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The Roaring Twenties: A Treasure Hunt

The Big Question: What were the major political, social, economic,
technological, and cultural developments of the 1920s?
Students in grade eleven study the major turning points in American history in the
twentieth century. In this activity, you will examine CA Standard 11.5, which
states that students will analyze the major political, social, economic,
technological, and cultural developments of the 1920s within the section United
States History and Geography: Continuity and Change in the Twentieth Century.

Your Mission: Build upon the tenth grade study of global industrialization to
understand the emergence and impact of new technology and a corporate economy,
including the social and cultural effects. Through internet research, you will trace
the change in the ethnic composition of American society, the movement toward
equal rights for racial minorities and women, and the role of the United States as a
major world power.
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Questions:
1. 1. What were the policies of Presidents Warren Harding, Calvin Coolidge, and
Herbert Hoover?
2. 2. What were the Palmer Raids? What was the impact of this event?
3. 3. Explain Marcus Garveys back-to-Africa movement. What was its
influence on our nations philosophy and on civil liberties?
4. 4. How did the Ku Klux Klan influence domestic events, especially in the
South?
5. 5. What were the immigration quotas during the 1920s? What were the
responses to immigration during this time? How do they relate to today?
6. 6. What is the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution? How was it passed?
7. 7. What was the Volstead Act (Prohibition)? What was its effects?
8. 8. What is the Nineteenth Amendment? How was it passed and how did it
change womens role in society?
9. 9. Describe the Harlem Renaissance and new trends in literature, music, and
art, with special attention to the work of writers (e.g., Zora Neale Hurston,
Langston Hughes).
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10. 10. How did the growth of radio and movies affect the worldwide diffusion of
popular culture?

Report Directions:
1. 1. Visit all websites listed below.
2. 2. With a partner, research and answer the questions, but each student will turn
in his or her own work.
3. 3. Create a Google Doc, number your answers, and answer each question in
complete sentences. List the website that you used to obtain the information at
the end of each question.
4. 4. Upload your research to the class folder on Google Drive.
5. 5. Write your answers in your own words. If you use words from the articles,
use proper citation.
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6. 6. Save your Google Doc as treasuehunt__LastName

7. 7. Get creative! Use photos, diagrams, graphs, etc. to enhance your research.

Websites:
1. 1. http://www.1920-30.com
2. 2. http://www.history.com/topics/roaring-twenties
3. 3. https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-by-era/roaring-
twenties/essays/roaring-twenties
4. 4. http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1564.html
5. 5. http://www.american-historama.org/1913-1928-ww1-prohibition-
era/roaring-twenties.htm