U.S. History 2

Revised Units/Unit 4/Unit 4 Advance Organizer.html

4

Unit 4:  The Great War and The Roarin' Twenties

Unit 4 Advance Organizer

Introduction

The focus of Unit 4 is the Great War/World War I ("the war to end all wars") and the aftermath that became the Roarin' 20s, the Jazz Age, the decade dominated by the Flappers, the Great Bull Market, and the New York Yankees.

When World War I started in 1914 American President Woodrow Wilson declared neutrality and did his best to keep the country out of the fighting. The war was fought differently than previous wars; troops fought in trenches rather than open ground and there was a bevy of new weapons designed to kill enemy soldiers more efficiently. Some of those new weapons included submarines, machine guns, military aircraft, and poison gas, among others. The photograph below is the famous John Singer Sargent painting titled "Gassed," which is on display at the Imperial War Museum in London.

President Wilson won reelection in 1916 on the slogan "He Kept Us Out of War." But not for long. A month after his March 1917 inauguration Congress declared war and America joined the conflict. U.S. troops got their first experience in trench warfare, were subject to gas attacks, and helped force Germany's surrender in November 1918. President Wilson and his entourage traveled to Paris to negotiate the treaty to formally end the conflict. The ensuing Treaty of Versailles accomplished less than Wilson's idealistic vision, though he succeeded in getting the League of Nations created.

Following the end of the war and the treaty negotiations America embarked on a tumultuous decade, one that was characterized by cultural conflict. Frequently described as modernism vs. fundamentalism, this cultural clash was observed throughout the 1920s. The country accepted Prohibition and women's suffrage while at the same time targeted immigrants and radicals. Women and African Americans struggled for more rights in a biassed society and organized crime became big business.

As the end of the decade approached the country's economy began a decline that ultimately became the Great Depression. Though usually (and incorrectly) blamed on the stock market crash, there were many underlying economic flaws that left the prosperity of the 1920s vulnerable. The dancing flappers of the early part of the decade gave way to unemployment, bank closures, and bread lines. A crisis loomed.

Unit 4 Objectives

By the end of this unit you will be able to:  

• Describe America's role in the Great War/World War I.
• Analyze American home front issues during the Great War/World War I.
• Describe the effects of the Great War/World War I on American society and culture.
• Analyze the cultural conflict in America in the 1920s.
• Compare and contrast how different immigrant groups were treated in America in the 1920s.
• Describe 1920s immigration issues by recording a speech on the topic.

The Great War Module

• Start by taking the The Great War: What do you think you know? Self-Assessment to test your knowledge on the period.  These self-assessments aren't graded, so you can take it as many times as you like to help you review important information.
• Follow up by reviewing the The Great War: Characters and Key Terms and the questions and resources in the Guided Reading Questions for "The Great War" page.
• Read Chapter 23 The Great War. Using the "Characters and Key Terms" list and guided reading questions, take notes as you read to help you prepare for the quiz.
• Take the Chapter 23 Great War Quiz - you can only take it once, so prepare by reviewing your notes, the key terms and characters, and the Guided Reading Questions for each chapter.

The Immigration Reflection

• Read the Interpreting Immigration Data page as well as the highlighted portions of the population documents provided, keeping in mind the bulleted questions provided.
• Choose one of the Reflection options and write and submit your reflection piece to the Unit 4 Reflection Exercise folder.

The Jazz Age Module

• Start by taking the The Jazz Age: What do you think you know? Self-Assessment to test your knowledge on the period.  These self-assessments aren't graded, so you can take it as many times as you like to help you review important information.
• Follow up by reviewing the The Jazz Age: Characters and Key Terms and the questions and resources in the Guided Reading Questions for "The Jazz Age" page.
• Read Chapter 24 The Jazz Age. Using the "Characters and Key Terms" list and guided reading questions, take notes as you read to help you prepare for the quiz.
• Take the Chapter 24 Jazz Age Quiz - you can only take it once, so prepare by reviewing your notes, the key terms and characters, and the Guided Reading Questions for each chapter.

The Immigration Discussion

• Make sure you have read both chapters as well as the Interpreting Immigration Data page and the Population documents referenced therein.  Read the Immigration Acts of 1921 and 1924, taking particular note of the highlighted portions.
• Write a 5 minute speech outlining your position for or against these laws and supporting your position with details and analysis of these documents.  Use the bulleted focus topics in the Discussion as inspiration.
• Record your speech and upload it to the Unit 4 Discussion: Immigration in the 1920s.  Substantially respond to at least two of your peers' speeches.

Take the Unit 4 Quiz

• Take the Unit 4 Quiz - you can only take it once, so prepare by reviewing your notes, the Key Terms and Characters, and the Guided Reading Questions for each of the chapters.