| A | B |
|---|
| American Protective Association: | an organization of the late 1800s which urged Congress to restrict immigration into the U.S. |
| bootleg liquor: | alcoholic beverages that have been smuggled (illegally transported) and illegally sold. |
| dance marathons: | a contest in which people tried to dance as long as possible. |
| due process of law: | procedures (steps) that are required to ensure a fair and legal trial. |
| economic boom: | a time of great economic activity. |
| ethics: | a set of moral principles or values. |
| flapper: | a name given to young women of the 1920s who broke away from traditional ways of behavior and dress. |
| general strike: | a strike in which all or most unions participate. |
| Harlem Renaissance: | a period, especially during the 1920s, when black artists, writers, and musicians in Harlem and elsewhere contributed to a rebirth of black culture. |
| intolerance: | unwillingness to let others think and act in their way especially if that way is different or unusual. |
| Keynesian economics: | an economic theory that government should stimulate the economy (with government spending) during times of economic slowdown. |
| laissez-faire: | a non-interventionist, "hands-off" approach by government to the economic affairs of a nation -- similar to the concept of free enterprise. |
| literacy tests: | a test used to determine reading and writing ability used between the late 1800s to 1965 by some states to determine voter eligibility. |
| materialistic: | the characteristic of being overly eager to obtain wealth and material possessions. |
| muckraker: | a person who investigates and reports corruption in government and other problems of society. |
| National Origins Acts (1924 and 1929): | laws that established immigration quotas, for each foreign nation, based on the number of Americans who had originated from that nation as of a given year -- 1890 was the year upon which quotas were calculated by the National Origins Act of 1924 but this base year was later changed to 1920 by the National Origins Act of 1929. |
| nativists: | Americans who wanted to halt immigration so that the U.S. would be populated only by native-born Americans. |
| organized crime | a large group of criminals organized and led by a single individual with the purpose of systematically carrying out certain criminal activities. |
| Palmer raids (1919): | widespread arrests of radicals ordered by Attorney General Palmer which were followed by the deportation of radical aliens. |
| poll tax: | a tax, required in some states, which had to be paid before one was allowed to vote -- outlawed by the 24th Amendment in 1964. |
| Prohibition (1919-1933): | a time when the manufacture, transportation, and sale of liquor was illegal in the U.S. |
| quota system (1921-1965): | a system of limiting immigration to the U.S. by assigning to each nation an immigration quota (number of people from that country who would be allowed to immigrate to the U.S.). |
| radical: | one who favors extreme changes. |
| reactionary: | one who opposes further change and instead prefers a return to traditional ways. |
| Red Scare (1918-1920): | a time when many Americans feared that communists ("reds") were planning a communist uprising in the U.S. |
| Scopes "Monkey Trial" (1925): | a trial in which a jury found a science teacher, John Scopes, guilty of breaking a Tennessee law which prohibited teaching Darwin's theory of evolution. |
| separation of church and state: | the principle that government should neither help nor hurt a religious cause. |
| speakeasy: | a bar, tavern, or similar business that served liquor illegally during Prohibition (1919-1933). |
| speculator: | a person who buys or sells with the hope of making a profit from a rise or fall in prices. (For example, a land speculator is a person who buys low-valued property hoping the property's value will increase and enable the owner to sell at higher price.) |
| Volstead Act (1919): | a law which gave government the power to enforce the 18th Amendment (Prohibition). |
| whispering campaign of 1928: | a campaign in which many people expressed a view that Alfred E. Smith, the Democratic presidential candidate who happened to be Catholic, would "take orders from the Pope" if elected President. |
