If we did not have cars…

"I will build a car for the great multitude. It will be large enough for the family, but small enough for the individual to run and care for. It will be constructed of the best materials, by the best men to be hired, after the simplest designs that modern engineering can devise. But it will be low in price that no man making a good salary will be unable to own one-and enjoy with his family the blessing of hours of pleasure in God's great open spaces.” - Henry Ford

Moving Assembly Line

Mass Production

10.2 A Growing Economy

I. Changes in Transportation & Communication

A. Cars revolutionized American life

I. Changes in Transportation & Communication

B. After the Wright brothers’ first flight in 1903, the airline industry began to grow

1. Planes used in WWI2. Govt. began airmail service in 19183. Charles Lindbergh’s transatlantic, solo, nonstop flight

from New York to Paris in 1927 brought much attention to the airline industry

4. Airlines carried more people across the U.S. at the end of the 1920s

Charles Lindbergh

I. Changes in Transportation & Communication

C. First radio broadcast was in 19201. Led to the spread of national trends & ideas2. The radio was part of a new mass media, that also

included movies, newspapers, & magazines, which all helped to unify the nation

I. Changes in Transportation & Communication

D. The movie industry, although not new, had it’s first “talkie” with the production of The Jazz Singer

The movie palaces had vast & opulent accommodations including imperial staircases, kingly restrooms, gilded ornaments, marble staircases, crystal chandeliers, & ceilings painted with epic murals.

II. A New Consumer Society

A. Mass production led to the creation of new consumer goods, including many new products for the home

II. A New Consumer Society…B. People began to buy the new items

using credit1. “Buy now, pay later”2. Being in debt was no longer

shameful

•In 1925, Americans made 75% of all automobile purchases on the installment plan.

• One study showed that working men who made $35 a week often spent $35 a month paying for the family car.

Washing Machine $97.50$5 down, $8 a month

Sofa $74.50$5 down, $8 a month

Refrigerator $87.50$5 down, $10 a month

Vacuum Cleaner $28.50$2 down, $4 a month

II. A New Consumer Society…C. To attract customers,

manufacturers turned to advertising1. Became a competitive

industry

II. The Consumer Society…

D. Not all Americans shared in this economic boom1. Minorities & women lost jobs from the war2. Native Americans remained isolated on reservations3. New immigrants were stuck in low paying factory jobs

III. The Farm Crisis

A. Farmers struggled financially during the 1920s1. Following the war, demand for their crops dropped but

supply remained high

III. The Farm Crisis

B. In response, Congress passed the Fordney-McCumber Act, which raised tariffs

1. This provoked a reaction in foreign markets against American farm products

III. The Farm Crisis…

C. Congress also proposed the McNary-Haugen Bill

1. Plan would raise farm prices by allowing the govt. to buy surpluses

2. President Coolidge vetoed it

Henry Ford is known for…

1. Inventing the assembly line2. Inventing the car3. Mass producing the car4. Lowering wages & increasing hours

Mass production led to all of the following EXCEPT…

1. Higher wages2. Higher costs3. Increased demand for consumer goods 4. Increased production

All of the following are TRUE about Henry Ford EXCEPT…

1. He was referred to as an “ignorant genius”2. He required his employees to learn English3. He profited off of the war4. He paid all workers $5/day without any

restrictions

Which is the BEST reason as to why Americans were able to purchase more in the 1920s?

1. Lower prices2. Higher wages3. Advertised sales4. Availability of credit

The McNary-Haugen Bill called for the government to…

1. Place tariffs on foreign agricultural products2. Set lower prices for agricultural products sold

in the U.S.3. Increase taxes on farmers4. Buy American crop surpluses and sell them

abroad

After World War I, the U.S. economy prospered from new industries including all of the following EXCEPT…

1. The expansion of air travel2. The invention of the television3. The growth of radio4. The automobile industry