Unit 13

By jesaly

  • Sedition Act of 1918

    Sedition Act of 1918 made it illegal to speak out against the government. At this time, any criticism of the government could be censored and punished. The Supreme Court upheld these laws in Schenck v. United States. it argued that freedom of speech could be revoked when such speech posed a danger to the nation.

  • Greatest Strike

    The greatest strike in American history hit the steel industry. More than 250,000 steelworkers went on strike, seeking the right to organize and collectively bargain. The steel companies refused to negotiate, and they brought in 30,000 African-Americans to keep the mills running. The strike eventually collapsed, crippling the union movement. Thousands of blacks moved to the North in search of war-industry employment. Deadly disputes between whites and blacks broke out.

  • 18th Amendment

    The 18th Amendment, passed in 1919, banned alcohol. It was enforced by the Volstead Act. Prohibition was popular in the South, where white southerners wanted to keep stimulants out of the hands of blacks, and in the West, where alcohol was associated with crime and corruption.

  • 19th Amendment

    After men left the country to fight in the war, women took up the factory and field jobs. Impressed by this work, President Wilson supported passage of the 19th Amendment, which gave all American women the right to vote.

  • Immigration Act of 1924

    The Immigration Act of 1924 cut quotas for foreigners from 3% to 2%. Japanese were banned from coming to America. Canadians and Latin Americans were exempt from the act, because their close proximity made it easy to attract them when they were needed and it was easy to send them home when they were not needed. The quota system significantly reduced immigration. The Immigration Act of 1924 ended the era of unrestricted immigration to the United States.

  • Stock Market Crash

    The stock market crash was triggered by the British, who raised their interest rates in an effort to bring back capital lured abroad by American investments. They needed money, and were unable to trade with the United States due the high tariffs. On October 29,1929, millions of stocks were sold in a panic. As a result of the crash, millions lost their jobs of banks closed.The United States was the hardest industrialized nation to be hit.This crash led to the Great Depression.