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Quiz about A Peoples History of the Great Depression

A People's History of the Great Depression Quiz

From the chapter "Self-Help in Hard Times" from Howard Zinn's "A People's History of the United States". This seemed like an appropriate chapter to pick for the 2009 edition of my People's History quizes.

A multiple-choice quiz by triathlonrules. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
triathlonrules

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
305,465

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
1779

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. According to Howard Zinn, in the 1920s one tenth of 1 percent of families received as much income as what percent of all other families? Hint

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Question 2 of 10

2. As Zinn states "Few political figures spoke out for the poor of the twenties". Zinn talks about one of the few that did. He was a Congressman for the immigrants of East Harlem who stated "I asked for your help and you send me a bulletin. The people of New York cannot feed their children on Department bulletins". Can you name this Congressman who has an airport named for him? Hint

E.L. Logan

William Jardine

Fiorello La Guardia

John Foster Dulles

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Question 3 of 10

3. Which is NOT true about the Mellon plan? Hint

The Secretary of the Treasury at the time was Andrew Mellon.

It didn't lower taxes for the top income bracket.

It lowered taxes for the lowest income group.

The bill passed.

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Question 4 of 10

4. Zinn discusses John Galbraith, who studied the reasons behind the speculation leading to the crash in 1929. What did he say was behind the speculation? Hint

the economy was fundamentally unsound

taxes were not enough for the economy

the government did not supplement industry

the government was fundamentally unsound

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Question 5 of 10

5. Who stated in 1931 "the average man won't do a day's work unless he is caught and cannot get out of it. There is plenty of work to do if people would do it". He than proceeded less than a week later to lay off 75,000 of his employees. Hint

Andrew Mellon

John Rockefeller

Henry Ford

Herbert Hoover

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Question 6 of 10

6. In 1931 there was much food and clothes in warehouses, as well as lots of empty homes.

True

False

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Question 7 of 10

7. What were the 20,000 who in 1932 came to Washington DC and camped across the Potomac River from the Capitol demanding? Hint

Congress pay off their bonus certificates.

Impeachment of all the politicians.

Franklin D Roosevelt get elected.

That the government buy their land.

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Question 8 of 10

8. Which of the following was NOT true about Franklin D Roosevelts's National Recovery Act? Hint

The Supreme Court found it unconstitutional in January 1933.

It was part of Franklin D Roosevelt's New Deal.

It favored big business.

There was a book written about it called "The Failure of the NRA"

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Question 9 of 10

9. In 1934 "boot leggers" who were illegally mining coal in Pennsylvania were all successfully prosecuted.

True

False

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Question 10 of 10

10. What gave unions legal status? Hint

A direct order from Franklin D Roosevelt.

Creation of the National Labor Relations Board.

TVA

NRA

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. According to Howard Zinn, in the 1920s one tenth of 1 percent of families received as much income as what percent of all other families?

Answer: 42

As Zinn states on page 382, "prosperity was concentrated at the top". This, though, is not a trend unique to the 1920s. The rich versus poor gap also grew in the 2000s.

Answer: Fiorello La Guardia

William Jardine was the secretary of agriculture to whom La Guardia sent a request to find out why the price of meat was so high. Jardine sent him a pamphlet on "how to use meat economically". La Guardia replied with the above response plus some additional words including "The housewives of New York have been trained by hard experience on the economical use of meat".

3. Which is NOT true about the Mellon plan?

Answer: It didn't lower taxes for the top income bracket.

The Mellon bill lowered taxes for all income brackets, but did so more for the rich than the poor. According to Congressman Connery of Massachusetts "When I see a provision in this Mellon tax bill which is going to save Mr Mellon himself 800,000 on his income tax and his brother 600,000 on his, I cannot give it my support" (Zinn, pp.384-385).

4. Zinn discusses John Galbraith, who studied the reasons behind the speculation leading to the crash in 1929. What did he say was behind the speculation?

Answer: the economy was fundamentally unsound

Accoring to Zinn (p386), Galbraith further points to "very unhealthy corporate and banking structures, an unsound foreign trade, much economic misinformation, and the bad distribution of income".

Answer: Henry Ford

However, in many ways Ford was better than many to his workers. He started the 40 hour work week and believed in hiring quality employees and paying them well in order to keep them (Zinn, p. 387).

6. In 1931 there was much food and clothes in warehouses, as well as lots of empty homes.

Answer: True

There was not a lack of supply, there was a lack of demand. People who could not afford houses lived instead in some cases in Hoovervilles, which were communities of shacks built in the garbage dumps (Zinn, p. 387).

7. What were the 20,000 who in 1932 came to Washington DC and camped across the Potomac River from the Capitol demanding?

Answer: Congress pay off their bonus certificates.

War veterans from the First World War came to DC to demand that the government pay off their bonus certificates, given they could not find work and could not wait until the time they would come due. It inspired a bill that was passed in the House, but failed in the Senate.

After the failure in the Senate some of the war veterans left and the rest were evicted by the army on Hoover's orders.

8. Which of the following was NOT true about Franklin D Roosevelts's National Recovery Act?

Answer: The Supreme Court found it unconstitutional in January 1933.

Yes, the Supreme Court did find it unconstitutional. However, that happened in 1935. In fact in January 1933 Roosevelt was not yet president, Hoover was still president and the NRA had not yet been passed (Zinn, pp.392-393).

9. In 1934 "boot leggers" who were illegally mining coal in Pennsylvania were all successfully prosecuted.

Answer: False

Local juries refused to convict them. They were able to relate to people doing what they needed to do during difficult economic times in order to survive. (Zinn, p.395).

10. What gave unions legal status?

Answer: Creation of the National Labor Relations Board.

This was done as a way to control labor. According to the book "Poor People's Magazine" by Cloward and Piven "labor won most during its spontaneous uprisings, before the unions were recognized and well organized" (Zinn, p. 402).

Source: Author triathlonrules

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