Year 11 - History
American society in the 1920s
America 1920–1973, Opportunity and inequality
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Study Guides
This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
In this unit pupils undergo a period study that provides an unfolding narrative which tells a story about a period that shaped the world we live in today. They look at the key events, developments, people and stories that defined the chosen period.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to explain the changes in American society and culture during the 1920s.
Key Notes
- The 1920s have been referred to as the 'Roaring Twenties'.
- Entertainments like mass sports, cinema and jazz became more popular duirng the 1920s.
- Prohibition was introduced in 1920.
- Prohibition law was regularly broken by ordinary Americans and corrupt officials.
- There was a rise in organised crime during the Prohibition era.
Vocabulary To Learn
- talkies: talkies were films which included sound
- Prohibition: Prohibition was the name given to the ban on alcohol in the USA from 1920-1933
- enforcement: enforcement refers to processes such as policing which are used to make sure people obey the law
- speakeasy: a speakeasy was an illegal bar set up during the period of Prohibition in the USA
- smuggled: if something is smuggled, it is brought into a country illegally
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Prohibition led to a fall in alcohol consumption in the USA.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Summarise this historical learning in two key ideas.
The 1920s have been referred to as the 'Roaring Twenties'. Entertainments like mass sports, cinema and jazz became more popular duirng the 1920s.
2. Define this history term and explain why it matters in this topic. 'talkies'
talkies were films which included sound.
3. Correct this common history misconception using evidence language.
Mistake: Prohibition led to a fall in alcohol consumption in the USA. Correction: A rise in the number of bars and alcohol-related offences after 1920 suggests that drinking became more common during the Prohibition era.
More Lessons In This Unit
- 1930s American popular culture Study Guide
- American people and the 'boom' in the 1920s Study Guide
- American recovery from the Great Depression Study Guide
- Black Power and the Civil Rights Movement Study Guide
- Causes of the 'boom' Study Guide
- Change in Post-War America Study Guide
- Civil rights legislation in the 1960s Study Guide
- Direct action and the Civil Rights Movement Study Guide
- Effects of the Great Depression on American society Study Guide
- Losers of the 'boom' in 1920s America Study Guide
- Martin Luther King and peaceful protest Study Guide
- McCarthyism and the second Red Scare Study Guide
- Opposition to the New Deal Study Guide
- Post-war American popular culture Study Guide
- President Hoover and the 1932 presidential election Study Guide
- Racial tension in early 20th century America Study Guide
- Roosevelt's New Deal Study Guide
- Segregation in the USA Study Guide
- Social and civil progress in the USA, c.1950-1973 Study Guide
- The American Dream in the 1940s and 1950s Study Guide
- The Great Depression Study Guide
- The New Frontier and Great Society Study Guide
- The Red Scare in 1920s America Study Guide
- The role of Henry Ford in the 'boom' Study Guide
- The US Feminist Movement in the 1960s and 1970s Study Guide
- The Wall Street Crash Study Guide
- Women and the 'boom' in 1920s America Study Guide
- World War Two and the US economy Study Guide
- World War Two and US society Study Guide
Browse all guides in the Year 11 History guide library.