The Twenties, the Depression, and the New Deal

The 1920s roared, then the floor fell out. The decade of boom turned into the worst economic collapse in American history, and the government's response changed what people expected from it forever.

The Roaring Twenties

• ●A booming economy, cars, radio, and jazz music
• ●The Harlem Renaissance: a flowering of Black art, music, and writing
• ●Prohibition banned alcohol, which fueled organized crime
• ●Many people bought stocks on credit, betting prices would keep rising

The Great Depression

In October 1929, the stock market crashed. Banks failed, businesses closed, and roughly one in four workers lost their jobs. The Dust Bowl, a series of dust storms, wrecked farms in the Great Plains on top of it all.

The New Deal

President Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) won in 1932 promising action. His New Deal was a set of programs to provide relief, recovery, and reform.

• ●Relief: jobs programs put people back to work
• ●Recovery: spending to restart the economy
• ●Reform: Social Security and bank regulations to prevent another crash