Unit 6- Reading Guide 1
Vocab: Define each of the following terms
Communism
John L. Lewis
Red Scare
Palmer Raids
Anarchists
Sacco and Vanzetti
Nativism
Emergency Quota Act of 1921
Immigration Act of 1924
Name_________________________
Charles Evans Hughes
Kellogg-Briand Pact
Fordney-McCumber Tariff
Dawes Plan
Ohio Gang
Teapot Dome Scandal
Henry Ford
Urban sprawl
Installment plan
Guided Reading Questions: Provide comprehensive answers, in complete
sentences, to each of the following questions.
1. Explain the connection between the general labor strike in Seattle and the
fear of communism in 1919. How were the other strikes, such as the Boston
Police strike and U.S. Steel Mill strike put down? Were there links to
communism in either of these strikes?
2. What was the result of the Coal Miners Strike of 1919, which was led by John
L. Lewis? Overall, what trend was seen in the labor movement during the
1920s? Why?
3. Besides strikes, what other events led Americans to believe that communists
were trying to take over the country? What steps do Attorney General A.
Mitchell Palmer and his special assistant, J. Edgar Hoover, take to respond to
this “Red Scare?” (Be sure you know what historian Frederick Lewis Allen’s
quote is referring to.)
4. What aspects of the Sacco and Vanzetti case led many to believe that justice
really wasn’t served? What eventually happened to these two Italian
immigrants?
5. One sign of the growing nativism during the 1920s was a resurgence of the
KKK. What groups, besides African Americans, did the clan turn against?
6. Explain the goal of the Emergency Quota Act of 1921 and the Immigration
Act of 1924. What ideology most influenced those who supported these laws?
7. If we didn’t sign the Treaty of Versailles, how did we officially end the Great
War?
8. Summarize the intent of the three treaties signed at the Washington Naval
Conference. Who seemed to be the loser in these parity decisions? Why were
these treaties largely symbolic?
9. Why was the Kellogg-Briand pact foolish? What social changes in America
did this symbolic nonsense reflect?
10. What affect did the Fordney-McCumber tariff have on Britain’s and France’s
ability to pay back loans to the U.S.? Explain. What does France do when
Germany defaults on its reparations?
11. Why does the Dawes Plan anger Britain and France? How do they look at
America after this debt merry-go-round?
12. Who are the brilliant minds in Harding’s cabinet? Who are the crooks?
13. Be sure you know the Teapot Dome scandal. What is the outcome? Provide
another example of the Ohio Gang’s misdeeds. What finally happens to
Harding?
14. From the section “American Industries Flourish,” explain President
Coolidge’s economic philosophy. Is it successful during his administration(s)?
15. Explain the automobiles impact on the following areas: roads, growth of
other industries, social independence, the growth of cities/states, and as a
symbol of American exceptionalism. What other characteristics synonymous
with the roaring 20s was the automobile directly associated with?
16. In what ways did we see the airplane industry take off in the 1920s? Who’s
successful trans-Atlantic flight helped launch the age of commercial
passenger aviation?
17. What happened to American’s annual income during the 1920s? How did
electrical appliance change the American landscape?
18. What role did psychology play in advertising during the 1920s? How did
many Americans feel about BIG businesses during the 20s?
19. From the section “A Superficial Prosperity,” what businesses grew and what
business faltered during the 1920s?
20. Who provided the money to back credit (the installment plan) during the
20s? Why had easy credit become a problem by the end of the decade?
21. What dramatic demographic change did the census of 1920 identify? Why
were cities so appealing to Americans?
22. When it comes to mass media, explain the expanding news coverage of the
1920s. What technology had the largest impact? How did that technology
change America?