GDP refers to the total value of goods and services produced by a country in a year

some companies sell shares in order to raise money; people who own shares in a company receive part of the company’s profits

laissez-faire beliefs suggest that the government should not interfere with the economy

a tariff is a government tax on imports into a country

goods which people use for their own benefit, such as cars or clothes, are known as consumer goods

Causes of the 'boom'

History

In this unit pupils undergo a period study that provides an unfolding narrative which tells a story about a period that shaped the world we live in today. They look at the key events, developments, people and stories that defined the chosen period.

Period Studies

an assembly line is a production line in a factory where goods are produced in large numbers

a trade union is an organisation of workers formed to protect their collective interests

a strike is a period of time when people refuse to work in order to demand better working conditions

the act of putting money into a business is known as an investment

The role of Henry Ford in the 'boom'

unfair treatment of someone because of their gender, race, sexual orientation, age, disability or religion is described as discrimination

reservations are areas of land set aside for use by Native Americans

groups of people are segregated if they are separated from one another. In the USA, people were often segregated based on their race

a ghetto is an area of a city where people of a particular race or religion live, especially a poor area

a quota sets a maximum or minimum number for the amount of people who can do something

Losers of the 'boom' in 1920s America

somebody may be described as paranoid if they are unreasonably or excessively scared of something

a communist is a person who believes in sharing wealth equally

an anarchist is a person who believes that countries should not be ruled by organised governments

if a foreign person is legally forced to leave a country they have been deported

The Red Scare in 1920s America

members of the Ku Klux Klan were known as Klansmen

supremacy refers to a situation where one thing is considered better than another

minorities are small groups of people within a country who differ from the main population in race, religion, culture or language; in the USA this included African Americans and recent immigrants

Racial tension in early 20th century America

Prohibition was the name given to the ban on alcohol in the USA from 1920-1933

enforcement refers to processes such as policing which are used to make sure people obey the law

a speakeasy was an illegal bar set up during the period of Prohibition in the USA

if something is smuggled, it is brought into a country illegally

American society in the 1920s

a person is enfranchised if they have been given the right to vote in elections

the elected group of politicians who make laws for the USA are referred to as Congress

any type of device or drug used to try and prevent pregnancy is described as a contraceptive

a flapper was a young woman who followed new fashion trends and acted independently

Women and the 'boom' in 1920s America

prosperity is a situation in which someone is successful, usually by earning a lot of money

'boom years' are a period of time when businesses are doing well and wages are rising

American people and the 'boom' in the 1920s

a stock market is the place where investors can buy and sell shares in companies

speculation is when investors purchase shares, often with borrowed money, in the hope of selling them off in future for a profit

a tariff is a government tax on foreign-produced goods sold in a country

an export is a good which a country sells abroad

The Wall Street Crash

a breadline was a long queue formed at charitable soup kitchens during the Great Depression

if a person is legally forced to leave the property they live in, they have been evicted

a mortgage is money that you borrow from the bank to buy a home

during the Great Depression someone who travelled around the country looking for work was known as a hobo

help provided by the state and government organisations to those in need is referred to as welfare

The Great Depression

someone may be described as rugged if they are tough and determined

retaliation involves harming another person or group after they have acted in a way which hurt you

public works involve the construction of roads, bridges, hospitals and similar things that are paid for by the government

a pension is money paid to a person once they are elderly and no longer work

food, money or services provided to people in need is called relief

President Hoover and the 1932 presidential election

a sharecropper was a farmer who rented a small area of land from a landowner; they had to give a share of the crops they grew to their landlord

Effects of the Great Depression on American society

the federal government is the national government of the USA

the Alphabet Agencies were organisations set up to manage the New Deal

a domestic servant is a person who works in someone else's home, performing duties such as cooking and cleaning

Roosevelt's New Deal

a radical is someone who believes there should be major social and political change

something may be declared unconstitutional if it is not allowed under the laws of a political system

Opposition to the New Deal

the group of elected politicians responsible for passing laws in the USA are known as Congress

escapism refers to types of entertainment or imagination that help you to forget about your work and your problems

1930s American popular culture

neutrality involves avoiding involvement in a conflict; this includes not doing anything to help those who are fighting

Lend Lease was an American policy which involved supplying countries like Britain with wartime supplies free  of charge

an arsenal is a building or place where weapons and military equipment are made or stored

rearmament is the process of supplying yourself or others with new weapons to rebuild military strength

World War Two and the US economy

the non-military people of a country at war and their activities in support of the war effort are described as the home front

censorship is the act of preventing certain information from being seen or made available to the public

rationing is a system of limiting the amount of something that each person is allowed to have

a riveter is a person whose job involves joining pieces of metal together. This was a common job in shipbuilding and aircraft manufacturing

World War Two and US society

something is stimulated if it is encouraged to develop, grow or increase its activity

American recovery from the Great Depression

GDP is the total value of goods and services produced in a country in a year

consumerism is a situation where growing amounts of non-essential goods are sold and purchased

a government tax on imports into a country is called a tariff

inequality is a situation in which some groups in a society have more advantages than others

The American Dream in the 1940s and 1950s

popular culture is the types of entertainments enjoyed by ordinary people in a country

a broadcast is to send out a TV or radio programme

all the people in a society or family who are approximately the same age are called a generation

Post-war American popular culture

an ideology is a set of beliefs which shapes a person's’ understanding of society and the world

a communist is a person who believes that wealth should be shared equally between people

paranoia is a situation where people are are unreasonably or excessively scared of something

a situation where people refuse to deal or interact with a group of others who they consider to be bad is known as being blacklisted

McCarthyism and the second Red Scare

McCarthyism was the campaign against alleged communists in the USA led by Joseph McCarthy

communism is the belief that wealth should be shared equally between people

the freedom people have to do, think, and say what they want is known as civil liberties

Change in Post-War America

when groups of people are separated                       from one another

something that is allowed under the laws of a political system

the rights that everyone in a country has

something related to the national government of the USA, rather than the government of individual states

Segregation in the USA

when groups of people refuse to use or buy certain products and services

the use of demonstrations or protests to achieve a goal, rather than negotiation or legal action

widespread notice or attention given to someone or something by the media

Direct action and the Civil Rights Movement

when the right to vote is taken away from a group of people

an area of a city where people of a particular race or religion live, especially a poor area

Martin Luther King and peaceful protest

the belief in the need for big social, political and economic changes

the belief that people from different backgrounds should be kept apart from one another

characteristics belonging to a particular culture, such as language or music

Black Power and the Civil Rights Movement

making sure that laws and rules are obeyed

Civil rights legislation in the 1960s

the process of improving a place or system, especially to make it more active or successful

benefits system which provided payments to vulnerable groups such as the elderly or unemployed

the group of politicians who vote on laws for the whole of the USA

The New Frontier and Great Society

the deliberate act of ending a human pregnancy

The US Feminist Movement in the 1960s and 1970s

someone who is not given the same rights and opportunities as other people in a society, usually because they belong to a particular group

Period Studies

America 1920–1973, Opportunity and inequality

Choose a lesson (30)

These lessons will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.