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FloridaUS History

Module 3: The Roaring Twenties and the Great Depression

6 dot points across 6 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

What caused the Great Depression, and how did it affect ordinary Americans?

Analyze the causes of the Great Depression, including the stock market crash of 1929, overproduction, buying on margin and credit, bank failures, and the unequal distribution of wealth, and its impact on Americans (NGSSS SS.912.A.5 and A.6, Reporting Category 2).
An EOC-level answer on the causes of the Great Depression for the Florida US History exam: the stock market crash of 1929, buying on margin, overproduction, bank failures, the unequal distribution of wealth, the Hawley-Smoot Tariff, and the human impact, with worked stimulus questions.
13 min answer →

Why was the 1920s a decade of cultural conflict as well as prosperity?

Analyze the cultural and social conflicts of the 1920s, including Prohibition, the Red Scare, immigration restriction and quotas, the revived Ku Klux Klan, nativism, and the Scopes Trial (NGSSS SS.912.A.5, Reporting Category 1).
An EOC-level answer on the cultural conflicts of the 1920s for the Florida US History exam: Prohibition and its effects, the first Red Scare, immigration quotas and nativism, the revived Ku Klux Klan, and the Scopes Trial over evolution, with worked stimulus questions.
12 min answer →

How did the New Deal change American government, and why was it so controversial?

Analyze the impact and legacy of the New Deal, including the debate over its constitutionality, the Supreme Court conflict, criticisms from left and right, and its lasting effect on the role of government (NGSSS SS.912.A.6, Reporting Category 2).
An EOC-level answer on the impact of the New Deal for the Florida US History exam: the lasting expansion of federal power, the debate over constitutionality and the court-packing plan, criticisms from the left and right, what the New Deal did and did not achieve, and its legacy, with worked stimulus questions.
12 min answer →

What caused the Dust Bowl, and how did it deepen the suffering of the Great Depression?

Analyze the causes and effects of the Dust Bowl, including drought and poor farming practices, the migration of Okies to California, and its connection to the Great Depression (NGSSS SS.912.A.6, Reporting Category 2).
An EOC-level answer on the Dust Bowl for the Florida US History exam: the causes of the dust storms in drought and poor farming practices, the human and environmental impact, the migration of Okies to California, and the link to the Great Depression, with worked stimulus questions.
11 min answer →

How did the New Deal use the power of the federal government to fight the Great Depression?

Analyze Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal, its goals of relief, recovery, and reform, key programs such as the CCC, WPA, TVA, and Social Security, and the expanded role of the federal government (NGSSS SS.912.A.6, Reporting Category 2).
An EOC-level answer on the New Deal for the Florida US History exam: FDR's response to the Depression, the three Rs of relief, recovery, and reform, the alphabet agencies (CCC, WPA, TVA, FDIC), Social Security, and the expanded federal government, with worked stimulus questions.
13 min answer →

How did prosperity, mass culture, and new technology reshape American life in the 1920s?

Analyze the economic and cultural features of the 1920s, including mass production and consumerism, the automobile, radio and movies, the Harlem Renaissance, and changing roles for women (NGSSS SS.912.A.5, Reporting Category 1).
An EOC-level answer on the Roaring Twenties for the Florida US History exam: mass production and the consumer economy, the automobile and the assembly line, radio and movies, the Harlem Renaissance, the flapper and changing roles for women, and buying on credit, with worked stimulus questions.
12 min answer →