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123 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Overview: Boll weevil |
Eats young cotton plants and had caused a 34% drop in production by 1921 |
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What percentage of energy supplies were coal in 1930 compared to 1900? |
90% in 1900 down to 60% in 1930 |
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How many cars were there in 1929 compared to that in 1917? |
4,700,000 passenger cars in 1917 to 23,000,000 in 1929 |
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Overview: Ford Model T |
- In 1914 the Ford Model T cost $825 and workers were getting double the pay of most industrial workers - Production was streamlined to only a black model and by October 1924, the model T cost $260 -On 26th May 1927 the 15,000,000th (last) Ford Model T came off the production line |
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What did consumer debt rise to from 1920-1929? |
- $3.3 billion in 1920 to $7.6 billion in 1929 |
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How much of a persons income was borrowed in 1929 compared to 1920? |
In 1920 on average 5% of peoples income was borrow, by 1929 this had almost doubled |
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How many businesses and homes were wired for electricity in 1930 as oppose to 1917 |
In 1917 7,900,000 businesses and homes were wired for electricity, by 1930 there were 24,600,000 |
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When was the Federal Reserve Board set up? |
Fed was set up in 1913 |
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When did the prices of stocks stop falling after the market reopened? |
13th November 1929 |
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By 1933 how many banks were bankrupt? |
Around one-third of all banks in operation |
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When was the Roosevelt Recession? |
1938-1939 |
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What was the Wagner-Steagall National Housing Act? |
1937, set up the Federal Housing Administration which was the overseer of slum clearance and building of housing for low-income families |
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How many shares were traded in 1920 compared to 1929 |
In 1920 227 million shares were traded, in 1929 this number went to 1.125 billion |
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What percentage of the workforce was unemployed in 1933? |
25% |
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What was the value of all American goods produced in 1950 as oppose to 1945? |
in 1945 there were $213 billion worth of goods produced, in 1950 it was $284 billion |
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How did the Railway strikes affect the country? |
90,000 passengers were abandoned and 25,000 trucks were stopped carrying perishable food goods |
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What did profits of toy manufacturers go to from 1959 to 1961? |
Profits were $1.6 billion in 1959, this rose to $2 billion in 1961 |
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How did birth rates change in America from 1940 to 1965? |
- 1940 = 2,600,000 - 1950 = 3,600,000 - 1955 = 4,100,000, it stayed at the 4 million mark until 1965 when it dropped to 3,800,000 |
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When was the National Housing Act passed and what did it do? |
1949, cleared slums and built 810,000 homes for low income families |
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What was the OPA? |
The Office of Price Administration, shut down in 1946, demand for goods and foods had risen by 25% two weeks after its closure |
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When was the Employment Act passed and what did it do? |
1946, set up a Council of Economic Advisors (CEA) |
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When was the Highways Act passed and what did it do? |
1956, built 41,000 miles of interstate highways |
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What was the Levitt company? |
mass-produced prefabricated houses that were quick and cheap to build and buy |
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Give and example of a Levitt Town? |
Long Island had 17,000 homes for 82,000 residents , the cheapest being under $7,000 including a washing machine |
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How many transistor radios were there in the USA by 1958? |
45 million |
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How much money was there in circulation in the USA in 1952 compared to 1960? |
In 1952 there was $170 billion in circulation, by 1960 it was $216 billion |
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When was the Breton Woods agreement and what did it mean? |
1944, made the dollar the currency to be backed by a gold reserve and other currencies to then be valued against the dollar |
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What did the increase in miney circulation go to from 1961 to 1968 |
$17 billion to $37 billion |
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What was stagflation and when did it kick in? |
Stagflation is when businesses stop expanding but inflation continues - this begun in the 1970s |
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By what period were Japan, UK and Germany more technologically advanced than America? |
1950's |
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What was the USAs share of the worlds export of manufactured goods from 1953 to 1973 |
1953 - 29% 1963 - 17% 1973 - 13% |
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What year was the money supply contained by the fed? |
1979 |
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What did the fuel crises lead to? |
Fuel shortages, long queues for fuel, a speed limit of 55mph and fuel rationing with rationing books |
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Overview: First energy crisis |
- 1973 Arab-Israeli War - Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) puts up prices by 70% - embargoes oil exports to the USA and other countries in support Israel - January 1974 world oil prices are four times higher and never return to the same price |
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Overview: Second fuel crises |
- 1979 May to July - Shortages as bad as first crisis but lasted a shorter amiunt of time - people began to worry about hearing fuel shortage in the winter |
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What did unemployment levels go from in 1978-1979? |
5.8% of the workforce to 7.1% in 1979 |
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When was the first tax reform act and what did it do? |
December 1969, raises the lowest taxes exempting around nine million poorer families, also increases social payments in line with inflation |
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Overview: Economic Stabilisation Act |
- August 1970 - Gives President Nixon power to act on wages, prices, rents and interest rates - suspends the link of the dollar to gold |
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When does Nixon introduce a 90 day wage freeze and how long does it last? |
1971, lasts nearly 1000 days |
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When was there a 60 day price freeze? |
June 1971 |
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Overview: Nixons Emergency Employment Act |
- July 1971 creates 'community service' (low paid work) for 2 years - Has an especial bias for returning veterans |
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When does President Carter announce anti-inflation measures, what does this entail? |
- March 1980 - Reduces defence spending, President no longer has control over freezes and significant cuts to social welfare programmes |
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Who won the 1980 Presidential elections? |
Ronald Reagan |
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What were life expectancies in 1915 and then 1980? |
1915 - white men: 48 years, non white men: 33 years. 1980 - white men: 74 years, non white men: 70 years. |
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What were the average wages of white and non-white men in 1939 and 1979? |
1939 - White men: $1,200 Non-white men: $540 1979 - White men: $28,900 Non-white men: $19,400 |
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How many people owned or rented homes according to the 1920 census in comparison to the 1940 census? |
1920 - 7 million owned homes and 13 million rented 1940 - 15 million owned homes and 20 million rented |
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Overview: 1940 census on running water, bathroons and toilets |
- 3% of homes had no toilet - 60% had an indoor flushing toilet, of these homes 70% had running water and 56% had a bath or shower |
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Overview: 1940 census on lighting |
- 79% of homes had electric light - 20% had oil lamps - 1% had gas, candles or nothing |
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Overview: 1940 census on cooking |
- 49% of homes cooked by gas - 5% by electricity - 0.5% had no way of cooking |
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Overview: 1940 census on heating |
- 42% of homes had central heating - 11% of homes had no heating |
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Overview: 1940 census on refrigeration |
- 44% of homes had an electric fridge - 27% didnt have as much as an icebox to keep food cool |
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How many people owned a radio in 1940? |
83% |
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How much goods were retail chains selling by 1929? |
22% |
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Overview: Expenditure on food from 1930 to 1940 |
- 1930, 24% of peoples income goes to food, 13% of this was spent on eating out - 1933, 26% of peoples income goes to food, 13% of this was spent on eating out - 1940, 21% of peoples income goes to food, 15% of this was spent on eating out |
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When did Roosevelt set up the REA and how much miles of power line did it build? |
The Rural Electrification Administration was set up in 1935 and built over 100,000 miles of new power lines |
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Overview: 1940 census on household appliances |
- Over 80% of homes with electricity had an iron and a radio - Over 50% had a washing machine, a fridge and a toaster |
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Overview: Healthcare expenditures from 1917-1940 |
- 1917: $3 million - 1930: $11 million - 1940: $33 million |
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Overview: Healthcare expenditures from 1917-1940 |
- 1917: $3.1 million - 1930: $11 million - 1940: $32.7 million |
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Overview: Healthcare expenditures from 1917-1940 |
- 1917: $3.1 million - 1930: $11 million - 1940: $32.7 million |
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Overview: Amount of children (14-17) going to school from 1917-1949? |
1917 - 27% 1929 - 52% 1949 - 73% |
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In 1920, how many children under 15 were working? |
9% |
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How much did farm workers earn a year in 1933 on average? |
$177.24 |
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How much did a TV cost in 1948 and what were its dimensions? |
They were about $200 and the screens were around 15cm×12cm |
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How many homes had TVs from 1950-1960 |
1950 - 9% 1955 - 65% 1960 - 85% |
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How much of the country's wealth did the 1% control from 1949-1956? |
1949 - 21% 1956 - 26% |
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What was the difference between a production workers wage and a chief executive in 1968-1978? |
- 1978: $13,000 compared to $373,000 |
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In 1960 what was the average wage of a white family compared to a black family? |
$5,800 to $3,200 |
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In 1966 how many whites and non-whites were living under the poverty line?
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12% of white Americans and 41% of Non-white Americans |
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How many families in the South Bronx in New York were living on welfare in the 1970's? |
Well over half |
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What happened to the number of deliberate fires between 1960-1974?
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The figures tripled, most of these were done by landlords to claim on the insurance and federal rebuilding grants. |
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What was Johnsons 'Great Society'?
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Policies to fight the 'war on poverty', he set up an independent agency with a staff of 130 and a budget of $960 million to run the policies |
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Overview: CAPs |
- Community Action Programs - Organisers were often women and collected data on big local problems and presented projects on how to sort them - One example of a successful project was one in Memphis that focused on high infant mortality rates and worked with medical professionals providing free clinics for care and advice before and after birth. - Competition for funding could sometimes lead to tension between racial groups |
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When did Kennedy issue an executive order that made food available in areas of chronic unemployment?
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21st January 1961 |
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When was the housing act in the 60's and what did it do?
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- Extended an extra $3 billion for urban renewal, low-income housing and low-interest loans for housing |
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When was the Manpower Development and Training Act and what did it do? |
- Sets up work training programmes for the unemployed |
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When was the Economic Opportunity Act and when was it passed? |
- Creates a $948 million funded Office of Economic Opportunity and sets up training and work schemes for young unemployed in areas of poverty - Creates over 1,000 CAPs based in deprived areas |
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When was the Food Stamp Act and when was it expanded?
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31st August 1964 expanded in 1974 to reach 15 million people |
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When was the Medicare Act and what does it do?
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- Takes a small contribution of people's social security payments guaranteeing them free medical care in old age - Also sets up Medicaid which provides free medical care to those on welfare |
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When was the Child Nutrition Act?
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11th October 1966 |
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Overview: Johnnie Tillmon
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- Welfare campaigner in Watts district of LA led the National Welfare Rights Organisation (NWRO) - The NWRO pointed out that benefits under Nixon's Family Assistance Plan (FAP) would fall through - The NWRO didn't manage to get the FAP overturned but through Civil rights-like protest they managed to make changes at state level and persuaded tens of thousands of mothers to apply for welfare |
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When was Carter elected to the Presidency |
1976 |
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Overview:National Consumer Cooperative Bank |
- Set up in 1978 - gave low-interest loans to co-operative organisations in urban areas. - It helped the working poor to improve their position, but not the poorest. - The bank began work in 1980 with a budget of $184 million |
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When was the Rural Development Loan Fund set up? |
1981
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When was the Fair Labour Standards Act and what did it do?
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- Made a 40-hour week the legal maximum and also set minimum wage and overtime rules. |
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When was alcohol legalised in the US?
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1933 |
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What percentage of states is gambling fully legalised in the US to present day? |
28% |
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How many people could the Roxy cinema in New York hold?
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Over 5,000 people |
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Overview: Breakdown of Screen Actors Guild earnings in 1933
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- $10,000-5,000: 12% - Less then $5,000: 71% |
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When was the American football Rose Bowl stadium built and how many people did it hold?
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1922 held 57,000 and expanded in 1928 to hold 76,000 |
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How many people on average did a major league baseball stadium hold in the 1920's?
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35,000 |
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How many people could the New York Yankees stadium hold in 1923?
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53,000 |
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What was attendance through the year at Yankee games from 1917-1920? |
- 1917: 330,000 - 1920: 1,300,000 |
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How much radios did one New York store sell in the week before the rematch of Dempsey and Tunney?
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Over $90,000-worth |
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What was Babe Ruth's salary in 1920 and then 1930
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The Yankees baseball player's salary went from $20,000 a year to $80,000 |
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Overview: Second World War's effect on sport
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- Women began to form sporting teams; the All American Girls Professional Baseball League played from 1943-1954 and drew in audiences of about 1,600 a game. |
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How many white collar workers were there compared to blue collar workers in 1960? |
35 million as oppose to 32 million |
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In 1960 how much money did Americans spend on leisure time? |
one-sixth |
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How much did the Altair 8800 cost in the 1980's? |
$297 |
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What did major league baseball attendance go to from the 1970's to the 1980's? |
330 million to 460 million |
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What was the industrial effect of the USA's car dependency? |
- Car factories employed more workers - Industries that produced raw materials for cars (steel, rubber, glass, leather) boomed - The need for workers pushed wages up and car prices down, in turn, increasing demand |
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How many filling stations were there in 1929 compared to 1967 and how much money were they making? |
- 1929: 122,000 making $1.8 billion - 1967: 216,000 making $23 billion |
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How did the USA's car dependency effect roads? |
From 1917 to 1980 just under one million more miles of roads were built. |
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How many people owned cars in 1917 compared to 1980? |
- 1917: 4,700,000 - 1980: 122,000,000 |
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Between 1960 and 1980 how many malls were built? |
30,000 |
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How many drive-ins were there in 1954? |
3,800 |
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What were the problems of increasing car ownership? |
- Life for people who couldn't afford cars became increasingly more difficult. - non-car transport infrastructure shrank. - By the 1970's the cities had too much cars and the fuel crises led to permanently increased prices. |
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How much was a 25 minute flight in 1915? |
$5 |
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How many passengers could the airline Western Air Express carry in 1926 to 1929 |
- 1926: 267 - 1929: 25,000 |
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When is the first International flight? |
November 1920 |
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When was the Commerce Air Act and what did it do? |
1926 sets air traffic rules |
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When was the first Presidential airplane assigned? |
1933 |
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When was the Civil Aeronautics Act and what did it do? |
1938, sets up the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) sets guidelines to regulate airline pricing, routes and relations between various airlines. |
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When was the first pressurised passenger compartment built? |
1940 |
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When was the Federal Aviation Administration setup and why? |
Set up in 1958 when two passenger airplanes collided over the Grand Canyon in 1956. |
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From 1970-1980 how many Americans traveled abroad? |
- 1970: 5,300,000 - 1980: 8,300,000 |
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When was the Airline Deregulation Act? |
1978 |
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How many broadcasting stations were there from 1948-1954? |
1948 - 16 broadcasting stations 1954 - 354 broadcasting stations |
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How much money did Davy Crockett make out of the sale of racoon-skin caps alone? |
$100 million in just five months |
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How much money did Coca-Cola make in 1959? |
$79.1 million before tax |
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Overview: Breakdown of teenage spending |
- Transport: 38% - Clothing and sports: 24% - Food and drink: 22% - Entertainment: 16% |
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Home ownership from 1940-1960 |
- 1940: 44% - 1960: 62% |
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How many homes had a flushing toilet in 1960? |
86% |
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How many homes had at least one radio in 1960? |
92% |
