The Roaring 1920s

American politics, society and economics during the 1920s

Planning this mini-unit

The Roaring 1920s is the first mini-unit of Unit 8: Boom and Bust. This mini-unit is taught after “America in World War I” (last mini-unit in Unit 9: American Imperialism and World War I) and before “Hoover and the Great Depression” (second mini-unit of Unit 8: Boom and Bust). Click HERE to get a copy of my pacing guide.

Pacing

Teachers should plan three to five days to teach this unit on a traditional schedule with one-hour class periods. However, for those on a block schedule with 1 1/2 hour classes, teachers should plan for 2-3 days. An effective way to structure this unit includes:

Openers

Immigration Quotas
Prohibition Testimony
NAACP and the UNIA
Langston Hughes and the Harlem Renaissance
Farmers in the 1920s

This FREE resource includes 5 openers to use in order to supplement this unit. Begin each class with an opener question. Opener questions can be found on this webpage as an image (see “opener questions” at the bottom of this webpage) or free on TpT (

see link). Give students 3-5 minutes to complete the opener question and allow 5-10 minutes for class discussion. Instead of openers, teachers may use this as an end of class check for understanding.

Lessons

After the opener, begin the Google Slides lesson. Students can take notes on paper using the note-taking guide provided with the Google Slides lesson, or they may take notes digitally with the electronic version (also included with the Google Slides).

1. TEACHER TIP: I post a PDF version of the Google Slides to Google Classroom so that students can review their notes if they are absent. To do this, click “File, Download, PDF” on the Google Slide.
2. TEACHER TIP: Some teachers post Google Slides in their Google Classroom and digital note-taking guides for students to complete as homework.
3. TEACHER TIP: When pressed for time, I will edit the note-taking guides to include answers for some boxes or delete boxes and slides entirely. Teachers should feel free to modify the lesson to meet their students’ needs and individual learning targets.
After teaching a concept, take a break from the lecture and show a quick review video to reinforce the concepts. Suggested videos to enhance the lesson are on this webpage.
Mix up your unit by having the students complete the PROP (Point, Reason to lie or distort, Other sources, Public/private) analysis. For a free resource that reviews PROP, click HERE.
1. TEACHER TIP: Group students together to complete this activity. This strategy sparks conversation and encourages critical analysis. Discussed as a class.
Review additional suggested activities found on this webpage:
Print the Prove It activity included in the Google Slides lesson at the end of the unit. Students read statements and determine if they are true or false. If the statement is false, they correct it. This lesson encourages students to review their note-taking guides.

key terms to know

People to Know

Henry Ford
John Scopes
Ernest Hemingway
Langston Hughes
Marcus Garvey
Sacco and Vanzetti
A. Mitchell Palmer
Amelia Earhart
Charles Lindbergh
Warren G. Harding
Calvin Coolidge
Herbert Hoover

Key Terms

Isolationism
Kellogg-Briand Pact
Emergency Quota Act of 1921
Emergency Quota Act of 1924
The KKK
Back to Africa Movement
Universal Negro Improvement Association
NAACP
18th Amendment (Volstead Act)
19th Amendment
Harlem Renaissance
The Lost Generation
The Ohio Gang

Events

Teapot Dome Scandal
Washington Naval Conference
Scopes Monkey Trial
The Red Scare/The Palmer Raids
1919 Chicago Race Riot

1. What is “return to normalcy”? What were the specific policies of the Harding and Coolidge Administrations that were in line with the platform of “return to normalcy”?

2. Why was President Harding’s administration characterized as “corrupt”? To what extent is this characterization accurate? Justify your reasoning.

3. What economic changes did America experience during the Harding and Cooledge administrations? What are the results of those changes?

4. How did American industry change in the 1920s? How did those changes affect the American economy and society?

5. What was America’s immigration policy in the 1920s? Why were those policies instituted?

6. Examine several events that highlight racial tensions in the 1920s? How did African Americans respond to those tensions?

7. What is the 18th Amendment, and what are the social, economic, and political effects of that Amendment?

8. What is the 19th Amendment, and what are the social, economic, and political effects of that Amendment?

9. What are the themes of the Harlem Renaissance and the Lost Generation? How do those movements reflect the society in the 1920s?

10. Should the 1920s be considered a time of progress and modernization or social strife and anxiety? Justify your reasoning.

Google Slides & Note Taking Guides

Click image for link to source

First page of PRINT note taking guide

37 Slides (editable) with graphic organizer note-taking guide and summative assessment worksheet. This Google Slides reviews American economics, politics and society after World War I and prior to the Great Depression)

This Google Slides:

Editable
Has checks for understanding/thinking questions throughout the Google Slides
Interesting and varied graphic design
A variety of different sources to catch your students’ attention and engage them with the content: maps, charts, primary sources, quotes, newspapers, etc.
Major Concepts Reviewed:
1. Warren G. Harding
2. The Ohio Gang
3. Teapot Dome Scandal (and other examples of corruption)
4. Calvin Coolidge
5. American Isolationism: Kellogg Briand Pact and the Washington Naval Conference
6. 1920s Economic Policies: Tax cuts, reduced spending and government
7. Uneven Economic Gains: Farmers
8. New Industries: Ford, Radio and Personal Credit
9. Aviation: Amelia Earhart and Charles Lindbergh
10. Immigration Quotas of 1921 and 1924
11. Red Scare and Palmer Raids
12. Sacco and Vanzetti
13. Rise of the KKK
14. Back to Africa Movement and the Universal Negro Improvement Association
15. NAACP
16. Religious Tension: Fundamentalism and the Scopes Monkey Trial
17. 18th Amendment
18. 19th Amendment and the Changing Role of Women
19. Harlem Renaissance
20. Lost Generation
21. Movies and the Silver Screen
22. Hoover’s Agenda

Note-Taking Guide with a Teacher’s Key:

Works with Google Classroom (students can type in a document, or handwrite)
Includes ideas on how to use this in your lesson
Great for IEP, 504, EL students or students who need modifications
Helps students be accountable for information during lecture
Comes with print and digital notetaking guides.

Post-Notes Analysis Worksheet with a Teacher’s Key:

Works with Google Classroom (students can type in a document or handwrite)
Includes ideas on how to use this in your lesson
Has a True/False checking for understanding
Includes a document that connects to information from the slides.
Comes with print and digital post-notes analysis guides.
Students are asked to ” Prove It,” “Analyze It” “Personalize It” and “Explore Limitations.”

Helpful Videos for Your Students

Unit Activities

Click on the images below to access these suggested resources

Calvin Coolidge, Reducing the Debt and Integrity

Bill of Rights Institute

The Struggle Continues: Stony the Road

Bill of Rights Institute

Flying High: Amelia Earhart

Bill of Rights Institute

The Spirit of St. Louis: Charles Lindbergh and Courage

Bill of Rights Institute

The KKK during Reconstruction vs. the KKK in the 1920s

Bill of Rights Institute

The Blues and the Great Migration

Bill of Rights Institute

The History of Immigration Law in the United States

Bill of Rights Institute

The History of Immigration in the United States

Bill of Rights Institute