Business of the 1920s Questions

1} How did the automobile change American life?
The automobile helped isolatd rural families by giving them the opportunity to go to the city for shopping and entertainment. It also opened up the door of traveling and vacationing.
2} What advances were made in the airplane industries during the postwar years?
The airplane industry began as a mail carrying service for the U.S. Post Office. With the development of weather forecasting, planes began carrying radios and navigational instuments also.
3} What role did credit play in the American economy in the 1920s?
It lured consumers to purchase many goods over an extended period of time without having to put much money down at the time of purchase. This helped contribute to the United States accumulated debt.
4} What role did mass advertising play in the American economy in the 1920s?
Advertisement agencies began to study how to appeal to people's desire for youthfulness, beauty, health, and wealth. They began showing consumers only what they would want to see in order to make profits.
5} Why did some businesses not do well in the 1920s?
Many businesses did not do well in the 1920s because of people purchasing goods of off credit. Credit and the installment plan led businesses not to make a profit.
6} Why did American farmers suffer during the 1920s?
Farmers suffered during the 1920s because of all the new machinery. This led to the rapid production of food. Too much food led to the drop of the prices. Farmers were not profiting.
7} How did the installment plan fuel a superficial prosperity?
The installment plan fueled a superficial prosperity because people were living for the present. Many people bought things using the installment plan and had to get another installment plan just to pay it off.
8} How did changes in technology in the 1920s influence American life?
Some changes such as electricity led Americans to become more party-like instead of study-like. They began to stay up all night because the had a way to see.
9} What evidence suggests that the prosperity of the 1920s was not on a firm foundation?
The prosperity of the 1920s did not give America a firm foundation becuase Americans were more focused on the present than the future.
10} Look at the cartoon below. How did the artists place blame for the Teapot Dome Scandal through the use of symbolism, without actually naming the Republicans?
The elephant shaped like a teapot is representative of the Republican Party. the artist implies that they were responsible for the scandal because they set aside oil-rich public lands at the teapot Dome.