GCSE History Revision Guide USA 1920s-1970s PDF

GCSE History Revision Guide Paper 1 – Part A The USA 1920 - 1973  Revision Check list Paper 1, Part A – The USA 1920 - 1973...

GCSE History Revision Guide Paper 1 – Part A The USA 1920 - 1973  Revision Check list Paper 1, Part A – The USA 1920 - 1973 Revised? What you need to revise  Introduction to the USA – how did it emerge from WW1? Henry Ford and mass production. Boom – The Roaring Twenties New consumer goods, Hire Purchase, advertising, the Consumer Boom and ‘Cycle of Prosperity’. Republican governments, import tariffs and laissez faire policies. 1920 - 1929 Winners and losers in the 1920s – inequalities of wealth. Popular entertainment in the 1920s - Hollywood, cinema, radio and Jazz. The position of women in society and the ‘Flappers’. Why did Prohibition fail? Organised crime and the gangsters. The Ku Klux Klan, Share croppers and the life of Black Americans The continuation of poverty for farmers and rural America Immigration, the ‘Red Scare’ and the case of Sacco and Vanzetti. Share prices, the stock market boom and events leading to the Wall Street Crash How the Wall Street Crash caused the Great Depression in the cities and Bust – The Great Depression, New Deal and USA in WW2 countryside. The attempts of Herbert Hoover to end the Great Depression. Why did Franklin D Roosevelt win the 1932 presidential election? What was FDR’s New Deal and how did it try to put America back to work? Who and why were some people opposed to the New Deal? The approach of WW2 and the Lend-Lease Act. How successful was the New Deal? Did the New Deal or WW2 save America? Verdicts on FDR – was he a great president? Escapism and popular culture in the 1930s - why did cinema and popular entertainment, boom during the Great Depression? The impact of WW2 on American society – how did it change the lives of women and African Americans? Post-War America and Consumerism – How did Americans get rich? The American Dream - How did prosperity change the lives of the American people? McCarthyism – Why there was such an extreme fear of communism? Popular Culture - how did popular culture change in America during this Post War America period? 1945 - 1973 Jim Crow Segregation Laws – What were the segregation laws? Martin Luther King – Who was he and what did he believe in? Non-Violent Protests - What were the key events in the Civil Rights Movement? Malcolm X and Black Power – How effective was direct action? Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and 1968 - how significant were these Acts for the Civil Rights movement? The Great Society – what were the aims of the ‘Great Society’ policy and what legislation was involved? Feminism in 1960s and 1970s – What was the impact of the feminist movement in this period? AQA Specification How to tackle the exam – the three golden rules Rule 1 – ‘1 mark = 1 ½ minutes’ Paper one is 2 hours long and is split into section A (USA 1920 – 1973) and Section B (Korean and Vietnam Wars 1950 – 1975). So the examiner’s advice is straightforward - you should spend 1 hour on each section. So, if a question is worth 4 marks you should spend 6 minutes answering it etc. and then move on. Number of Minutes to spend on the Minimum number of marks question paragraphs 4 6 1 8 12 2 12 18 3 16 24 4 A common student mistake is to write too much for the shorter questions, and then run out of time at the end of the paper. It is better to answer all the questions to a reasonable standard, than to answer the shorter questions in great detail, but then rush the longer questions (or worse still, not answer some questions at all because you run out of time). In the exam you will be answering in a booklet and the final questions are usually worth most marks. Some students prefer to answer these first and work backwards through the answer booklet. This will ensure that you don’t miss out on lots of marks, should you run out of time. Rule 2 – Don’t panic You need to answer 6 questions on paper 1A (the USA 1920 – 1973) and a further 4 questions on paper 1B (Korea and Vietnam). These will be of various different types; ‘describe’, ‘explain’, ‘write an account’, ‘how far do you agree’ and source work. You are very unlikely to get an exam where all 10 questions are straightforward and you can answer them all easily. There are always a couple of tricky ones. If you get a tricky question DO NOT PANIC. Quickly write down what know then move on. By writing just a couple of relevant points you will get a few marks, but if you skip a question completely you will get nothing. If you have a few spare minutes at the end of the exam you can always come back to the tricky question and add a few more points. Rule 3 – ‘PEEL’ For non-source/interpretation questions it can be useful to use PEEL: Point – make a point using the stem of the question. Evidence – Include at least one fact to prove the point. Explain – Explain why this is important. Link – link it to other points.  What sort of questions will be on part A of Paper One? There will be six questions about the USA 1920 – 1973 in the first part of Paper One. The first three will be based on two interpretations (viewpoints). The others will test your knowledge by asking you to ‘explain’ or ‘describe’ etc. Here are a few tips on how to tackle each type of question; Source based (interpretations) questions Question 1 - How are they different? (4 marks) This question will ask you to compare two interpretations and ask how they are different. To answer this question, write about the content of the sources (what they actually say). e.g. ‘’Interpretation A says that prohibition was …… however Interpretation B disagrees and says…’ Try to pick out two differences and explain them in as much detail as possible. You could include short quotes from the interpretations to back up your points. You do not need to include your own knowledge on this type of question. Question 2 - Why are they different? (4 marks) The second question will ask you why two interpretations are different. To answer this, you need to look at the caption next to the interpretation which will help you to understand its provenance (who made it, why they made it, what was happening at the time etc.). This information will give you clues about why the authors have different views – eg. Writer could be young, the other old; one a WASP and the other an Africa-American; one a Democrat and one a Republican; one from a city and one from the countryside; one male and one female etc. e.g. ‘The author of Interpretation A seems to be suggesting…. He is likely to be saying this because…. This helps explain why Interpretation A is different to Interpretation B. The author of Interpretation B in contrast….etc. etc.’ Again, try to pick out two reasons why they are different and explain them in as much detail as possible. You do need to include your own knowledge on this type of question. Question 3 - Which interpretation gives the more convincing opinion? (8 marks) The third question will ask which of two interpretations gives the more convincing interpretation about a topic. Think of this as working out which view is more accurate and why. To do well you must focus on analysing the contents of each interpretation. Do not mention the provenance. Think about what the main argument in each interpretation is, then compare this to your own knowledge to show how convincing it is. Use this structure/sentence starters: Interpretation A says.................................... This is convincing because... (then add in lots of your own knowledge). Interpretation B says................................... This is convincing because... (then add in lots of your own knowledge). Then add a short conclusion: Overall Interpretation A/B is more convincing because... Top Tip: It is generally best to focus on how the two interpretations are convincing. Knowledge based questions The next part of paper 1 is designed to find out how much you know about a particular topic. The examiner will word these in slightly different ways, but they are all designed to give you an opportunity to show off your knowledge; Question 4 - ‘Describe two problems faced by…’ (4 marks) This question is a straightforward one, to settle you down. It might ask you to describe two problems faced/caused by; Prohibition the 1920s, African Americans during WW2, American women in the 1960s etc. Just write one paragraph which mentions two problems in a little detail. ‘describe two problems…’ e.g. ‘Describe two problems caused by prohibition in the USA during the 1920s?’ A good technique is to write one detailed paragraph which mentions two problems. The PEE technique works well here. For each problem, make a point, give some evidence to back it up, then explain why that was so important, e.g. ‘The biggest problems caused by prohibition was an increase in criminal activity. A good example of this were the criminal bootleggers led by people such as Al Capone. This became a major problem for the American government because of the widespread violence that became difficult to police. Another issue was the health problems caused by poor quality illegal alcohol called moonshine…’ Question 5 - ‘In what ways…’ (8 marks) This question is worded differently and is worth more marks, but is again designed to test your knowledge. It might ask you in what ways people’s lives changed in a set period. This could be; African Americans in the 1920s, Americans living in cities after the Wall Street Crash in the 1930s, Civil rights campaigners in the 1950s, etc. ‘In what ways…’ e.g. ‘In what ways did the lives of American women change during the 1920s?’ A good technique here is to write two developed paragraphs with a theme in each, e.g. ‘The most important change experienced by some America women in the 1920s was greater leisure time because of the new labour-saving devices…. Another change was the ability to have a job and earn their own money for the first time…. For top marks, try to show as you go along how different people would be affected in different ways depending on their race, gender, age, location etc. Eg. women in the cities had a very different experience from women living in the countryside. Question 6 - ‘Which of the following was …’ (12 marks) This question will be worth 12 marks, so it is worth spending as much time on as you can on it. It will give you two bullet points and ask you which was more important. e.g. Which group of American people’s lives were changed most by World War Two:  African Americans  Women Explain your answer with reference to both reasons. A good technique here is to write three paragraphs. One on the first bullet point (in this case African Americans). One on the second bullet point (women). A third comparing the two and answering the question (so a conclusion). There isn’t a ‘right’ or a ‘wrong’ answer to this type of question. As long as you write a final paragraph explaining why one was more significant than the other, you should get strong marks. Make sure you include a wide range of precise and relevant information in paragraphs 1 and 2 and make sure you also stay focused on the issue in the question. For top marks, make links/comparisons between the two bullet points in the conclusion to show how one is more important than the other.  Model answers… Explain your answer based on what it says in Interpretations A and B. Student A answer Interpretation A differs from Interpretation B in the way it describes the New Deal. Interpretation A says that the New Deal was a bad thing and it ‘sounded like a possible dictatorship’. In contrast Interpretation B is much more positive and says that the New Deal ‘helped those with the least power’. So they both give a different view of it. Examiner’s marks for this answer This student has spotted one way that the interpretations are different and taken quotes from the interpretation. It is the basis of a good answer, however they have only explained one difference so this answer would be awarded 2 marks out of 4. Student B answer Interpretation A gives a very negative view of president Roosevelt and his New Deal program. In contrast Interpretation B is much more positive. A says that it had to be forced on the American people and that ‘it sounded like a possible dictatorship’. However B disagrees and suggests that it was welcome and popular with the people who were a ‘lucky people’ and that it gave ‘security for all’. Another difference is A says that nobody believed in FDR and ‘had no confidence in him’. In contrast B says that ‘if it had not been for this democrat’ there would have been great suffering. One seems to be saying that FDR ruined America whilst the other says he saved it. Examiner’s marks for this answer This is a better answer because it gives two clear differences and explains them well. This is only a four mark question so just needs two clearly explained differences to get full marks. This answer would be awarded 4 marks out of 4. Student A answer The authors will probably have different views of the New Deal because of their political views. John Gates who wrote Interpretation A was a communist, and I know that communism was very unpopular in the USA. He will have been angry about most American presidents. However Rexford Tugwell was a Democrat and actually worked for FDR within the government. He will obviously be in favour of the New Deal. Examiners marks for this answer This is a basic answer but does explain one reason the sources are different. This question asks for contextual knowledge which this student hasn’t really given. However it has done enough to be awarded 2 marks out of 4. Student B answer John Gates the author of interpretation A seems to be a committed communist and in fact went to prison for these views. I know that there were ‘Red Scares’ against communism in the 1920s which could explain why he seems so angry. In contrast Rexford Tugwell was a Democrat, the same political party as FDR, and even worked for him. It is therefore very unlikely he would criticise FDR or the New Deal. Another reason they will be different is because of their level of knowledge. Gates was not a member of the government so won’t have seen the details of the crisis following the Wall Street Crash of 1929 or the problems facing the USA at the height of the great depression in 1932 when FDR was elected. Tugwell will have seen these and in fact must have been an expert on banking, as he helped with the banking crisis. Examiners marks for this answer This is a much better answer as it gives two differences and explains them well, with some applied own knowledge. It would therefore be awarded full marks 4 out of 4.  Which interpretation gives the more convincing opinion about President Roosevelt’s New Deal? Explain your answer based on your contextual knowledge and what it says in Interpretations A and B. Student A answer Interpretation A says that many people were unemployed. This is convincing because millions lost their jobs after the Wall Street Crash of 1929. It is also convincing because it says that the President closed the banks which I know he did because they had been badly run. Interpretation B also says that Roosevelt moved America forward. This is convincing because the New Deal gave many people jobs and built useful things like the TVA. It is also convincing because it says that people felt lucky to have FDR as president which must be true because so many voted for him in the 1932 election. Overall I find B more convincing than A because it looks back at what FDR and the New Deal achieved which I have shown was true, whereas A only criticises FDR actions. Examiner’s marks for this answer This answer gives a basic explanation of why each interpretation is convincing. It tries to explain the strengths of each interpretation, but doesn’t add any detailed own knowledge. It really needs a few precise pieces of evidence to boost it, however it has done enough to get 3 marks out of 8. Student B answer Interpretation A shows that people were unhappy about unemployment. This is convincing because in 1932 25% of the population was unemployed at the height of the Great Depression. I also know that there were many demonstrations demanding action to end unemployment in the early 1930s such as the Bonus Marches when WW1 veterans camped out in Washington demanding their army bonus. Interpretation A also mentions that the President closed the banks which is convincing because President Roosevelt closed the banks for 4 days and passed the Emergency Banking Act which only allowed well run banks to reopen. Interpretation B says that Roosevelt moved America away from the old ‘rugged individualism and laissez fair ideals’. This is convincing because these were the ideas of the previous president Herbert Hoover. He had said that little needed to be done to solve the great depression other than wait a while as ‘prosperity is just around the corner’. It is also convincing because it is very optimistic saying that ‘we are a lucky people’ to have FDR as president and that he moved America forward as a country. This is true because many people voted for FDR in the 1932 and 1936 elections which he won easily, he must have moved things forward to win so many votes. This popularity was due to actions like the TVA which created 200,000 jobs building 33 dams. Overall I find B more convincing than A because it looks back at what FDR and the New Deal achieved which I have shown was true, whereas A only criticises FDR’s actions. Examiner’s marks for this answer This answer is much better. It is nicely balanced and has applied some detailed own knowledge to help explain why each interpretation is convincing. It explains some of the strengths of each source before reaching a final judgement. There is much more that could have been written, however in a short 12 minute answer this is a good effort. It would get 6 or 7 marks and just needs a bit more detail in the conclusion. Student A answer One problem faced by the presidents in this period was the number of protests in the south of the USA. These were led by people such as Martin Luther King who wanted equal rights for all people and gained a lot of support. Examiner’s marks for this answer This is a basic answer with simple evidence. However it does make a fair point and mentions some simple own knowledge of who was protesting and where. It really needs more detail but has done enough to gain 2 marks out of 4. Student B answer One problem faced by the presidents in this period was the number of protests in the south of the USA. These were led by people such as Martin Luther King who wanted equal rights for all people and gained a lot of support. Campaigns like the Birmingham march, sit-ins and freedom rides put pressure on the president to tackle racism. Another problem was that some protests turned violent. In 1965, parts of Los Angeles were destroyed in the Watts Race Riots. Some like the Black Panthers attacked the police, whilst speakers like Malcolm X argued that it was acceptable to use violence to achieve civil rights. Examiner’s marks for this answer This is a better answer and has done enough to gain full marks. There is a clear focus on the question (the key word problem is used twice) and some precise own knowledge. This would score 4/4. Student A answer Before the 1960s women in the USA suffered from inequality. They were expected to mainly be housewives and mothers and not have careers. Because of this they rarely gained well paid jobs and began to campaign for equal rights. They began to campaign and in 1963 the Equal Pay Act was passed which was a major achievement. Examiner’s marks for this answer This is a simple answer which explains the general situation, but does not give much detail. It does mention one achievement but doesn’t really explain why it was so important. However as a basic attempt it would get 2 or 3 marks out of 8. Student B answer The campaign for women’s equality really began in 1963 when Betty Friedan published a book called the Feminine Mystique. This was the first time that the situation where women were defined just as housewives and mothers was properly explained, and it led to campaigns for women’s equality. NOW was set up which campaigned for women to have access to child care, and it had some successes like helping to end the marriage bar in jobs like airline cabin crew. Groups like NOW and Women’s Lib also helped lead to changes to the law. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 made discrimination illegal in public places, and an Equal Pay Act was introduced in 1963. In 1973, Roe versus Wade led to abortion being legalised across the USA and gave women more control over their own bodies. Women also got access to the same education as boys. However, not all women were affected by these changes. Some women preferred their traditional roles and wanted to stay as housewives. Examiner’s marks for this answer This is a better answer. Both paragraphs are focused on the question and include precise information. The last bit of the second paragraph moves the answer into Level 4 (7/8) as it shows how not all women were affected in the same way by the changes. Student A answer Economic changes are about jobs and money and there were more of these for Americans in the 1920s. It all started with Henry Ford and his idea of mass production of motor cars. This gave more people jobs and of course they then began to earn more money and spend it on other things. Other industries began to grow. As more Americans had more wealth their lifestyles improved. Social changes are about how people live their lives. Women really began to benefit and enjoy new freedoms such as jobs and free social lives. Flappers earned good money and spent it having a good time in nightclubs and cinemas. Examiner’s marks for this answer This student has understood what economic and social opportunities are and made a fair attempt at the question. There is basic explanation and a few key facts in each paragraph. It really needs a conclusion but has done enough to gain 4 marks out of 12. Student B answer The economic consumer boom during the 1920s was really kick-started by Henry Ford and his ideas of mass production. This had two main benefits for Americans; it gave many more jobs manufacturing cars, and also made cars cheaper so that more people could afford them. An example was the Model T Ford which dropped in price from over $1,000 to just $295. Ford’s ideas were so successful that soon other products were made in the same way, such as fridges, washing machines, vacuum cleaners and many others. A ‘cycle of prosperity’ was soon underway as wages grew, and more products became affordable for more people. Cheap loans known as ‘hire purchase’ and mail order catalogues became available as well, further fuelling the boom years. This gave Americans many more opportunities in the 1920s. Society began to rapidly change as well. Some young women in the cities became flappers. They had jobs and disposable income, and began to spend it on the latest fashions and on their leisure time in nightclubs and cinemas. They certainly had more opportunities but we have to remember that not all women became flappers. The older generation were shocked by the flappers showing that their lives were not changing. Also much poverty remained in the countryside and women there certainly wouldn’t have become flappers or enjoyed more opportunities and a better lifestyle. Changes in popular culture also created opportunities. With films being really popular, there were more jobs created in the Hollywood movie industry and in cinemas. Overall, I think that economic changes gave people more opportunities than social changes. Mass production created more jobs and the labour saving devices they made gave people more leisure time. Women did have greater opportunities in the 1920s, however only younger women in the cities. However, it’s not quite that simple as they are both really linked. Without the economic changes, women wouldn’t have become flappers in the first place. Overall economic changes were more important. Examiner’s marks for this answer This student has good knowledge of both changes and has good technique in writing three paragraphs. The first paragraph is good as it is supported by some precise examples. The second paragraph makes some good points on the lives of women, and doesn’t make the mistake of saying that all women became flappers in the 1920s. The final paragraph makes some links and comparisons and clearly answers the question. Because of this, this answer is close to full marks and would gain 10 or 11 marks out of 12. What you need to know Topic 1 - The USA 1920 – 1929, the ‘Roaring Twenties’ Who were the Americans? What were Republican policies?  Our GCSE studies of the USA begin in 1920. However, you briefly need to know who lived in the USA at this time, and why there had been a wave of immigration before 1920.  The earliest settlers in America had become wealthy families by the 20th century. These families owned the best land, had the best jobs and held positions of power. They were known by their nickname; White, Anglo-Saxon, Protestants (WASPs).  However, in the years before 1920 many poorer people from Europe had emigrated to the USA in search of a better life. They wanted to escape the horrors of war after WW1, and wanted to escape overcrowding and poverty in Europe.  Yet many Americans felt that WW1 had been caused by European imperialism (empire building) and it was not the job of the USA to sort out future arguments in other parts of the world.  Between 1919 and 1941 the USA followed a policy of isolationism.  The Republican governments of the 1920s passed laws such as the Emergency Quote Act (1921) which only allowed 350,000 immigrants into America each year. The National Origins Act (1924) and Asian Exclusion Act (1924) put further limits on the number of migrants moving to America. The National Origins Act only allowed 150,000 migrants to enter America each year and favoured WASPs. The Republicans also decided that USA should be neutral and stay out of international conflicts.  Republicans also brought in the Fordney-McCumber Tariff (see below). How did the USA grow wealthy in the 1920s?  The policy of Isolationalism meant that all Americas wealth would be spent on its own people.  In 1922 the USA also put a tax (the Fordney-McCumber Tariff) of 40% on imports. It made American goods cheaper in comparison with those from other countries. People bought more goods manufactured in America.  Also, a new manufacturing technique was pioneered by Henry Ford. He realised that if products were mass produced using assembly line methods, unskilled workers, and standardised parts it would make them cheaper and more affordable. For example, all of Ford’s earliest cars were painted black. Only using one type of paint made the cars cheaper.  The key example was the Model T Ford – the first mass produced motor car – this also created new jobs in; steel, glass, rubber, leather, oil refineries, petrol stations, roadside diners etc.  This created the Cycle of Prosperity where more people had jobs making these new products, so more people could afford them, so more were made etc, etc.  Electricity became more widely available in the 1920s (70% of homes had electricity by 1929) and many other new mass-produced inventions came along to take advantage of it: radios, fridges, washing machines, vacuum cleaners etc. They also became cheaper as they were mass produced.  Consumer credit was invented in the 1920s – hire purchase (HP) meant that people could buy goods immediately and pay for them in small instalments over many months. This suddenly boosted the demand for many products that had previously been unaffordable.  Advertising also took off in the 1920s – many people felt they ‘must have’ the latest gadgets.  Mail order catalogues meant that the new products could be ordered by post. This meant that people living in rural America could buy them. All of this increased demand and fuelled the Cycle of Prosperity. Inequality of Wealth  It’s important to realise that not all Americans grew wealthy in the 1920s. It’s easy to fall into the trap of explaining the 1920s as a great time for all, but this only really applied to the big cities – things weren’t so great in the countryside.  Many African-Americans suffered terrible racism in the Deep South and were still effectively tied to the land as sharecroppers. They had to give a white landowner a share of their crop in return for land to farm.  Recent immigrants were also poor as they had to take the worst jobs and living conditions, and also accept low pay.  Many of the older industries such as coal mining and cotton mills brought in new machinery in the 1920s.  This made coal mining and mills more efficient and reduced the price of coal and cotton. However, many miners and mill hands were replaced by machines and lost their jobs. Others kept their jobs but had to accept a reduction in their pay.  Farmers suffered as well. In the early 1920s grain prices were at first good and many farmers used loans to buy land and the latest machinery including tractors and combine harvesters.  However, this new machinery was very efficient – soon too much grain was being grown and by the late 1920s prices fell. Suddenly farmers had less income, but still had large loans to repay.  In the early 1930s after the Wall Street Crash, much farm land had been too intensively farmed and was hit by drought causing the Dust Bowl. Women in 1920s America  Before WW1 women in the USA held a similar position in society to those in Britain; they weren’t allowed to vote or have important jobs. They had very little independence.  However just like in Britain, during WW1 they were suddenly needed to fill important jobs such as munitions work.  After WW1 women in Britain went back into the home to give jobs to their returning husbands, but in the USA things were different. There were many jobs for women in the booming new industries of the 1920s.  Many of the new consumer goods (washing machines, vacuum cleaners etc) were labour-saving devices that gave some women extra leisure time.  With better jobs, more money and more leisure time, many women started to enjoy themselves.  A new generation of young women nicknamed Flappers emerged in the big cities.  They went to see films in the new invention, cinema. They also listened to the new jazz music and danced to the Charleston and the Black Bottom.  Fashions changed – flappers wore shorter hair and clothes than before WW1. They also wore make up. This showed they were modern liberated women who had made a break from the past.  All this shocked the older generation and caused moral outrage.  However, don’t forget that Flappers were a small minority of rich young urban women - those who lived outside the big cities were unlikely to enjoy this new level of freedom.  For example, women living in the Tennessee Valley saw few benefits from the boom years as there was no electricity (and so few consumer) goods in this farming area. Developments in entertainment  The arrival of electricity in the USA also brought about other changes in society.  One of the first things to be built when electricity arrived in a town was a cinema. Hollywood developed as the centre of the film making industry, and millions every week paid to see the latest film.  Film stars such as Clara Bow and Charlie Chaplin became famous as celebrity culture emerged.  Radio also grew massively in popularity. As radios were mass produced they became more affordable; in 1920 60,000 homes owned a radio, by 1929 this had risen to 10,000,000.  Radio allowed popular music and live sport to arrive in people’s homes and they became massively popular. Sports stars such as the baseball player, Babe Ruth, became household names.  In the 1920s many African-Americans moved from the south of the USA to the north to escape persecution. This was known as the ‘Great Migration’ and many took their music north with them.  Jazz music became popular and was either played live in places such as the Cotton Club in Harlem, New York, or on another new invention, the gramophone record. Musicians such as Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong became stars. Prohibition and the gangsters  Why was prohibition introduced? For years many people in America (particularly religious groups called the Temperance Movement) known as ‘dries’ had argued that alcohol caused drunkenness and damaged family life. They also claimed beer to be ‘un-American’ as the major brewing companies were German during WW1. In 1920 they got their way and the ‘manufacture, importing, transportation and sale of intoxicating liquors’ was made illegal (the 18th Amendment to the US Constitution) – also known as the Volstead Act.  What happened next? It’s not so easy to ban something that most people want to buy. Some gangsters (bootleggers) started to manufacture and import illegal alcohol (moonshine). Some was made at home (bathtub gin) on illegal stills.  Illegal drinking dens known as speakeasies began to spring up – 32,000 in New York alone.  Special police officers (prohibition agents) tried to stamp out the illegal trade, but were fighting a losing battle.  The trade in illegal alcohol came to be controlled by gangsters who used violence and bribery to keep control of their empires.  A key case study is Al Capone who came to control Chicago. He used the latest technology such as high- speed cars and the Thompson (‘Tommie’) gun to ruthlessly deal with other gangs. He bribed the Mayor of Chicago to ensure that his gangsters did not get caught.  Why did prohibition fail? It was an unpopular law that was impossible to enforce, and it caused criminality and health problems. There were not enough Prohibition agents to fight gangsters and many were bribed (1 in 12 were dismissed for corruption). The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre in 1929 was evidence that crime was getting worse. Furthermore, Government realised they could employ more people and make money from tax on alcohol if it was legal again. The government was losing out on $500 million a year in tax income from alcohol. Big businesses pushed hard for the abolition of Prohibition. Jobs had also been lost when prohibition was introduced.  In 1933 America had a new president (FDR) who realised that it was pointless to try to continue the policy of prohibition. The ‘wets’ who had campaigned against it for years got their way and prohibition was repealed. The Ku Klux Klan  It’s important to remember that life wasn’t good for all Americans in the 1920s.  After the end of the American Civil War in 1865 African American slaves gained their freedom.  However most still had to work the land and give a share of their crop to white landowners. They became known as sharecroppers.  Some white racists, particularly in the southern states, formed an organisation called the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) to persecute black Americans.  The KKK were openly racist and believed that White, Anglo-Saxon Protestants (WASPs) were the natural ruling classes of America.  The KKK were also opposed to recent European immigrants such as Jews and Catholics.  They campaigned against freedom for black Americans and would often dish out ‘on the spot’ justice to anyone they suspected of committing crimes. Many were killed in ‘lynchings’ being hung from the nearest tree or lamp post.  Because the KKK wore masks they could commit their crimes anonymously and many people were afraid to report their activities.  In 1920 there were 100,000 KKK members, but this had risen to 5 million by 1925. This was partly due to the success of the film ‘Birth of a Nation’ which portrayed the KKK as heroes.  However, from the mid 1920s when the activities of the KKK were publicised, their membership fell rapidly.  African Americans faced many other challenges. Literacy tests were used to prevent them from voting. White people were given tests with simple questions whereas Africa-Americans were given tests with impossible questions (like ‘How many bubbles in a bar of soap’) which they automatically failed.  The Grandfather Clause was used in some areas. People were only allowed to vote if their grandfather had voted. This barred African-Americans as their grandfathers had been slaves who were not allowed to vote.  African-Americans also faced the Jim Crow Laws. This brought in segregation and meant that African- Americans had to use separate facilities (eg. schools or wash basins) to white Americans. Mixed-race marriage was also banned in many areas. The Red Scare and the case of Sacco and Vanzetti  Communism is a system of government where (in theory) all people are treated equally, and wealth is shared out fairly. It first took hold in Russia after the 1917 revolution and was particularly feared in the USA as it goes completely against the American dream and way of life.  Fear of communism in the USA in the 1920s became known as ‘The Red Scare’. Many Americans feared that communists were coming to the USA from Europe to destroy it.  The American government responded by arresting people who were thought to be communists in the ‘Palmer Raids’ – over 500 were sent to Russia.  A good case study is the story of Sacco & Vanzetti. They were recent Italian immigrants and were arrested and accused of a robbery and murder, crimes they couldn’t possibly have committed. They were accused of being communist trouble- makers, found guilty and executed.  The ‘Red Scare’ continued throughout the 1920s – however it was more a case of America being paranoid, than any major acts of terrorism taking place. The Stock Market Boom  Most companies need to raise money to start off their businesses by selling shares in their businesses. A share is a certificate proving part ownership of a company.  These can be bought and sold on the stock market and their price can rise and fall depending on how well each company is doing.  In the USA the stock market is based in New York on Wall Street.  During the great economic boom of the 1920s most companies were profitable and did well.  New products built using mass produced assembly line techniques were in great demand.  Hire purchase and growing consumer confidence caused great demand for these products and most companies had full order books. Market Speculation  By the late 1920s share prices were rising rapidly.  Investing in shares didn’t seem so risky – many thought it was possible to ‘get rich quick’ by buying shares and just waiting for their value to rise.  Buying shares to make money, as a gamble that their price will rise and rise, is called market speculation.  Soon many were speculating on the stock market, but they were joined by many more when a scheme was introduced to help poorer investors – Buying on the Margin involved putting down just a 10% deposit to buy shares.  People started to buy 10x more shares than they could actually afford; some even gambled all their life savings this way. Problems ahead  Although the stock market was booming by the late 1920s, industry wasn’t.  Overproduction - Many companies were just making too many products on their new efficient assembly lines. Unsold stocks were building up.  As well as this, by the late 1920s many products had reached the point of market saturation.  This is the point where everyone that can afford a product, has one and doesn’t need a second one. E.g. once a family has a fridge, they don’t need a second one.  Soon problems were on the horizon and the first person to spot the impending crisis was the money expert (economist) Roger Babson.  In the summer of 1929 he said, ‘sooner or later a crash is coming and it may be terrific’ – the ‘Babson Break’. The Wall Street Crash  By late 1929 there were 20 million shareholders in the USA, and prices reached an all-time high.  However, Babson’s comments caused a scare and many people started to sell their shares.  As more shares were sold their prices began to fall. In turn this caused more people to rush to sell their shares.  Over the course of a week in October 1929 prices fell rapidly and the government tried at one point to buy shares to support the market.  However, on Tuesday 29th October the market finally collapsed – people rushed to sell their shares and no buyers were found.  The ticker tape machines broke and Wall Street had finally crashed.  Topic 2 - The USA 1929 – 1945, The Great Depression, New Deal and the impact of WW2. What was the impact of the Wall Street Crash? The Banks  The banks were the first to be hit – they had invested lots of their customers’ money on the stock market and lost it.  The banks therefore called in any outstanding loans from their customers – this reduced the amount of cash in the economy.  Many people panicked and withdrew all their money causing ‘a run on the banks’.  Large numbers of banks went bust between 1929 and 1931, people’s life savings disappeared.  As banks stopped lending money, many businesses collapsed. Bank workers also lost their jobs.  This led to soaring unemployment. The Great Depression in the countryside  Before the crash, new efficient farm machinery was producing too much food.  This had led to falling grain prices.  Things got worse after the crash - many farmers loans were called in by the banks – many farms were ‘foreclosed’ (sold off or shutdown).  On top of this, people in cities couldn’t afford to buy as much food, causing farmers’ incomes to fall even further.  Much of the land had been over-farmed by the new efficient machinery – this was followed by a drought in the early 1930’s causing the Dust Bowl.  Some farmers who lost everything migrated to California in search of a better life. These were known as the Okies and Arkies. The Great Depression in the cities  The events following the Wall Street Crash led to a Spiral of Depression – people lost their jobs, so had less money to spend, so more people lost their jobs etc.  Companies were already making too many products before the crash and had reached the point of market saturation.  After the crash, few people could afford new products – companies sold even less and stocks built up.  Because of the tariff barriers, they couldn’t export goods either.  Factories had to cut wages. The average wage fell from $28 to $22.  They also cut staff which led to soaring unemployment.  By 1932 25% of the workforce (12 million people) was unemployed.  Many people fell behind with their mortgage payments and lost their homes.  Hoovervilles (large shanty towns) sprang up on the edge of large cities.  Some people sold apples or shone shoes on the streets to try and make some money.  Large queues formed for free food handouts – this was known as being on the breadline.  Hobos and bums travelled from place-to-place trying to find work. The 1932 Presidential Election  Every four years in the USA a presidential election is held.  The people can decide and vote on whether to change their President.  The next election was due in 1932 during the depths of the Great Depression. Herbert Hoover  The Republican Party candidate was the existing president Herbert Hoover.  He had been elected in 1928 and believed that the USA could continue to achieve prosperity – ‘two cars in every garage and a chicken in every pot.’  However, during the Great Depression many criticised Hoover and thought the whole mess was his fault – ‘in Hoover we trusted, now we are busted’. They also named ‘Hoovervilles’ after him.  Hoover’s main response to the Great Depression was to claim that Americans were tough people who would find work to solve the crisis – rugged individualists.  He also believed that it was just a matter of time before the problems solved themselves (known as laissez faire) and he claimed that ‘prosperity is just around the corner’.   Hoover made a few attempts to solve the crisis such as starting to build the Hoover Dam in 1931. In total he spent $4 billion on big projects to create jobs. He also brought in the Hawley-Smoot Tariff which was a tax on imports. However, this just led to other countries retaliating and buying fewer American goods which made the situation worse.  1932 – Hoover set up the Emergency Relief Act to give emergency help to the unemployed. He planned to spend $300 million on this but only $30 million was actually spent.  This led to Hoover being called a ‘too little, too late’ president.  In 1932 war veterans called the Bonus Marchers asked Hoover for their bonus to be paid early. Hoover refused to the veterans and their families set up camp outside the White House. Hoover sent the army in to clear the camp. 2 protesters were shot dead and a baby died from breathing in tear gas. This all made Hoover look very harsh and uncaring. Franklin D Roosevelt  The Democratic candidate was Franklin D. Roosevelt – often later known as simply ‘FDR’.  He believed that the Great Depression would not simply sort itself out – it was the job of Government to intervene to create jobs – he was an interventionist.  He also promised to get rid of many unpopular policies such as prohibition.  His catch phrase to sum up his approach was to offer the voters a New Deal. This was his plan to solve America’s problems.  He made an effort to reach out to ‘Forgotten Americans’ and he toured the country by train, giving over 60 speeches. He had the ‘common touch’ and became very popular.  The result was a record ‘landslide’ victory for FDR who was then free to put his policies into action. FDR and the New Deal - The ‘100 days’  Roosevelt had promised ‘Action, and action now’ and in his inauguration speech had said ‘the only thing we have to fear is… fear itself’.  After winning the election he spent the first 100 days of his presidency planning his New Deal in great detail.  Roosevelt felt it was important to speak directly to the people so gave regular radio talks known as the fireside chats – these were very popular with the people who felt that for the first time a president was talking directly to them.  He also ended prohibition which he thought was unenforceable anyway – a very popular move.  FDR also introduced the Emergency Banking Act. All banks were closed for four days and only well-run banks were allowed to reopen. This restored people’s confidence in the banks and they quickly deposited $1 billion.  The banks could then use this money to give loans to businesses which helped to create jobs and re-start the economy. How did the New Deal work?  FDR wanted to reverse the spiral of depression by pumping lots of government money into the economy.  Some call this pump priming – spending some government money gives people jobs, who then start to pay taxes and buy products, which in turn creates more jobs, and so on.  However, FDR realised that spending government money in one big lump, could risk it being wasted.  Instead he parcelled it up into smaller amounts aimed at specific projects… The Alphabet Agencies  There were so many government agencies set up to save the economy that they became known by their initials.  Don’t panic and think you need to know them all - being able to quote a couple of them in answers on the New Deal is all that is needed... Agency Stands for? What was it supposed to do? Built 33 dams along the Tennessee river. These gave 200,000 Tennessee Valley short term construction jobs to the men who built them. When TVA -1933 finished they produced cheap electricity to homes for the first time. Authority New markets were created for household electrical goods. The dams also prevented flooding and helped irrigate the land which helped farmers. New industries such as aluminium factories were attracted to the area because of the cheap electricity. This created jobs and money and helped to bring in a Cycle of Prosperity. Regulated the amount of food produced by farmers to help raise AAA – Agricultural Adjustment prices. This involved destroying some crops and killing livestock 1933 Agency (including 6 million pigs) which was very controversial. It did help increase farmers’ incomes and save many farms. However, it made food more expensive for poorer people. CWA – Civil Works Provided emergency relief in November for 4 million unemployed 1933 Administration people /year jobs planting trees, repairing roads, painting etc. Encouraged companies to pay fair wages and charge fair prices for NRA – National Recovery their products. Employees were encouraged to work hard in return. 1933 Administration Companies who took part could fly the ‘Blue Eagle’ flag. Paid young unemployed men under the age of 25 a dollar a day to CCC – Civilian Conservation work in the countryside. They lived in government camps and built 1933 Corps the national parks. They planted trees, built footpaths and cabins. This gave them new skills for the future. However, African- Americans were kept segregated on this programme. Opposition to the New Deal It’s easy to think that everyone supported FDR’s New Deal, but it was very expensive and had many opponents... Who opposed the New? Deal? was being wasted on unnecessary projects, or They believed that lots of money FDR’s political ‘Boondoggling’. They also thought that it was not the job of the government to opponents interfere so much in ordinary people’s lives. Some republicans also accused FDR of (Republicans) having too much power and becoming like a dictator (Hitler in Germany and Stalin in Russia were also putting people to work in a similar way, at this time). Many Republican businessmen felt that it was the job of private businesses to build roads and buildings etc. and not the government. This was the top legal court in the USA and full of Republican judges. They felt that FDR was acting illegally and had gone too far. They ruled that some of his projects were illegal and made him reverse them. At one point FDR tried to ‘pack’ the The Supreme Court Supreme Court with newer judges more sympathetic to his ideas. This was also unpopular as some Americans felt FDR was challenging the US Constitution and becoming like a dictator to get his ideas passed. However, FDR eventually overcame their opposition by appointing his own democrat judges as older judges retired. Huey ‘Kingfish’ Long was a somewhat eccentric character who argued that the New Deal had not gone far enough. He campaigned to have free education for Huey ‘Kingfish’ Long all, and old age pensions. He also started a ‘share our wealth’ campaign and said that anyone with over $5 million should be made to share it out. Father Coughlin – Father Coughlin was a priest who had a VERY popular radio show. This was still in the age before television and he got 40 million weekly listeners. He argued that the ‘The Radio Priest’ New Deal had not gone far enough and wasn’t doing enough to help the poor. He came up with one big idea that proved very popular. He proposed that everyone Doctor Francis over the age of 60 should be given $200 per month in old age pension – as long as they agree to spend the whole lot each month, and also to give up their job to a Townsend young person. He argued this would give jobs to those most in need, and would boost spending in the economy. He set up 7,000 ‘Townsend Clubs’ across the USA.  Yet despite all this opposition to the New Deal, it remained popular with most people and when the next presidential election came around in 1936, FDR was re-elected with another massive majority. ‘Lend-Lease’ and the approach of WW2  By the late 1930s the New Deal was running out of steam, but help came from another source.  By then it was becoming clear that another major European war was likely.  Many Americans wanted to maintain their isolationalist stance; however, FDR argued that the USA had a duty as a ‘friendly neighbour’ to help.  In 1941 he signed the ‘Lend-Lease’ Act - the USA would manufacture munitions and equipment to lend to friendly countries (mainly Britain and Russia), but stop short of sending in actual American soldiers. Food and supplies would also be provided.  Soon American factories and farms were booming again as they produced goods at full volume to be sent to Europe – unemployment shrank massively.  In total, the USA spent $50 billion on Lend Lease.  Full employment had returned to the USA and the Great Depression was over.  In any case later in 1941 Japan attacked the USA at Pearl Harbor, causing neutrality to finally finish and FDR to enter WW2.  Some argue that it was the approach of WW2 and not the New Deal that saved the USA.  Fighting in WW2 created even more jobs in the military. Car factories like General Motors were converter to produce weapons like tanks and guns. Wrigleys produced ration packs for the army and put their chewing gum in each pack, making it even more popular. How successful was the New Deal?  Some argued it had worked and had got the USA back on its feet and saved it from the Great Depression.  Others argued that the New Deal had wasted enormous amounts of money on unnecessary projects and made people lazy and dependent on handouts.   Many historians argue that it was actually WW2 that saved American from the Great Depression, and not the New Deal.  There is no right or wrong answer to this one – it’s all a matter of opinion.  However, a VERY common GCSE question is to ask ‘to what extent did the New Deal rescue the USA from the Great Depression’. To answer this question, you need to give a balanced answer supported by examples and evidence. Evidence that the New Deal was a Evidence that the New Deal was a failure success The New Deal agencies built many projects of The main reason factories were booming by the late 1930s was lasting value such as the 33 Hydro Electric dams Lend-Lease and the onset of WW2, and not the New Deal. built in the Tennessee Valley (TVA). The New Deal provided skills and training to The New Deal was the most costly programme in American unemployed young men paying them a dollar a history and some criticised it for wasting tax payers money on day to build useful projects in the countryside pointless schemes (CCC). In 1937, FDR thought that the New Deal had worked so stopped The people re-elected FDR with large majorities spending as much money on it. When he did this, unemployment in 1936 & 1940 – they supported his actions rose back up to 19% (the Roosevelt Recession) which showed that the New Deal had not fixed all of the economy’s problems. Reduced unemployment through direct It did not completely solve the problem of unemployment (14% government schemes e.g. WPA. Unemployment remained without work) and many of the jobs it created were only was reduced from 25% in 1932 to 14% in 1937. temporary. Created infrastructure which is still in existence Some US organisations such as the Supreme Court tried to block today – schools, 280,000 miles of roads, dams the New Deal and other groups criticised him. (e.g. TVA dams) etc. (WPA). FDR had saved the banking system from Some groups were excluded from receiving benefits of New Deal collapse and saved capitalism (Emergency e.g. sharecroppers or black Americans. Banking Act). Escapism and popular culture in the 1930s  ‘Popular culture’ is the everyday culture of ordinary people and the opposite of ‘high culture’.  Popular culture includes popular music, cinema, popular novels and cartoons.  During the Great Depression of the 1930s people wanted to escape the misery of their situation, for a few hours at least, so many forms of popular culture boomed.  Cinema is the key example – for just a few cents people could enjoy the warmth and comfort of a plush new cinema once a week and watch the latest movie. Cinema attendance stayed high.  New colour films were introduced such as the Wizard of Oz (1939). Colour cartoons such as Tom and Jerry became popular. Disney also became popular with the first feature-length cartoon being Snow White.  Another form of cheap escapism in the 1930s came with comics.  Superman arrived in 1938 and Batman appeared for the first time a year later in 1939.  Jazz and Big Band music continued to be popular in the 1930s. Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington were still huge stars.  Jazz also evolved into a new style of music – Swing.  Glenn Miller and his band became very famous by the end of the 1930s.  Over the Rainbow by Judy Garland was the best- selling song of the 1930s – it came straight from the film The Wizard of Oz.  During the Great Depression, many artists, musicians and actors struggled to find work.  Roosevelt set up the WPA (Works Progress Administration) to help them. Artists were paid by the WPA to paint pictures in schools, libraries and parks. Actors put on free shows for the public. Writers wrote guide books for every state in the USA.   Sport remained really popular in the 1930s and was another way that people could escape the Great Depression for an hour or two at little cost. New tournaments like the Masters golf tournament started up. Jesse Owens was the athletics superstar of the 1930s, winning 4 gold medals in the 1936 Olympic Games. The impact of World War 2 on American society World War II had a great impact on American society, and introduced changes that would have a great influence in the following decades. You need to know about two main groups. African Americans in WW2  Like any country in war time, the USA was desperate for young men to volunteer to fight.  2.5 million Africa-Americans joined the armed forces during WW2.  However, they initially met with terrible segregation. o The US Air force would accept no black recruits. o The US Navy only allowed them to serve as cooks or waiters. o The US Army allowed African-Americans to join but only in separate units.  In response, various groups and campaigns were formed to fight against this prejudice: o The ‘Double V’ campaign fought for victory against the enemy abroad, and against prejudice at home. o The ‘Congress of Racial Equality’ (CORE) was set up as a campaigning group and laid the foundations for other civil rights protests in the following decades. o The Fair Employment Practice Committee (FEPC) campaigned for equal pay and job opportunities.  When answering questions on how WW2 changed the lives of African-Americans, a couple of case studies such as the Tuskagee Airmen or Dorey Miller will boost your answer. The Tuskagee Airmen were African-American pilots who fought with great success in WWII. Women in WW2  At the start of WW2, the USA also needed women to enter the workforce, to replace men who had gone to fight.  However initially they were only seen as capable of fulfilling basic roles.  The US government then began to use propaganda campaigns to show that women were just as capable as men. They key example is ‘Rosie the Riveter’ who was a fictional women worker who worked hard to do any job a man could.  In WW2 350,000 women served directly in the armed forces, and 4-5 million in supporting roles. 60,000 women worked as army nurses.  By the end of WW2 in 1945 women had proved that they were just as capable as men at doing most jobs and their hard work laid the foundations for the feminist movement which emerged 20 years later.  Topic 3 - Post War America 1945 - 1973 How did WW2 help America grow wealthy?  WW2 had provided full employment in the USA – there had been plenty of jobs working in the armed forces (16 million) or manufacturing munitions to help America and its allies (14 million).  This level of employment had been well paid and by the end of the War many Americans had built up a good level of savings that they had been unable to spend during the War.  Reconversion - After 1945 many factories that had made war-time products, were able to quickly convert back to making non-military versions using the same production lines. So, factories that had made tanks and military airplanes, now made cars and airliners. This policy was known as ‘Reconversion’.  The American government was committed to giving returning soldiers, sailors and airmen a job after the war, so passed a new law, The GI Bill of 1944, to make sure they were given a peacetime job. This law paid for soldiers to get training to allow them to find new jobs. It also paid for health care for injured soldiers.  Returning servicemen were also given help to buy their first home after the war, so a house building program boomed after 1945.  After the end of WW2 in 1945 a new type of war emerged – The Cold War.  The ‘Truman Doctrine’ was a policy (of President Truman) to quickly fight communism wherever it appeared. This meant that the USA continued to spend record amounts of money on defence, and on supplies for countries threatened by Communism, after WW2. This provided many jobs in the armed forces and in companies developing new technology such as nuclear weapons. The ‘American Dream’ and post war consumerism After WW2 and into the 1950s, the USA enjoyed a period of wealth and high living standards that became known as the American Dream. How did this happen?  The post-war Baby Boom – After WW2 many returning servicemen got married and started a family. Between 1954 and 1964, 4 million babies were born every year. This in turn created demand for baby clothes, toys etc. which then created more jobs in factories.  The growth of the suburbs – The new house building program meant that towns and cities began to grow. This created more jobs for builders, plumbers etc. This meant also that there was a growth in…  Cars – There was a growth in car ownership in the 1950s as people moved to the suburbs. This provided jobs; building roads, in drive-in restaurants, cinemas, banks and in a new idea – the shopping mall. Many families now owned two cars.  The spread of electricity – By the 1960s 98% of American homes had electricity which allowed a growth in the purchase of household consumer goods such as fridges, washing machines, vacuum cleaners etc.  TV ownership and advertising – One of the first purchases for American families was a television. TV advertising was very persuasive and showed a dream lifestyle with perfect families enjoying all the latest consumer products – sales of these soared. McCarthyism  The Cold War developed after WW2 as the capitalist West (led by the USA) and the communist East (led by Russia) grew to distrust each other.  A nuclear arms race broke out between the two sides as they tried to dominate the world by building more and more, ever more powerful nuclear weapons.  Some Americans became terrified that Russian communism would dominate the world and that it would spread to the USA. They were afraid that communists, or ‘reds’, were trying to take over the USA.  One American politician, Senator Joseph McCarthy was determined to save America by finding as many communist spies as he could.  He stirred up fear of communism by exaggerating how serious a threat to America it was.  Mass hysteria broke out across the USA and many people became paranoid that their way of life was under threat.  Over 7000 suspected communists worked for the US government were sacked from their jobs. Some suspected communists were beaten up. People had their reputations destroyed.  Many people were falsely accused of being communist spies, some such as Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were even put on trial and executed.  Other people lost their jobs and reputations because of McCarthyism.  Eventually McCarthy’s ideas were discredited by the time of his death in 1957. Popular culture in the 1950s and 1960s  ‘Popular culture’ is the culture of most ordinary people, not the ‘high’ culture of the privileged few. Popular culture in 1950s and 60s America included; cinema, rock n roll music and television programs.  Teenage culture – Teenagers emerged as a social group after WWII. Growing prosperity meant they could stay in education for longer, but also have part-time jobs. They therefore had time and money to develop their own cultures.  New lightweight, mass produced technology such as record players and transistor radios became available and were purchased by teenagers.  Cinema attendance dropped as people watch TV in their own homes instead. So movie makers tried to make new types of films such as 3D movies to tempt people back. Drive-in cinemas were also developed.  Films were produced aimed at teenagers, eg. Rebel Without a Cause, starring James Dean.  Rock n’ Roll music became really popular. This developed due to new cheaper electric instruments (eg. guitars) becoming more widely available. New stars such as Elvis Presley, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis and Buddy Holly became household names. However, older generations did not approve of this new style of music.  Television was a new phenomenon in the 1950s – in 1948 just 0.4% of American households owned a TV, this had risen to 83% by 1958.  Many new types of TV programs emerged such as; children’s TV, gameshows, sitcoms (eg. I Love Lucy) and soap operas. The Jim Crow segregation laws  It is important to understand that the American Dream wasn’t true for all Americans after WW2. African Americans still had very difficult lives.  Slavery had ended in the USA in 1865 following the American Civil War and in theory African Americans were now equal citizens.  However, much racism continued such as that from the KKK studied above.  A series of laws were passed so that in practical terms Black and White Americans were treated differently. These were a wide range of different laws and were known as the ‘Jim Crow Laws’;  Black and White Americans had to; attend different schools, use different parts of public transport, could not marry each other, use separate facilities such as hotels, restaurants, benches and drinking fountains. The Civil Rights movement and Non-Violent protests. ‘Civil Rights’ are the everyday rights of citizens to be treated equally in society. A series of non-violent protests took place in the 1950s to try to achieve change. Some key case studies were; The Civil Rights movement in the USA - Non-Violent Protests Protest What did the protest involve? What did it achieve?  Before the 1950s a series of ‘Jim Crow’ laws existed  Brown’s case went to the Supreme 1954 - Brown v. in the USA which allowed black and white Court who ruled that the idea of a Americans to be treated differently. ‘separate but equal’ education could Education Board of  This included different housing, jobs and education. never really be equal.  In 1954 a pastor, Oliver Brown’s daughter was being  They ordered that all schools should forced to walk 20 blocks to a black only school in be desegregated (that schools should Kansas, even though there was a white school 5 be mixed) ‘with all deliberate speed’. blocks away.  An important victory in the civil rights  Brown challenged this in court claiming it was unfair. movement had been achieved.  However, many in the South of the USA continued 1957 - Little Rock 9 to oppose mixed schools.  A number of black students decided to test this by  In spite of great harassment, the 9 registering to study at an all-white school in Little students continued to attend the Rock Arkansas. school which became a major step  The local governor, Orval Faubus, ordered the towards ending inequality in the South. National Guard to stop them entering the school.  However, President Eisenhower got involved and over-ruled Faubus. He ordered the National Guard to enter to school to protect the black students.  Another area of segregation was restaurants and diners. In the South many of these still refused to serve black customers. 1960 - Sit-Ins  Some black students, with the support of some of  Public awareness was raised and the their white fellow students decided to put it to the sit-ins gained plenty of media attention. test.  Eventually restaurants and diners  They would calmly take a seat in a restaurant and became desegregated. wait to be served, despite mob violence and arrests, against them.  Over 70,000 took part in 150 cities.  Another area of segregation was buses where black 1961 - Freedom Rides and white travellers were forced to sit in different seats.  13 students decided to put this to the test by  Awareness was raised of the injustice. boarding a bus in the North of the USA and buying a  The new President John F Kennedy ticket to travel from Washington DC to Jacksonville was forced to intervene to end in the South. segregation on inter-state buses.  The further south they travelled the more racist protests they received.  This received great publicity and was filmed as the buses arrived at each town.  Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Movement Martin Luther King was a key figure in the Civil Rights movement and you need to know some of his main achievements; The role of Martin Luther King in the Civil Rights movement 1955 - 1965 Montgomery Bus Riots Birmingham Washington Date 1st December 1955 April/May 1963 August 28th 1963 Birmingham Alabama had a reputation as a Rosa Parks was arrested for Background to the racist city. refusing to give up her seat There was a large KKK By 1963 MLK felt the time to a white person – and membership, they had was right to march to the move to the back of the bus. event recently beaten up the capital, to bring the issue of The driver stopped the bus, Freedom Riders when civil rights to the attention of she was arrested for they arrived and even the political leaders of the breaking a segregation law, castrated someone. USA. convicted, fined and lost her The town was run by job. ‘Bull’ Connor – a notorious racist. MLK united a number of peaceful protest? What happened King united a number of groups including the SCLC. during the groups in this protest A march of 250,000 A one-day boycott of the including the SCLC and peacefully walked to buses started, but this soon NAACP. Washington DC. turned into a longer one – it He organised a march A mixture of races, sexes eventually lasted 381 days. through Birmingham. and ages – all in support of JFK’s Civil Rights Bill. MLK was chosen to lead the The city banned MLK MLK’s role in the protest bus boycott. from leading a march, The group demanded seats however he went ahead be given on a first-come, and was arrested – first-seated policy. gaining big publicity. Provided MLK with more MLK gave dozens of President Kennedy paid national attention – notably speeches to encourage for his bail! with his “I have a dream citizens to maintain the MLK then arranged for speech”. boycott. over 1,000 children aged Some of his supporters 3+ to join another march wanted to turn to violence They were met by Police but King kept the movement with dogs, before being peaceful. hosed down by firemen. Riots began and JFK had to send in federal After 381 days, a Supreme troops to restore order. Outcome Court ruled that the The speech gained national The treatment of Black segregation laws in publicity and MLK became a Americans in Montgomery were unlawful. respected peaceful civil Birmingham led JFK to MLK had led the locals rights campaigner. announce the Civil successfully to victory. Rights Bill. Malcolm X and the Black Power Movement  In the early 1960s Malcolm X was an African American whose inspirational speeches argued that violent methods would be more effective than non-violence in ending racism in the USA. He joined a group called the Nation of Islam and became more forceful than the peaceful protests led by MLK. He also encouraged African-Americans to take pride in their heritage and culture.  Malcolm X later moderated his views and was assassinated in 1965. Watts Race Riots Discrimination, poverty and unfair treatment by white police officers were big problems in large cities. Black people in these areas felt that they didn’t get the same protection as whites and distrusted the police. There were a wave of race riots in 1964-1968. The most serious was in Watts, LA in 1965. 10,000 people rioted in Watts for 6 days. 4,000 were arrested, 875 injured and 34 killed. However, this violence made some white people less sympathetic towards giving African-Americans more rights. Black Power  In the early 1960s a key group in the Civil Rights Movement was the ‘Student Non-Violent Co- ordinating Committee’ or SNCC.  In 1966 the SNCC had a new president, Stokely Carmichael, who (in response to the death of Malcolm X) began to argue that peaceful, non-violent protest was not working and that more direct action was needed. He argued that ‘Black Power’ was needed.  The Black Power Movement called for African-Americans to be proud of their race.  It called for African-Americans to be self-sufficient and to not rely on white people anymore.  It helped set up black-owned shops, farms, schools, clinics and ambulances.  It encouraged colleges and universities to set up courses such as on Black History.  Athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos won a gold and bronze medal in the 200 meters in the 1968 Olympic Games.  They made the black power salute when receiving their medals and were sent home.  Their actions divided America. They were criticised and were sent home from the games, but others saw them as heroes. Black Panthers However, some in the Black Power Movement argued that non-violence hadn’t achieved enough and that violence, was needed. In 1966 The Black Panther Party was founded and was the most extreme civil rights group. They completely rejected the non-violence of MLK. The Black Panthers encouraged African-Americans to arm themselves to stop violence from white police. At the height of their popularity in 1968 they had around 5,000 members, and were a small political party. However, they also had a private army, killing 9 police officers between 1967 & 1969. After 1970 they faded into insignificance as people rejected their violent message. JFK and LBJ – The ‘Great Society’  Although many people were living the American Dream by the beginning of the 1960s, many others remained in poverty. 35 million families lived below the poverty line.  John F Kennedy (JFK) became president in 1960 and made his ‘New Frontiers’ speech when he said he would declare a ‘war on poverty’’ in the USA.  JFK was assassinated in 1963, but his successor President Lyndon B Johnson (LBJ) was determined to continue with the project.  The ‘Great Society project had four main aims; to improve Civil Rights for African Americans, to improve healthcare for the poorest Americans, to improve education for the poor, and to end poverty.  LBJ passed a large number of new laws (435 between 1964 and 1966) to spend $billions to help the poor:  Civil rights – Johnson brought in the Civil Rights Act in 1964 which ended the Jim Crow Laws and segregation. In 1965 the Voting Rights Act removed things like literacy tests which stopped African Americans from voting.  Health – Johnson created Medicare which paid for healthcare for low-income families and the elderly.  Poverty – The minimum wages was increased from $1.25 to $1.40. Slums in cities were cleared and a Housing Act funded housing for people on low incomes.  Education – Operation Headstart gave money to schools in cities to provide a better education for the poor.  The environment – Laws were brought in to improve air and water quality. 9.1 million acres of forest were protected from being developed for industry.  There were successes. In 1959, 56% of African-Americans lived in poverty. This fell to around 30% by 1970. Millions got access to good quality healthcare. However, Johnson had to spend large amounts on the Vietnam War, meaning he didn’t achieve as much as he could have done. Frustrations boiled over into race riots in 1968. Feminism in the 1960s and 1970s  Life changed for women in WWII but these changes did not last. When the men returned from fighting, many women went back to being housewives. By 1960, women made up around half the workforce.  However, a report in 1963 showed they were not being treated equally. Women doing the same job as men earned around 60% less. 95% of managers were men.  The Marriage Bar also affected teachers. In the 1940s, 87% of schools would not employ a married women and 70% would sack a single woman who got married.  In 1963 Betty Friedan wrote a best-selling book called the Feminine Mystique.  She argued that women should have equal rights to men.  In 1966, Betty Friedan set up the National Organisation for Women (NOW).  They wanted equal rights for women and changes to the law such as legal abortion.  NOW soon had 40,000 members.  They wrote to politicians, organised demonstrations and took to court companies which failed to pay women the same as men.  They campaigned for maternity leave rights and child day- care centres so that women could have children and a career.  They also campaigned for equal education and for women to have the right to control their reproductive lives.  Other similar groups were also set up…they became known as the feminist movement. NOW members were mainly middle aged and middle class. Some younger women wanted to use more extreme methods. They were known as the Women’s Liberation Movement or Women’s Lib for short. Some women removed their bras in public and then burned them. In 1968 400 women disrupted the Miss World beauty contest. They set up ‘freedom trashcans’ and threw curlers, high heels and bras into them. Traditional women’s magazines that suggested women should only cook, raise children and tend to the home were criticised  A series of milestones were passed in the 1960s and 1970s; o 1963 – The Equal Pay Act made it illegal to pay men and women different rates for the same job. o 1964 – The Civil Rights Act made it illegal to discriminate against women in the workplace. o 1965 – all married couples were allowed to use contraception. o 1972 – The Equal Rights Amendment made it illegal to give women lesser rights than man in any aspect of the law. o In 1972 the Educational Amendment Act banned sexual discrimination in education. o Girls studied the same subjects as boys and girls were encouraged to aim for interesting careers. o 1973 – The Row vs. Wade legal case legalised abortion in the USA which again caused a moral outcry by religious groups.  Not all women approved of feminism.  A group called Stop ERA was set up to opposed the Equal Rights Amendment.  They argued it would lead to women in combat, unisex toilets and higher abortion rates.  Also many women were happy with their traditional roles and didn’t want change.  Some used their religious beliefs to justify traditional roles for men and women.  Also despite the changes women’s average pay remained lower than men’s.  Also few women entered politics…and the US still hasn’t had a female president!