Why was there an economic boom in the 1920s Essay Example

Why was there an economic boom in the 1920s Essay Example Why was there an economic boom in the 1920s Paper Why was there an economic boom in the 1920s Paper This essay will investigate why there was an economic boom in the 1920s. It will lead you through the reasons why there was an economic boom and how they were linked to cause the economic boom as a whole. Lady Liberty that stands proudly in New York says, Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me. I lift my lamp beside the golden door. After the war, this was Americas statement to the world. It told people everywhere that if they were unsatisfied with life they could come to America, the Land of Opportunity, for a better life. This statement caused millions of immigrants to horde over to America. They became the fuel America needed for its boom by working to improve Americas economy. Without the immigrants there would not be enough people to push this boom of the 1920s forward. Americas growing population was encouraged to work hard by the Republican presidents of the time. They introduced the policy of Laissez-Faire which was basically the Republican presidents, specifically Coolidge, Harding and Hoover, leaving the economy to run without government interference. The state did not meddle with business, and in addition, there were low taxes on income and profit so that the American population could retain their money and invest it back into American goods, strengthening the economy. However, the Republican presidents had put a large tax onto foreign goods, making American goods much cheaper so that Americans, and the rest of the world, would buy them. After the World War ended in 1918, America had come out on top. Lots of countries, mainly from Europe had been buying huge amounts of goods from America to fuel themselves in the War. This meant that whilst all these countries had been devastated, American industry was thriving from all the sales they had made. Americas industry had become the largest in the world and had created a huge European market which kept pouring money into the American economy. The war had strengthened the American economy greatly, along with the plentiful natural resources in America to be used by the industry. The bountiful amounts of money that the American economy had, paved the way for advances in technology. The use of electricity to its full potential was the main advance that boomed many other technological advances. Electricity was in most homes in America and 70 percent had electric lighting. Factories were increasingly being run on electricity and overall the electricity consumption had doubled in the 1920s. This had paved the way for a whole range of domestic goods such as cookers, fridges, vacuum cleaners, washing machines and radios which now were in such a large scale that had never been seen before. Now factories were much more efficient, which contributed to a boom in the transport, construction and advertising industries as well as shopping. A great example of the boom of the 1920s was Henry Ford. He had thought of the assembly line to produce the most successful car ever in mass production. This assembly line brought great efficiency to his car manufacture which meant he could sell it for much cheaper than the competition which made more people buy it so he could make the car even cheaper. Unsurprisingly, Ford got extremely wealthy, but he had also done a great deed for American economy. He had introduced an extremely efficient production technique to America which led to companies trying to improve their efficiency as well. Because of Henry Ford American industry became very efficient and it strengthened the economy. Also very importantly this had boomed many other industries as well. The rubber, glass, and metal industries increased rapidly due to Ford needing the materials for his Model T. The amount of roads doubled which opened up a space for mail order and shopping, causing mass advertising and people becoming richer which created big businesses, which sold more goods increasing the economy. Americas economic boom was carrying on and on. Every boom had created other booms, and this had continued to happen all through the roaring1920s. This had created many new businesses and strengthened current business which in turn created less unemployment, which created a richer population, who then were most likely to reinvest into American goods due to the tax on foreign goods. Confidence in American Economy grew and firms were offering to loan money to the population. This gave more money to Americans which they either spent on goods which strengthened the economy or they invested it into stocks which strengthened the economy also. All of these things contributed in the economy increasing rapidly which in the end produced a self generating economy. This self generating economy had caused American economy to be in a time of great success and all the factors which I have explained during this essay contributed to this Self generating economy.

Robert Henry Lawrence, Jr. Biography

Robert Henry Lawrence, Jr. Biography Robert Henry Lawrence, Jr., one of the first black astronauts, entered the corps in June 1967. He had a bright future ahead of him but never made it into space. He began his training and was putting his experience as a pilot and chemist to work as he also trained on  support aircraft. Several months after he began his astronaut training, Lawrence was a passenger on a training flight aboard an F104 Starfighter jet when it made a too-low approach and hit the ground. Lawrence died instantly during the December 8 mishap. It was a tragic loss to the country, and to his wife and young son. He was awarded a Purple Heart posthumously for his service to his country.   The Life and Times of Astronaut Lawrence Robert Henry Lawrence, Jr. was born October 2, 1935, in Chicago. He received an undergraduate degree in chemistry from Bradley University in 1956 and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant into the U.S.  Air Force upon graduation at age 20. He took his flight training at Malden Air Force Base, and eventually ended up providing flight training. He logged more than 2,500 hours of flight time throughout his time in the Air Force and was instrumental in compiling flight maneuver data that was eventually used in the development of the space shuttles. Lawrence later earned a PhD. in physical chemistry in 1965 from Ohio State University. His interests ranged from nuclear chemistry to photochemistry, advanced inorganic chemistry, and thermodynamics. His instructors called him one of the most intelligent and hard-working students theyd ever seen. Once in the Air Force, Lawrence  distinguished himself as an exceptional test pilot and was among the first to be named to the USAF Manned Orbiting Laboratory (MOL) program. That mission was a precursor to todays successful NASA space shuttle program. It was part of the manned spaceflight program the Air Force was developing. MOL was planned as an orbiting platform where astronauts could train and work for longer missions. The program was canceled in 1969 and declassified later on. Some of the astronauts assigned to MOL, such as Robert L. Crippen and Richard Truly, went on to join NASA and fly other missions. Although he applied twice to NASA and didnt make into the corps, after his experience with the MOL, Lawrence may well have made it in on a third try, had he not been killed in the flight accident in 1967. Memorial In 1997, thirty years after his  death, and after much lobbying by space historians and others, Lawrences name was the 17th added to the Astronauts Memorial Foundation Space Mirror. This memorial was dedicated in 1991 to honor all U.S. astronauts who lost their lives on space missions or in training for missions. Its located at the Astronauts Memorial Foundation at the Kennedy Space Center near Cape Canaveral, Florida and is open to the public. The African-American  Members of the Astronaut Corps Dr. Lawrence was part of a vanguard of black Americans to join the space program. He came along early in the programs history and hoped to make a lasting contribution to the countrys space efforts. He was preceded by Ed Dwight, who selected as the first African-American astronaut in 1961. Unfortunately, he resigned due to government pressure.   The honor of being the first black  to actually fly in space was Guion Blufords. He flew four missions from 1983 to 1992. Others were Ronald McNair (killed in the space shuttle Challenger accident), Frederick D. Gregory, Charles F. Bolden, Jr. (who has served as NASA administrator), Mae Jemison (first African-American woman in space), Bernard Harris, Winston Scott, Robert Curbeam, Michael P. Anderson, Stephanie Wilson, Joan Higginbotham, B. Alvin Drew, Leland Melvin, and Robert Satcher.   Several others have served in the astronaut corps, but have not flown in space.   As the astronaut corps has grown, it has grown more diverse, including more women and astronauts with a wide range of ethnic backgrounds.