20-3 The Business of America
pp. 601-605
Essential Question: In the 1920s was the country's prosperity superficial?
Subquestions:
a. How did consumer goods become the foundation of the business boom of the 1920s?
b. How was the landscape of America shaped by the automobile?
c. Which Americans were left out of the benefits of the 1920s?
d. What were the advantages and disadvantages of buying on credit?
What were the advantages and disadvantages of buying on credit?
ReplyDelete"Industry provided another solution to the problem of luring customers to purchase the mountain of goods produced each year: easy credit." Other people knew it as, "a dollar down and a dollar forever." An installment plan was created and it enabled people to but goods over time without putting down as much during the time of the purchase. Banks provided this money at low interest rates. Economists and business owners thought that the installment buying might get out of hand. Many Americans concentrated on the present and didn't believe anything could go wrong in the economy during the 1920's. In an article called The Causes of the Great Depression one reason was because of easy credit. With the rise in inventory during the 1920's stock prices soared. This rise was fueled by easy credit which allowed people to buy stocks on margin.
http://www.historycentral.com/DEP/Causesofdep.html
A:consumer goods in the 1920's made life easier. the usage of gas and electricity helped with home appliences like a sewing machine and lights. you can buy basic appliences like a radio a phonograph, a washing machine, and other goods for about $400 and more electrical products came on the market and a new age industry began
ReplyDeleteHow was the landscape of America shaped by the automobile?
ReplyDeleteThe automobile was the "Backbone" of American economy in the 1920's. (Danzer) The construction of paved roads, the garage, and gas stations was the impact the automobile had in America. The first automatic traffic signal started up in Detroit. (Danzer) The working class was now not so isolated. Thus began urban sprawl- causing cities to spread in all directions. “Why on earth do you need to study what’s changing this country? I can tell you what’s happening in just four letters: A-U-T-O.” A resident of Muncie, Indiana quoted in 1924. This shows the vast impact the automobile had on millions of Americans.
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Transwiki:American_history_quotes_Roaring_20s
How was the landscape of America shaped by the automobile?
ReplyDeleteWhen the automobile came to America they begain paving roads, making them more suitable for driving. In http://americanhistory.si.edu/onthemove/exhibition/exhibition_8_3.html they a time laps of a place in Richmond of the roads in the 1900 till about 1947, how much it changed so that the cars can have a smooth place to ride. With having cars, houses begain to change haivng garages and driveways, which made the lawns much shorter. The futrue of gasoline stations, repair shops, public garages ect, all came into play giving more jobs to Americans as well as repairing our new cars. Traffic lights were installed and Donzar even says that the Holland Tunnel was made in 1927 so that you can transport underwater. Rural familys were able to know travel where ever they want with a low coast and workers now could live far from their jobs, called the urban sprawl, becuase of cars. Cars need oil so people started focausing on California and Texas that are oil-producing states. All this changed how America looked greatly. From the sounds of it, American begain to look more technial and more advanced with this great technology of self transportation.
"The Automobile Literally Changed the American landscape." (Danzer 601) The most obvious change to the landscape would be the roads paved for the cars to travel on. Also, it changed home design. Because cars became more popular, garages were added to houses as well as driveways. The auto boom also prompted many gas stations, repair shops, and motels to be built, along with other travel friendly establishments. The use of cars also allowed workers to live farther from their jobs, thus creating the urban sprawl. Cars like the newly designed Ford Model A, were paving the way to a new society, like the one shown in the link below.
ReplyDeletehttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ed/1929_Ford_Model_A_155B_Town_Sedan_SZT424_2.jpg
The main group of Americans that were left out of the properity were iron and railroad industries, as well as farmers and miners. This is because these groups were most likely unable to keep up with the demands of the 1920 consumers. Everyone wanted more, more, more, and these workers cant make these produces on an assembly line, which is how factories made their goods so quickly. All of those things take time, and they can't just magically appear, as the popular products of the 1920's, like furniture, appeared to......
ReplyDeleteHow did the landscape change the automobile?
ReplyDeleteLandscape was a huge impact on the American automobile. The biggest impact was the construction of paved roads. This made it more suitable for driving in poor weather. As garages took form, the architectural structure of cars changed. Automobiles "launched gasoline stations, repair shops, public garages, motels, tourist camps, and shopping centers." ( page 601 Danzer ) In Detroit the first blinking light took place in the 1920's. The Automobile before the war was a true luxury for most American families. In the 1920's a max production of cars took place in the US. For rural families the car made a big impact because this meant that they could now go into the city for shopping or for just fun entertainment. It made people more independent being able to do things of there own time and at their own free will. The car became a symbol for the "success of the free enterprise system." ( Danzer page 602 ) Nowhere else in the world could you have little money and expect to be able to afford transportation. The automobile was literally life changing.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roaring_Twenties#New_products_and_technologies.
Automobiles spread out cities, a process called ‘urban sprawl’ (Danzer, p602). This was because the automobile allowed people to live further from their houses so workers could live what used to be a day or more of travel away from the workplace. Families who were normally isolated traveled more frequently, vacations became more common, and women and young people gained more mobility. Cities benefited from the invention of automobiles because they eliminated the horse-drawn carriage which made the streets much cleaner (autolife, Clay McShane).
ReplyDeletehttp://www.autolife.umd.umich.edu/Environment.htm
Kim Pepper-How was the landscape of America shaped by the automobile?
ReplyDeleteThe first paragraph titled "One American's Story" usually gives a clue about what the essential question is or explains a significant movement, person, etc. On this first paragraph of 20.3, Danzer says, "The automobile became the backbone of the American economies in the 1920s (and remained such until the 1970s)." The automobile's most important visible effect was the construction of paved roads. Houses started including garages and driveways. It started the construction of gasoline stations, repair shops, public garages, motels, tourist camps, and shopping centers. Traffic signals in Detroit and underwater tunnels such as the Holland Tunnel popped up, as well as intersections such as the Woodbridge Cloverleaf. Women had more mobility, and jobs could be further away, causing urban sprawl. The automobile became the ultimate status symbol. "Motor vehicles and paved roads have narrowed the gap between rural and urban life.", says The Impact of the Automobile on the 20th Century (http://l3d.cs.colorado.edu/systems/agentsheets/New-Vista/automobile/). Farmers didn't even have to solely rely on railroads anymore. The automobile was, and continues to be, a significant part of everyday life.
There are many advantages to buying things with credit. One is if you don’t have the money you can get it from bank loans. This allowed you to pay for the thing you wanted and then you would pay the bank back overtime through installment payments. This was started with the installment plan. On page 605 Danzer included a conversation in which President Coolidge and a business man talk about a man who sold his stove to pay off the installment payment of his car then bought a another stove with another bank loan. Even today bank loans and credit is a dangerous way to pay for thins according to http://www.sec.state.ma.us/sct/sctprs/prscrd/crdidx.htm , “Many young adults have been forced by long-term financial problems to file for bankruptcy. In the years 1991-1999, there was a 50% increase in bankruptcy filings for people under 25.” From back then to today the ricks and rewards of credit are the same and the same mistakes keep reoccurring
ReplyDeleteEssential Question: In the 1920s was the country's prosperity superficial?
ReplyDeleteSubquestions:
a. How did consumer goods become the foundation of the business boom of the 1920s?
b. How was the landscape of America shaped by the automobile?
"Its most visible effect was the construction of paved roads suitable for year-round driving in all weather." Architectural styles of houses and properties changed-- they had garages, carports and driveways. Gas stations, public garages, motels, tourist camps and shopping centers were also built. Also underground tunnels were built--the Holland Tunnel which connected states to other states. "The automobile became a status symbol." -- for americas economy and the success of the free enterprise system.
c. Which Americans were left out of the benefits of the 1920s?
d. What were the advantages and disadvantages of buying on credit?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of buying on credit?
ReplyDeleteThe pros and cons of buying on credit are the same now as they have been for the past century. The basic premise is you borrow money on credit to purchase something now and then you pay back the loan over time. There are many pros to do this. First of all this allows people to buy items, such as cars, that they would never be able to afford in one payment. The installment plans as they were called, allowed people to pay over an extended period of time. (Danzer, 605). This can allow for greater spending, especially on luxury items, which benefits the economy. Another pro is that many people who borrow the money will use it to invest. Investing the money will cause new businesses and opportunities to arise. (http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAndBenefits/ManagingMoney/CreditAndStoreCardsCreditAndLoans/DG_10035376........ Also economic master John Spear said this too)
Obviously there are cons to this as well. The glaring one being that people tend to over borrow and can’t pay back their loans. This can destroy an economy, as it did in the 2008 economic crash. People take more money out then they can possibly pay back. Overall, I feel that borrowing on credit is hugely advantageous and is one of the reasons we have such a high standard of living.
how awesome are you guys? Can you PLEASE post pics and videos????????? Let's reduce the text a bit so people are more inclined to engage with each other's work.
ReplyDeleteIn the 1920s was the country's prosperity superficial?
ReplyDeleteThe countries prosperity was a time bomb waiting to happen. After reading the story on page 605 Danzer(in the time of silent cal) middle class people were blind to the effects of things like the installment plan. People started buying way above their "means" and could no longer afford
the "roaring twenties" lifestyle. There was a perpetual cycle created by a few factors listed in the picture below.
http://us.history.wisc.edu/hist102/lectures/cycle.gif
And once the people couldn't afford the cycle the whole economy collapsed on itself. This was known as the "Great Depression"