Year 11 - History
Racial tension in early 20th century America
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 assess the racial tensions which existed in the USA during the 1920s.
Key Notes
- The Ku Klux Klan revived after 1915 and was committed to protecting 'pure Americanism'.
- Membership of the KKK peaked at 5 000 000 and extended nationwide.
- Jim Crow Laws enforced segregation of African American people in the South.
- African Americans also faced persecution and discrimination in the North.
- Recent immigrants, Catholics and Jews were victims of racial tensions.
Vocabulary To Learn
- Klansmen: members of the Ku Klux Klan were known as Klansmen
- supremacy: supremacy refers to a situation where one thing is considered better than another
- minorities: minorities are small groups of people within a country who differ from the main population in race, religion, culture or language; in the USA this included African Americans and recent immigrants
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Racial tension was only an issue for African Americans in the 1920s.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Summarise this historical learning in two key ideas.
The Ku Klux Klan revived after 1915 and was committed to protecting 'pure Americanism'. Membership of the KKK peaked at 5 000 000 and extended nationwide.
2. Define this history term and explain why it matters in this topic. 'Klansmen'
members of the Ku Klux Klan were known as Klansmen.
3. Correct this common history misconception using evidence language.
Mistake: Racial tension was only an issue for African Americans in the 1920s. Correction: In both the North and South, Catholics, Jews and recently arrived immigrants frequently experienced prejudice, discrimination and even violence from WASPs, just as African Americans did.
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
- American society in the 1920s 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
- 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.