What you'll learn
American society from the Roaring Twenties to the civil rights era.
Boom and bust
- The 1920s boom: consumerism, mass production, but inequality (farmers, immigrants, African Americans; Prohibition; the KKK).
- The Wall Street Crash (1929) and the Great Depression.
- Roosevelt's New Deal: aims, agencies and debates over success.
War and prosperity
- Impact of WWII on the economy and society; post-war affluence and its limits.
Civil rights
- Segregation and the civil rights movement: Brown v Board (1954), Montgomery Bus Boycott, Martin Luther King, and later Black Power.
Exam tips
- Balance 'opportunity' with 'inequality' in your answers.
- Support civil rights answers with specific events.
Common mistakes
- Presenting the 1920s as prosperous for everyone.
- Overstating the New Deal's success.