Unit+7+1920-1939

= = =1. What impact did the booming economy have on achievement of the American Dream?= For Some the American Dream became more reachable, there was a demand for workers that was filled by immigrants, and women. This demand was due to growing industry, also declining farming. But there to was a huge increase in the arts industry. Motion pictures helped some achieve the dream, music like jazz paved the way for others success. Many other industries also had rapid growth contributing to some peoples American dream. Brian Vecchione

= = =2. What factors contributed ( and how did they contribute to) the booming economy?=

The Model T by Ford, increases in electric power and the new availability of raw materials, all contributed to the booming economy. The Model T by Henry Ford produced cars that were affordable to normal people, but they also added more jobs to people and decreased the level of poverty. As the number of electric products grow so did there need for more power, raise of GE also gave jobs to people, but they also increased the number of electric appliances available to the increased money spending public giving way to people spend more money and the economy going round and round. The new raw materials found in the states increased the level of product that could be made and sustained by the thriving companies to further keep the cost down and revenue up. The impact of the introduction of new ideas such as, the Model T and expansion of current resources like electric power and new raw materials enabled the economy to grow exponentially. -Matt Finn 10/24 ch21 #2 -Which technological advance would you evaluate as being more significant- the car for the 1920s or the computer for today? (mr. E.) -In my opinion, the computer is the more significant technological advance. Computer and World Wide Web, gives us many new opportunities. With computers we are able to comunicate, work and exchange things all over the world. Things got faster, emails can be send, things can be bouhgt and information are available in a few seconds. Without computers the World economy would not be the same. Computers open us the door from whereever we are to reach anybody on this world. Many new industries are created and new jobs available. The computers are not even yet completely developed, we still can improve them and create new opportunities. The car in the 1920s made it possible for people to drive faster from one place to another and to carry more stuff, but it still was only an local advantage. The computer reaches the world. Max Kind = =3. What impact did the collapse of the economy have on achievement of the American Dream?=

The Collapse of the economy had a downward achievement of the American Dream. The dream was changed in ways that made it harder to achieve the dream. The collapse of the economy made life very hectic for who ever was trying to achieve the dream. chris ross

When the economy in this time frame drastically fell to the "point of no return," it affected two different types of people. There were the people that actually had, and were working to maintain their version of the American Dream. These were the big business leaders and wealthy land owners of the time that were losing their fortunes and franchises due to the stock market crash and unbalanced credit spending. The other type of people that this economic downfall affected were the factory workers and farmers. They on the other hand were constantly working just to achieve the American Dream rather to maintain it. And when the collapse happened, this meant that most people lost their jobs and had to start from scratch. -Devin Cox

-Were there any groups that are more impacted than others in terms of not being able to achieve the dream?(mr. E.)

By this point in history there wasn't much difference in terms of how wealth was spread, due to lack of said wealth. Everybody was poor in some respect, and some in more respects than others. Even so, all Americans rallied together to pull eachother through the Great Depression. This really astounds me; the fact that even though everybody had very little, they shared whatever they had with eachother. The stories in section 3 of chapter 23 are heart-warming and make me yearn for days of the past. Hearing of farmers who collaborated to save eachother's farms and families, children who gave all their time to help their family, and travellers sharing common woes that stuck together on the road. It seems to me that tragedy brings out the best and worst in people. These tales really speak to me of the character of the American people of this time. In light of all this, I think that the American Dream changed drastically from a "get-rich-quick" and "Be the best looking, have the nicest stuff" mentality, to a having a sense of comradery with one's neighbors and having enough to make a living for oneself and their family. The stock markets weren't the only thing that crashed at the turn of the decade. Perhaps America needed this kick in the ego, and maybe we need another one now. -Joshua Kachnycz 10/31 23 #3

Around this time period there was the point of no return, wealth was something alot of people did not have if any one had it at all. Achieving the american dream was the last thing on ther minds, they just wanted to survive and keep there families alive. People stoped looking at how much they themselves could get but how much they could share with others so they could have the favor returned if ever needed. Thats how people were thinking these days not of selfish ambition, but of how they could help each other almost like a type of trade system. I think in this happining the more fortunate had a chance to help out the others so that (like i said befor) they could be looked out for if ever nessasary. - Kristan Davis

The collapse in the economy affected the American Dream because America was doing amazing at this point in time (before the Depression). It seemed like any American could buy things far beyond what they could afford through credit, which eventually led to the Depression. I think thats when some realized that the "American Dream" wasnt as easy to achieveas it may have seemed- to get that job, to find a wife, to have kids, and to afford a house, etc. The American Dream wasnt based off of people who didnt have enough money to afford anything. Far enough into the Depression, NO ONE had enough money to afford anything and NO ONE in the country was achieveing the American Dream. -Laura Piskorski

= = =4. What factors contributed (and how did they contribute to) the collapse of the economy?= - One major factor contributing to the collapse of the American economy was buying on margin. Buying on margin was the excessive use of credit to buy stocks which dug deeper holes for some people. People already did not have enough money to pay for things, and when they lost money from stocks, everything began to decline. Eric Schlater -By "everything" declining, you must mean the stocks. A stock market crash does not have to cause a depression. This one was followed by a depression due to the circumstances and conditions of the economy at the time. The crash of 1987 that actually was of greater percent loss did not precipitate an ensuing depression. (mr. E.)

-People borrowed so much money after the economic boom and they bought things that they couldn't acually afford. Farmers bought farming machinery, more land, (etc...) on credit, thinking that the tools would help them produce more, meaning they would sell more, then they could pay back their credit. However, it didnt happen like that. Poor people were buying on margin because of their "get rich quick attitude". They saw many people get rich off of the stock market. Though they never actually knew wether or not they would get money out of it, they still borrowed huge amounts of money that they couldnt pay back so they could invest it into the stockmarket. They thought that borrowing the money would make a bigger fortune for them in the end. But then the stock market crashed and all of that money was gone. Uneven distribution of money had alot to do with it as well. The rich, who consisted of few familes but held most of the nations wealth, were extremely rich and the poor were extremely poor. -Laura Piskorski

= = =5. What was the governmental role in responding to the collapsed economy and to what degree was it successful?= The government was not successful in responding to the collapse, at least not in the early part of the Thirties. In the words of President Hoover, "No one has starved." This, of course, was not true; people did starve, most people, though, only went hungry. In this section there is no mention of any government assistance, only mention of people suffering. -Rory -Hoover did more than any previous president to alleviate suffering but he was unwilling to "cross" certain parameters such as deficit spending and direct relief (welfare). (mr. E.)

New Deal Critics Many people's expectations weren't fulfilled by the New Deal. Many New Deal agencies were not as helpful for minority groups and women, as to white men. Women got lower wages for their work in about a quarter of all cases. Jobs were given to men, because they were seen as the "heads of the families. African American did not have the opportunity to get a high level jobs and their wages were always less than the wages of a whiteman in the same job. Max Kind Ch 23