Depression Outline

II: Causes

A: Overspeculation: Too many people were buying stocks and not enough were selling; which paralyzed the stock market.

B: Government Policy: Allowed people to use loans to invest in the stock market and make payments back to the bank.

C: Unstable Economy:

1: Uneven Prosperity: There was too few middle class households and the gap between the rich and poor was abnormally large.

2: Overproduction: Factories and farms produced products faster than they were consumed, making the businesses lose money.

3: Worker Issues / Farm Issues: Farms replaced workers with machines and overplanted, slowly depleting the topsoil.

III: Effects

A: Poverty: 25% unemployment rate and people were unable to buy enough to keep businesses intact.

B: Society: Poor people became too poor to support their families, while rich people were unable to keep their businesses open.

C: World: Rising tarriffs froze international trade, weakening the economies of other countries.

IV: Solutions

A: Hoover: Made miniscule steps toward repairing the economy.

1: Volunteerism: Hoover’s way to raise money without using federal money for direct aid to citizens.

2: Public Works: Government paid work in construction of necessary buildings.

3: Hawley Smoot: Raised tariffs on imported goods to raise revenue for the government and help American businesses recover.

4: RFC: The Reconstructive Finance Corporation in charge of distributing aid during the depression.

B: Roosevelt: President of the United States during the Great Depression (and beyond).

1: New Deal: A series of programs passed by congress during the great depression.

a: Was criticized by both conservatives and liberals.

2: 2nd New Deal: Roosevelt’s second series of programs.

V: Criticism: People criticized Roosevelt’s plans, claiming that they were either too constrictive or not effective enough to make a difference.

A: Conservatives: Claimed the new programs would restrict business too much.

B: Liberals: Claimed the new programs did not do enough to help society recover from the depression.

VI: Effectiveness

A: Changes in the US: Economy slowly repaired itself, people started getting jobs, farms didn't overproduce as much.

B: Unions: With less competition for jobs, unions regained some power.

C: Culture: Music was written about the depression and recovering from it.

Langsten Hughes

Langsten Hughes was a black poet during the 1920s, who was the first person to write "Jazz poetry". Hughes was presented with many awards, although he received only two in his lifetime for his poetry. He is also accredited with initiating the "Harlem Renaissance" by writing about how "the negro was in vogue."

Hughes was mainly concerned with the condition of the black population in the US and wrote to uplift his race, supporting the "black is beautiful" mindset. He wrote mostly about black working class people and all the aspects of their life. He commented that his work obliquely depicted the lives of all Americans, not just blacks. Later in his career, Hughes would help in screenwriting for several movies and plays, both in the US and abroad, about the condition of black people in the United States.

Hughes, like a lot of black American artists of the time, supported communist ideals rather than segregation. He took several trips to Russia in an attempt to shed light on issues of black citizens, but political pressure from other governments prevented Russia from making the movie. Langsten Hughes later died from complications after a procedure to treat prostate cancer.

WWI Letter Home

My Dear Yvonne,

I have arrived in Chalons-en-Champagne. Everyone around here seems to be in a hurry for some reason or another. We are expected to stay here for another three days, then we will be sent to the trenches. Morale is high, with rumor that we will reach Paris by the end of the month. I must say that, although I joined the army for the adventure, the gruesome wounded flowing in from the front-lines have struck a deep terror in me. The general will send a division of 75 to the front lines, and 60 will return on stretchers or in body bags. I expect this war will change me, even if I avoid injury. I will keep you in my thoughts, and write to you as soon as I can.

Hanz


Now in German because Google translate exists...


Meine liebe Yvonne,

Ich habe in Chalons-en-Champagne angekommen. Jeder hier in der Gegend scheint in Eile aus irgendeinem Grund oder einem anderen. Wir werden erwartet, hier zu bleiben für weitere drei Tage, dann werden wir in die Schützengräben geschickt werden. Moral ist hoch, mit Gerücht, dass wir Paris bis Ende des Monats zu erreichen. Ich muss sagen, dass, obwohl ich in die Armee für das Abenteuer, das grauenhafte verwundet von der Front-Linien fließen in eine tiefe Schrecken in mir aufgefallen. Die allgemeinen wird eine Aufteilung von 75 an die Front zu schicken, und 60 werden auf Tragen oder in Leichensäcken zurück. Ich erwarte, dass dieser Krieg mich zu ändern, auch wenn ich Verletzungen zu vermeiden. Ich werde dich in meinen Gedanken zu halten und zu schreiben, um Ihnen so schnell wie ich kann.

Hanz

MAIN Causes of WWI

The causes of World War I can be summarized in MAIN. The MAIN causes all led to the start of WWI.

Militarism: The belief or desire of a government or people that a country should maintain a strong military capability and be prepared to use it aggressively to defend or promote national interests. Militarism would cause the creation of more effective weapons of war, which would greatly increase the death toll during the war.

Alliances: The nations of Europe were determined to maintain themselves as world powers, so they would create alliances with other countries to help them during war and vice versa. This would ensure that every country in Europe would be involved in the War.

Imperialism: European powers competed fiercely for power over land all over the world. Disagreements and rivalries increased the risks of war.

Nationalism: Pride in one's country. This would create feelings of superiority, leading to recklessness with other countries that are equally powerful.

These causes, as well as the spark of the war, the assassination of Franz Ferdinand, which Austria-Hungary used to go to war, would lead to World War I in Europe and Western Asia.

The Sedition Act of 1918

Although the legislation passed in 1918 is commonly referred to as the "Sedition Act", the laws
passed were actually amendments to the Espionage Act passed the year before. The Espionage Act
made interfering in the United States' war effort in any way illegal. The Sedition Act increased the
power of the Espionage Act in limiting the First Amendment of the Constitution. The Sedition Act
was passed during World War I to help gain the support of the populace for the war effort. The Act
allowed authorities to arrest anyone who spoke out publicly against the war. Most arrests were made
for speeches and protests by anti-war extremists and pacifists, as well as socialists, though they were
more collateral. President Wilson was reluctant at first to sign the Sedition Act, but was under pressure from his entire cabinet, as well as the other branches of the federal government. As the war ended and the government relaxed its grip on people's everyday lives, more and more support for the Espionage Act's repeal grew. The Act was finally repealed in 1921 and everyone convicted of violating the Act was released from prison.

"The Jungle" Questions

1) What qualities did Sinclair believe a person must have to succeed in Packingtown?
-A person must be willing to lie and spy on his fellow workers to succeed.

2)According to the passage, what is the plant owner's main goal?
-The owner's main goal was to have as productive workers as possible to make the most profit.

3) What does Sinclair mean when he says, "...there was no place in it where a man counted for anything against a dollar....?"
-Men were believed to be less valuable than a dollar in the work place.

The publishing of Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle" spurred the federal government to investigate the meatpacking industry, which had no government regulation during that time, and caused the government to become more involved in today's industry.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is now in charge of setting standards in the workplace for the workers in 25 states. OSHA enforces safety regulations such as handrails on walkways and signs indicating any hazards in the workplace. Aside from safety, worker health falls into OSHA's legislation and rules regarding disease, noise, and environmental controls (Heating, Air conditioning) are enforced.

ADHD Version: OSHA is now in charge of industrial regulations.

The Sinking of the Maine

During Cuba's revolt against Spain, the American people supported the Cuban rebels' cause. Their support was solidified with yellow journalism detailing the hardship the Cubans were experiencing at the hands of the Spanish. As fighting escalated, the battleship Maine was sent to protect American business. On February 15th, 1898, the Maine exploded in the middle of the night. Nobody was sure why the Maine exploded, but many Americans were quick to blame the Spanish. Under pressure, President McKinley was forced to declare war on Spain and fight with the Cuban rebels for their independence.

Modern evidence suggests that the explosion on the Maine was from an internal source, such as ammunition exploding. This evidence back then could have changed the course of history. If the United States hadn't declared war on Spain, Cuba could have remained under Spanish control for years without the aid of the US. Theodore Roosevelt, a decorated war hero from the Spanish-American War, wouldn't have become president and wouldn't have overseen the building of the Panama Canal.

Overall, history probably benefited from the Spanish-American War in the long run; whether the Spanish started it or not.

Source: "The American Vision" Textbook, P. 308