America in the Roaring Twenties Quiz

Answer: Calvin Coolidge

Calvin Coolidge was president of the U.S. from 1923-1929, a total of six years. He was vice president for Harding who had a heart attack and died, making Coolidge the president in 1923. He was reelected president in 1924 with the slogan "Keep cool with Coolidge." Wilson had served as president till 1921, Harding served from 1921-1923, and Hoover was elected in 1928.

Answer: The Red Scare

The (first) Red Scare lasted from about 1919-1921. It was a hysterical fear of the Communists mainly triggered by the Russian Revolution. Many people believed if the Bolsheviks could take over Russia, then radicals and socialists could take over the American form of government. Many foreign Communists and socialists were jailed and deported. The scare eventually subsided after about 1921.

Answer: 18th Amendment

The 18th Amendment (Prohibition) was very loosely followed and even more loosely enforced. The 'Noble Experiment' was supported by churches and women who were concerned about men who drank, and they hoped it would end domestic violence. Prohibition actually made crime worse and created gangs.

Many people started making moonshine and other illegal alcohol at home and many died because of it. Prohibition would end in 1933 with the 21st Amendment.

Answer: Asians and Arabs

The Immigration Act put a strict quota system on immigration. The system put in place a limit of 2% immigrants per the immigrants already living the U.S. from that country using the 1890 census. This outraged many Southern and Eastern Europeans because there wasn't a heavy population of them in 1890.

The Immigration Act also put a complete ban on Asians and Arabs, which led to anti-American riots in Japan.

Answer: Charles Lindbergh

Charles Lindbergh made a 36-hour long flight from New York to Paris in 1927 in his plane "The Spirit of St Louis." He accomplished a major feat that helped the young aviation business expand. He was looked up to as a daredevil and a man who defied the rules by the youth of the time. He was inspiring to the morale of the people and to the morale of other aviators such as Amelia Earhart.

Answer: "Scarface" Al Capone

Scarface was a major gangster of the time period and was a huge threat to security in the city of Chicago. His constant mob wars with Bugs Moran caused the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, a mass bloodbath. Although never convicted of all the murder and severe crimes he committed, he spent seven years in prison, including Alcatraz, for tax evasion.

Answer: Andrew W. Mellon

Andrew Mellon was a rich Pittsburgh native who served as Secretary of the Treasury for 12 years from 1921-1932. Many blamed him for making the Great Depression worse. He set up many new tariffs and created new economic plans that weren't very helpful. He was eventually replaced by Ogden L. Mills. He was still a person who served under three presidents.

Answer: It was the first movie with voices

"The Jazz Singer" was the first movie in which the characters spoke. Although it wasn't a popular movie, it set a record for movies and improved the movie industry. The story was about a poor Jewish boy who wanted to be a jazz singer but his father wanted him to be a cantor. The star of the movie was Al Jolson, a Jewish immigrant himself.

Answer: Model T

The Ford Model T was for a while the most popular car in America. The production of the Model T was so efficient that price was reduced to about $260, which was affordable for the middle-class Americans. The Model T changed American society and made people crave the road and want to hit the road and go for a drive. The car also caused record-breaking numbers of deaths all over the world.

Answer: October 29

The Stock Market crashed on 29 October 1929. It caused mass panic and started the Great Depression that would drag on for several more years. The crash was mainly due to the new system of credit and buying everything with nothing. The Stock Market Crash would be a major event in American history that would lead to other major events.