Term+3+Test+2+Questions

Test 2
Also known as the Dirty Thirties, the Dust Bowl was a period of time between 1930 to 1936 (longer in some areas) in which both American and Canadian land was severly damaged. The conditions were caused by a severe drought, extensive farming with out crop rotation, fallow land, and no means of prevention land erosion. The Dust Bowl region, commonly known as the Great Plains, is characterized as semi-arid, recieving less than 20 inches of rain each year, just enough to support the native Shortgrasses. During wet years, the soil in the Great Plains region produces abundant crops. However, during dry years the crops fail. Likewise, this region is subject to windspeeds higher than any other region except coastal regions. By the same token, the Great Plains region experienced a period of relatively heavy rain and plentiful crops in the 30 or so years leading up to the Dust Bowl. Consequently, farmers tripled their land under cultivation and were agriculturally irresponsible in preventing land erosion because, as a result of the wet years, the land was quite forgiving. However, in 1930 the wet years came to an end and the Great Plains region entered into a extremely severe drought, intensified by the land use practices of the time. The crops that year failed and the plowed fields were left to be ransacked by wind erosion. Another factor which contributed to wind erosion was the absence of land erosion techniques. The natural grasses that had formerly held the top soil in place had been plowed extensively, leaving nothing to hold the soil in its place. As a result, the dry, dusty soil was stirred up by the wind into substantial clouds of dust, which further prevented rainfall. In May 1934, a two day dust storm, one of the worst of the Dust Bowl, swept soil all the way to Chicago where the dirt fell like snow. Two days later, the dust clouds reached eastern cities, such as New York, Buffalo, Washington D.C., and Boston. That winter, red snow fell in New England. Furthermore, in April 1935, (on Black Sunday) twenty of the worst "Black Blizzards" of the Dust Bowl occured. The Blizzards were so bad, they made day appear as if it were night. Those who witnessed them reported they could not see five feet in front of them in certain areas. Conditions in the Dust Bowl were so dreary, it prompted the migration of 2.5 million people from that area. It was the largest migration of people in the United States within such a short amount of time. Out of those 2.5 million people, 200,000 from various states (Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Texas, and Colorado) migrated to California. These people were called "Okies" because the majority were from Oklahoma. Because of the winds or bank foreclosures (due to repeated crop failures), over 500,000 people were left homeless. After one storm, 356 homes had to be torn down due to the damage caused by the wind. Not only did it cause people to leave, it ended up killing those in the area, more exclusively those in Kansas and Oklahoma. Many residents of those states died from complications due to dust pneumonia or malnutrition.
 * __Dust Bowl:__**

__**Prohibition:**__ Also known as The Nobel Experiment was a period of time between 1920 to 1933 during which the sale, manufacturing, and distribution of alcohol for consumption was banned by the Eighteenth Amendment of the United States. On January 16, 1919, the Amendment was ratified by 36 states. Consequently, on January 16, 1920, the Amendment went into effect and a total of 1, 520 federal Prohibition agents (a fancy name for police) were given the job of enforcing the law. So began an era of cop dodging (both inside and outside of the government) and civil disobedience. Although the law prevented the sale, manufacturing, and transport of alcohol, it did not ban the consumption of alcohol. In fact, it allowed the making of homemade wine and fruit cider (although no beer could legally be produced), and up to 200 gallons could be made at home each year. Additionally, many people amassed large amounts of alcoholic beverages for their use in the latter years of 1919, before the sale of alcohol was made illegal in January of 1920. Furthermore, alcoholic beverages were not illegal in surrounding countries, such as Canada and Mexico. Breweries in these areas flourished as their products were consumed by visiting Americans and imported illegally into the U.S. Chicago became the infamous hideout for Prohibition dodgers during the Roaring Twenties. Two of the most famous of these dodgers were gangsters, Al Capone and his rival, Bugs Moran. These two men made millions of dollars selling alcohol on the black market. During the next decade, numerous crimes could be linked back to Chicago and the bootlegging operations there. It is commonly believed that Prohibition caused the increase in organized and gang related crime. Prior to the 1920s, Mafia members generally limited their activities to gambling and theft. However because of Prohibition, it made bootlegging extremely profitable and brought along with it many increasingly more severe crimes. Prohibition was widely supported by many differing groups, such as Progressives (who believed it was for the good of society and would greatly improve it). It was also generally supported by women (with the exception of the Woman's Organization for Prohibition Reform), southerners, physicians (alcohol was frequently prescribed during this time, for it's therapeutic qualities), the KKK, and African Americans. When Prohibition began to become more and more unpopular, especially in larger cities, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed into law the Cullen-Harrison Act. The Cullen-Harrison Act allowed the sale, manufacturing, and distribution of 3.2% beer and light wines. This became law on April 7, 1933. The Eighteenth Amendment was repealed with the passing of the Twenty-first Amendment on December 5, 1933.

__**Bonus Army:**__ The Bonus Army was a force of World War I veterans, their families and sympathetic groups, totaling over 43,000 people, who marched on Washington D.C. for a period of about a month during June and July of 1932. After their service in WWI, veterans either did not receiver their war bonuses, or only received $60 when a much larger amount was due them. In 1924, Congress passed legislation which insured payment of these veterans. Each veteran would receive $1 a day for each day of domestic service, up to $500. $1.25 a day was paid for each day of overseas service, reaching a maximum of $625. The government paid veterans who were owed $50 or less immediately. However, those whom the government owed more than $50 were given certificates of service which would mature in 20 years. Consequently, 3,662,374 military service certificates were issued, totaling 3.6 billion dollars. However, when the Great Depression came along and during the early 1930s, people were hurting financially, and veterans wanted their money. This situation went from bad to worse when the veterans decided to march on Washington D.C. Veterans began to gather around June 17 in a Hooverville across the Ancostia River from the federal core. The camp was built from whatever could be scavenged from a nearby dump. The camp was very tightly controlled by the Bonus Army. Each member living in the Hooverville was required to register and prove that they had been honorably discharged from their service. Streets were laid out, sanitation facilities built and parades were held daily. The protesters hoped to convince Congress to pay veterans immediately. A bill to do just thad had been passed in the House of Representatives on June 15, but had been stopped in the Senate. On July 28, 1932, US Attorney General Palmer ordered the evacuation of the veterans by the police. When the protesters resisted, the police shot at them, killing two. When President Hoover heard of this, he ordered the army to evacuate the protesters. That same afternoon, General MacArthur, the 12th Infantry Regiment of Fort Howard, Maryland, the 3rd Cavalry Regiment and six tanks formed in Pennsylvania Avenue. At first, the Bonus Army believed the army was there for their support. However, their minds were quickly changed when the Cavalry charged them. After the Cavalry charged, the Infantry went into the Hooverville camp with fixed bayonets and adamsite gas and began evicting the Bonus Army and their families. The veterans fled across the Ancostia River and President Hoover ordered for the attack to be stopped. However, General MacArthur believed the demonstration to be related to Communists and therefore, ignored the President's orders and issued a new attack. Hundreds, even thousands were injured, and several were killed on both sides.

Alphonse Gabriel "Al" Capone was born on January 17, 1899, in Brooklyn to Gabriele and Teresina Capone who were immigrants from southern Italy. Capone was the fourth of eight children born to Gabriele and Teresina Capone. It is believed that Capone was brought up in a deeply religious background, his mother being a very devout Roman Catholic. At the age of 14, Capone dropped out of school after being expelled, after which he worked odd jobs around town such as working at a candy store and a bowling alley. During this time he was influenced by gangster Johnny Torrio, whom he considered a mentor. Capone was associated with several small gangs before he joined first the Brooklyn Rippers, and then the infamous Five Points Gang. He was mentored and hired by gangster Frankie Yale. It was during this time that he recieved the scars that would later lead to his name "Scarface Al." One night, while working the door at a night club and salon owned by Yale, he unknowingly insulted a woman. This resulted in a fight between Capone and the woman's brother, Frank Gallucio. Capone was slashed on the left side of his face three times by Gallucio and later apologized after being prompted by Yale. On December 30, 1918, Capone married Mae Josephine Coughlin. Their son, Albert Francis Capone was born earlier that same month. Capone then left New York for Chicago without his new wife and son. Once in Chicago, he bought a modest home, after which his family joined him in Chicago. Capone was invited to Chicago by his old mentor, Torrio, who saw many business opportunities such as bootlegging, following the ratification of Prohibition. In 1923, after the new mayoral election in Chicago, the new mayor decided to crack down on gang related activities within the city limits. Therefore, Capone was forced to move his headquarters elsewhere. He chose Cicero, Illinios, as the ideal city. However, a gang already controlled the city and they were not about to let another gang in. Nevertheless, Capone's gang took over the town government in 1924, resulting in one of Capone's greatest triumphs. The takeover resulted in over 200 deaths. When Torrio was severely injured following an assassination attempt, he was badly shaken and turned the entire gang over to Capone. Torrio then returned to Italy. Capone controlled large amounts of the Chicago underworld, which provided his gang with a profit of an estimated $100 million a year. This profit was generated through all sorts of illegal activities, such as gambling and prostitution. However, the most money was made bootlegging liquor. However, this was not without much difficulty. Chicago consisted of two major gangs, Capone's gang, and the North Side Gang. The two gangs were constantly waging war on each other, hijacking each others booze trucks and attempting assassinations on each other. Capone arranged the most notorious gang related killing of the century. In February 1929, Capone arranged for his men to rent an apartment across the street from the North Side Gang's trucking warehouse that served as it's headquarters. On February 14, Valentine's Day, Capone's look out signaled for gunmen, dressed as policemen to "raid" the warehouse. The gunmen lined seven men up along the wall, without a struggle and signaled in associates with machine guns. The associates then gunned the helpless victims down, putting 15-20 bullets in each person. This massacre, which became known as the St. Valentine's Massacre, outraged the public and caused the federal government to monitor Capone's activities more closely. Later in 1929, Prohibition agent Eliot Ness conducted a successful investigation on Capone and his activities. Ness was able to find sufficient evidence to convict him of income tax evasion and violation of Prohibition in 1931. He was found guilty and given an eleven year sentence with heavy fines, and liens were placed on much of his property. In 1932, Capone was sent to the tough Atlanta US Penitentiary, but he was able use bribery to obtain special privileges. From there he was transferred to Alcatraz. He was not able to obtain any special privileges there and had no contact with the outside world. Therefore, with the end of Prohibition and having no contact with his operations, they quickly fell apart. Capone finished his sentence at Alcatraz on January 6, 1939. He then served his one year misdemeanor sentence in the Federal Correctional Institution in California. He was placed on parole on November 16, 1939, after which he returned to his home in Palm Springs, Florida. After his release, he was no longer able to run his gang. He suffered from the effects of neurosyphillis, raving on about Communists, foreigners, and Bugs Moran, who he was convinced was still trying to kill him. Capone had a stroke in early January 1947, but seemed to recover. However, he contracted pneumonia on January 24 and died of a cardiac arrest the next day.
 * __Al Capone:__**

Also known as the Wall Street Crash of 1929 or the Stock Market Crash of 1929. The decade that led up to the Crash was a time of excess, prosperity, and despite caution of the dangers involved in speculation, many believed that the market could sustain high price levels. However, everything game to a halt on October 29, 1929 when the market completely shattered. The crash came at a time of declined real estate values, and was one of the beginning events in a chain that would lead to the Great Depression. Prior to Black Tuesday, stock market prices had peaked over a period of six years in September 1929. However, the market fell sharply for a month, losing 17% of its value. Prices recovered over half the loses in the next week, only to fall drastically on Black Thursday, October 24, 1929. Over the weekend, the events began to be covered by the newspapers and the following Monday, more investors decided to get out of the market. The next day, Black Tuesday, October 29, 1929 although 16 million shares were traded at the end of the day the market lost $14 billion, bringing the total loss of the week up to $30 billion.
 * __Black Tuesday:__**

A series of economic programs designed and instigated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to stimulate the economy and create jobs during the period of 1933 to 1937. The policies of the New Deal were left largely in place by the succeeding Presidents until about 1974. However, some programs, such as Social Security, are still in tact today. Roosevelt's interest in and belief that wealth was linked to farming and would not return again if farming was not prospering led him to create the Agricultural Adjustment Administration (AAA) in 1933. The AAA aimed to raise the prices of commodities through creating an artificial scarcity. Domestic allotments, setting a total output on agricultural products was also used. In order to enforce this, the AAA provided farm subsidies to farmers who would leave some of their farm land idle. The idea was to force the price of food up by creating a shortage in the amount of food available on the market. In 1933, the first year of the program, 10 million acres of cotton was plowed up, crops were left to rot, and six million piglets were slaughtered and wasted. The AAA was declared unconstitutional in 1936 "a statutory plan to regulate and control agricultural production, [is] a matter beyond the powers delegated to the federal government..."; however, a similar constitutional program that was instituted that is still in use today. There were many other programs, such as the National Recovery Administration (NRA) which attempted to stabilize prices through competitive "code authorities" involving government, business, and labor. It was also discontinued on the grounds of being unconstitutional in 1936. The Rural Electrification Administration, which helped bring electricity to rural communities (duh) who, still did not have power. Public Works Administration (PWA) was created for the building of large-scale public works, such as bridges and dams. Other New Deal administrations include the Home Owners' Loan Corporation (HOLC), Federal Housing Administration (FHA), Works Progress Administration (WPA), and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)
 * __New Deal:__**

The Civilian Conservation Corps was a public works program set in action as part President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal. During the period of time between 1933 and 1942, the CCC provided work for unemployed men and provided job training for these men, at the same time as it implemented a natural resource conservation movement on federal, state, county, and municipal level in all of the States, as well as many territories of the U.S,. The CCC was the most popular of the New Deal programs among the general public. During it's operation, it brought relief
 * __Civilian Conservation Corps:__**

The Lend-Lease Act was passed on March 11, 1941, and was a program of the United States during World War II. It allowed the United States to supplied war materials to the Allies while still remaining a neutral nation.The program was a large step away from American neutrality and towards world involvement following World War II.
 * __Lend-Lease Act:__**

On August 2, 1939, Albert Einstein wrote a letter to President Roosevelt, telling him of Germany's efforts to try and isolate and purify uranium-235 for use in an atomic bomb. This sparked the undertaking of "The Mahattan Project" which was an effort to beat Germany in the race for an atomic bomb. The project was headed by physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, who also unleashed the power of the atom. From 1939 to 1945, the project would receive over $2 billion (current value of $22 billion) dollars in research funds. Many of the very scientists who created the atomic bomb later regretted that fact, because at the time, they did not know how powerful it actually was or the nuclear war it would spark, and the problems we still face today.
 * __Atomic Bomb:__**

__**Island Hopping:**__ As called leapfrogging. Island Hopping was a military strategy used during World War II in the Pacific Theater against Japan. The idea was to skip the heavily fortified islands and move onto islands that were closer to the Japanese mainland with fewer troops, and were therefore easier to overtake. This strategy used submarine and air attacks to isolate Japanese bases, weakening their ability to resupply and retaliate. Thus, the Japanese troops on the bypassed islands were useless in the fight against the United States. Island hopping gave the United States several advantages over Japan. For instance, it allowed the U.S. troops to reach Japan much faster with less loss of life, and was a better and more efficient use of resources and supplies. Another advantage was the element of surprise that it caused among the Japanese which kept them off balance.