GCSE COURSE AND RESOURCES

Y10 WJEC COURSE AND RESOURCES

Topic 1 :the usa, a nation of contrasts 1910-1929

RESOURCES and Revision

Topic 1 Workpack

For this topic you must study the three Key Questions below:

1. Why did immigration become such a major issue in American society?

The attempts to restrict immigration - (The Open Door; demands for restriction; government legislation to reduce immigration)
Fear of political extremism entering the USA - (Xenophobia, the actions of anarchists; the Red Scare; the Palmer Raids; the Sacco & Vanzetti case)

2. Was America a country of religious and racial intolerance during this period?

Religious fundamentalism - (The Bible Belt; the ideas of the religious fundamentalists e.g: the Monkey Trial)
Attitudes towards black Americans and racial minorities - (The treatment of the Native Americans; segregation and Jim Crow, the Ku Klux Klan; black reaction: migration north and west; the work of the NAACP and the UNIA)

3. Was the 1920's a decade of organised crime and corruption?

The age of prohibition (The reasons for prohibition (The Volstead Act); life under prohibition; enforcement)
The era of the gangsters (Organised crime: Al Capone; gang warfare & violence: the St. Valentines Day Massacre)
Government corruption and scandal (e.g: Harding and his 'Ohio Gang'; misappropriation of government funds; the Tea Pot Dome scandal)

Short videos and powerpoints on immigration and racial issues in America.