |
| On margin | This means they paid only a fraction of the stock price and borrowed the rest from their brokers. Brokers, in turn, borrowed their money from banks. As long as the value of stocks continued to rise, the buyer could sell later, pay back what had been borrowed, and make a profit. If that value fell, though, investors and brokers would not have enough cash to pay off the loans |
| Defaulted | or failed to meet loan payments |
| Relief | aid for the needy |
| public works | projects such as highways, parks, and libraries sponsored by the government to create new jobs |
| Hundred Days | the special session of Congress that Roosevelt called to launch his New Deal programs. The special session lasted about three months: 100 days |
| New Deal | the legislative and administrative program of President F. D. Roosevelt designed to promote economic recovery and social reform during the 1930s; also : the period of this program |
| Subsidies | grants of money |
| Work Relief Programs | established to give needy people government jobs |
| Dust Bowl | western Kansas and Oklahoma, northern Texas, and eastern Colorado and New Mexico; long periods of drought and destructive farming methods ruined farming in the region |
| migrant workers | people, typically farmers, who move from place to place to harvest fruits and vegetables |
| pension | payment, usually for older people once they retire |
| Second New Deal | a new set of programs and reforms launched by FDR in 1935 |
| Social Security Act | created a tax on workers and employers. That money provided monthly pensions for retired people |
| unemployment insurance | payments to people who lost their jobs |
| the Brain Trust | a group of progressive lawyers, economists and social workers who advised President Roosevelt |
| Black Thursday | October 24, 1929; almost 13 million shares sold that day alone |
| Hoovervilles | shanty-towns that housed many who had lost everything. Shelters were built of old boxes and other discards |
| Bonus Army | WWI veterans who marched on Washington demanding their $1,000 bonus pay before the 1945 due date |
| Emergency Banking Relief Act | gave the President power over the banking system and set up a system by which banks would be reorganized or reopened |
| Fireside Chats | informal talks given by FDR over the radio; sat by White House fireplace; ganed the confidence of the people |
| The Black Cabinet | a group of African American advisors to FDR |
| Revenue Act | 1935; raised taxes on the wealthy and corporations |
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