President Hoover's Fisrt Moves and The Great Crash Ends the Golden Twenties

73. The unorganized wage earners and disorganized farmers did not share in the prosperity of the 1920's

74. The Agricultural Market Act of 1929 was designed to help farmers by creating co-ops, set up the Federal Farm Board - which gave money to farm organizations that needed it.

75. In 1930 the Farm Board created the Grain Stabilization Corporation and the Cotton Stabilization Corporation, with a goal of bolstering sagging prices by buying surpluses of crops - resulted in wheat prices dropping to 57 cents and cotton to 5 cents.

76. The Hawley - Smoot Tariff of 1930 was designed to assist the farmers. After the lobbyists' efforts, it acquired 1000 amendments - and turned out to be the highest protective tariff during times of peace. It raised the average duty from 38.9% to 60%.

77. The Negative effects of Hawley-Smoot:
a) on foreigners - Badly hurt them by the rising tariff duties
b) Reversed the world's reasonable tariff trend
c) Helped plunge America - and the world - into depression
d) Forced America further into economic isolationism
e) The economic isolationism played into the hands of Hitler

78. The Catastrophic crash came on October 29, 1929 - That day 16,410,030 shares of stocks were sold. Stock holders lost $ 40 billion in paper value.

79. In relation to the rest of the world, America's depression was the worst.

80. Jobs became non existent for millions of Americans.

81. The collapse of thousands of banks each year affected ordinary Americans by carrying down their life savings.

Now on to Jacob's blog.

The Dynamic Decade - It's Sex O' Clock, America!

The 1920's in America brought in a whole new lifestyle. For the first time ever, the majority of Americans live in urban areas, not the country. The 1920's was also a time for pushing the boundaries. Margaret Sanger campaigned for the acceptable use of contraceptives, and Alice Paul's national Women's Party fought for an equal rights amendment to the constitution.

Fundamentalist churches also found themselves branching out a bit more. In fact, God was a pretty good guy, and the earth was a pretty chummy place to live. Church advertisement also sprung about. Church sayings plastered all over bill boards and posters.

A new sexual wave also made its way into America in the 1920's, with teenagers leading the front. Young women took on new identities as flappers with their bobbed dresses, elevated hemlines, rolled stockings, breasts taped flat, cheeks rouged, and crimson lips that help a cigarette. For many of them, the flapper identity represented independence in their coming of age as young women.

Young women and men would stay out late in dark movie theater corners, closed in cars, and dance joints... and I'm betting you get the picture. Older men and women were shocked at this radical turn in culture that they were not used to at all.

Jazz music was the anthem of the new sexual frontier with its smooth beats and riveting turns in styles and instruments. Jazz moved up from New Orleans from black culture. Musicians like handy, Jelly Roll Morton, and Joe King Oliver gave birth to the jazz music.

Racial pride in Northern black communities also came of age, particularly in Harlem. Harlem was a vibrant creative culture that produced people like poet Langston Hughes politician Marcus Garvey, who founded the United Negro Improvement Association.

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Chapter 31 Questions 7 - 12

7. Wilson had to shatter the "sacred tradition" of American Isolationism by entangling America in a distant European war, one which the majority of Americans longed to stay out of. (WWI)

8. The significant number of congressional votes against the war resolution shows the American drive to stay out of the war. And Wilson could whip up no enthusiasm, especially in landlocked Mid-West, for fighting to make the world safe from submarine warfare.
9. In response to his lack of support, Wilson had to muster together some glorified aims (goals).
10. These goals were; "a war to end war" (which means to fight to cease the fighting) and "A crusade to make the world safe for democracy.

11. Wilson was very sincere in his efforts to gather support, and all his hard work, and sincerity, payed off. Wilson rallied much support from practically everyone; Americans, Allies, and even the Germans supported some of Wilson's goals from his 14 - point plan (some one will discuss later on in further depth).

12. In Wilson forging war - driven support, and received enthusiastic response to his leadership, he lost touch with his original idea of peace without victory.

Progressive Era Foreign Policy Acts

The Panama Canal Tolls Act of 1912 had previously excused America from paying tolls on coast wise Britain. This Act was repealed in 1914 under the Wilson presidency.

The Jones Act of 1916 was signed under the Wilson presidency as well, it promised to give the Philippines their full independence when they had reached a position of stable government.

Conservation and Land Use Acts

The Desert Land Act of 1877 allowed the government to sell dried out land at cheap rates if that in return the buyer irrigated the land.

The Forest Reserve Act of 1891 allowed for the president to set aside areas of forests and other areas as national parks and reserves.

The Carey Act of 1894, sort of like the Desert Land Act, allowed the government to sell land to states in condition that they irrigate the land.

The Newlands Act of 1902 provided government revenue from the sale of dried out Western lands, and the government would use this money to develop irrigation systems.

The progressives valued the idea of conservation, they respected the land and didn't want to just use it all up. However, they did believe in land efficiency, and that they could use conservation methods to harness energy from the land without harming it.

New Federal Agencies

The Women's Bureau of 1920 was in the department of labor. These agencies, while women had yet the right to vote, gave them their platform and say into society.

The Children's Bureau of 1912 was a stand for reform of child labor laws. As the Women's Bureau did, gave the women their say in society.

Federal Trade Commission was the government control over over-seas shipping and trading.

The Federal Reserve was given the right to issue paper money, and to regulate public control over the banks system.

The Federal Farm Loan Act of 1916 gave farmers credit at low rates of interest.

Ammendments to the Constitution

The 16th Amendment gave authority to a graduated income tax on incomes over 3,000 dollars.

The 17th Amendment established the direct election of senators, by the people.

The 18th Amendment temporarily prohibited alcoholic beverages.

The 19th Amendment gave the American women, all of them, the right to represent themselves with the vote.

La Folette Seamen's Act 1915 and Workers Compensation Act 1916

The La Follette Seamen's Act of 1915 required decent treatment and wages for previously over-worked and beaten and tired American shippers and sea merchants. The Act did come with a negative effect though, the freighting rates increased drastically to compensate for the worker's new wages.

The Workers Compensation Act of 1916 provided assistance to federal civil-service employees during times of strife, disability, and loss.

Sherman Anti-Trust Act 1890 and Clayton Anti-Trust Act 1914

The Sherman Anti-Trust Act of 1890 forbade combinations in restraint of trade. The law was basically ineffective because of its poor composition and many loopholes big businesses could work through.

The Clayton Ant-Trust Act of 1914 strengthened the Sherman Act by adding to its list of practices that were unnecessary, such as price discrimination and interlocking directorates. The Clayton Act also added benefits to labor and laborers, and legalized peaceful strikes and movements.

Meat Inspection Act of 1906 and Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906

Meat slaughterhouses were disgusting, and American meat products were threatened of being banned from foreign countries, and American consumers were being sickened by American tainted meat. So, to solve the meat crisis Roosevelt and congress passed the Meat Inspection Act of 1906. This Act required that meat preparation be inspected before being shipped over state lines, "from coral to can."

The Pure Food and Drug Act was a step further, it prohibited the the adulteration and mislabeling of foods and drug products.

Elkins Act 1903 and Hepburn Act 1906

The Elkins Act was a piece of railroad legislation. The Elkins act primarily attacked the giving of rebates on railroads and shippers. If caught, railroads that gave out rebates to shippers could be fined, as could the shippers whom accepted them.

The Hepburn Act of 1906 restricted railroads from giving out free passes to certain shippers and shipping items. Through bribery and free shipping passes the connection between the railroads and shipping soon became corrupt.

Hello, To a Day Full of Work

I, being the non conformist that I am, do not enjoy just jumping into my day with work. I like to take a second to sit back and enjoy the position I am in. In other words, I like to take a moment to say hello, and then I can fully appreciate the work that I am doing. So, Hello.