Progressive Era to Great Depression

• Study notes on multiple-choice test questions about the Progressive Era, World War I and the Roaring Twenties and the Great Depression.

The Progressive Era (1890–1913)

• The primary goal of the Progressive Movement was to address social injustices and reform government.
• The 17th Amendment established the direct election of U.S. Senators.
• Jane Addams was a key leader of the settlement house movement and founded Hull House.
• Upton Sinclair’s novel The Jungle was primarily about the meatpacking industry.
• "Muckraker" refers to journalists exposing societal issues.
• The 18th Amendment to the Constitution dealt with the prohibition of alcohol.
• Theodore Roosevelt’s domestic policy was known as the Square Deal.
• The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) was created to regulate unfair business practices during the Progressive Era.
• The Pure Food and Drug Act was passed as a result of Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle.
• The Progressive Era saw the rise of political reforms such as initiative, referendum, and recall.

World War I and the Roaring Twenties (1914–1929)

• The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand triggered the start of World War I.
• The United States entered World War I in 1917.
• The purpose of the Espionage and Sedition Acts during World War I was to suppress dissent and criticism of the war effort.
• President Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen Points included a call for a League of Nations.
• The Treaty of Versailles placed primary blame for World War I on Germany.
• The 1920s are often referred to as the Roaring Twenties because economic prosperity and cultural change flourished.
• The main cause of the Harlem Renaissance was the migration of African Americans to Northern cities.
• Primary characteristic of the 1920s economy was rapid industrial growth and stock market speculation.
• The 19th Amendment granted women the right to vote.
• The Scopes Trial highlighted the conflict between religious fundamentalism and modern science.
• The Red Scare of the 1920s was primarily a fear of Communist influence in the United States.
• The Prohibition era gave rise to speakeasies and bootlegging.
• The purpose of the Kellogg-Briand Pact was to outlaw war as a tool of national policy.
• Duke Ellington was a leading figure in jazz music during the 1920s.
• The assembly line innovation transformed American life during the 1920s.

The Great Depression (1929–1940)

• The stock market crash of 1929 marked the start of the Great Depression.
• A primary cause of the Great Depression was overproduction and unequal wealth distribution.
• President Franklin D. Roosevelt is most closely associated with the New Deal.
• The purpose of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was to provide jobs in environmental conservation.
• The Social Security Act provided unemployment insurance, old-age pensions, and aid to the disabled.
• The Dust Bowl primarily affected the Great Plains.
• The Wagner Act guaranteed the right of workers to unionize and bargain collectively.
• The goal of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) was to provide electricity to rural areas.
• "Hoovervilles" were shantytowns for the homeless.
• A criticism of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal was that it expanded government power too much.
• The term "fireside chats" refers to speeches given by Franklin D. Roosevelt to calm and inform Americans.
• The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) was created to regulate the stock market.
• The Hawley-Smoot Tariff raised tariffs on foreign goods, worsening the Great Depression.
• A "bank holiday" during the Great Depression was a temporary closure of banks to prevent collapses.
• Eleanor Roosevelt was known for advocating for women’s and civil rights.
• The Works Progress Administration (WPA) focused on creating jobs in public works projects.
• The "court-packing plan" referred to Franklin D. Roosevelt’s attempt to add more justices to the Supreme Court.
• The Grapes of Wrath captured the struggles of Dust Bowl migrants.
• The Dust Bowl was caused by over-farming and drought.
• The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) was created to ensure bank deposits.
• The New Deal coalition included all groups except big business leaders.
• The start of World War II helped end the Great Depression.
• The main goal of the Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA) was to raise crop prices by limiting production.
• A key feature of the Second New Deal was greater support for social welfare programs.
• Franklin D. Roosevelt served as president for four terms.