Changing Ways of Life

U.S. History II

By Jackie White

The 1920’s: Tradition vs. Modernity

Changing Ways of Life

Rural vs. Urban• Do you live in an urban or rural area?• Rural:

• A town with a population of less than 50,000 people

• Urban:• Population is greater than 50,000 people

• Rural vs. Urban today• 84% of Americans live in urban or suburban communities.

• Urban land only occupies 10% of American land

Changing Ways of Life• What percentage of Americans lived in urban areas in 1850?

• What percentage of Americans lived in urban areas in 1900?

• In what decade did a majority of Americans live in cities?

• What was the highest percentage of people living in cities?

• What general trend does this map show?

1920 Census• In 1920, 51% of Americans lived in communities with populations of 2,500 to 1 million

• Between 1922 and 1929, migration to cities accelerated (2 million people per year)

For first time the census reflected an urban society people had moved into cities to enjoy a higher standard of living

“Cities were the place to be, not to get away from”

What is Rural Life Like?

Rural Life•Small towns & farms•Conservative/strict moral values

• Hard work, thriftiness• Slow paced• Intimate/close knit

relationships

What is Urban Life Like?

Urban Life• Industry

• Ethnic & religious diversity

• Night life-movie theaters

• Tolerated drinking, gambling, & casual dating behavior considered sinful in small towns

• Competition, judge on accomplishment not on family background

• Impersonal-strangers, frightening

• Fast paced lifestyle

New York City 1900 population: 3,437,202

New York City 1930 population: 6,930,446

New York biggest city in U.S.

Which is the largest city in the US?

Urban Life

• What are some challenges American cities face today?• Why do cities face these challenges?• What are some benefits of a large urban population?• What are some of the consequences of a large urban population?

• Where would you rather live, the city or the countryside? • What are some advantages and disadvantages of each?

Rural vs. Urban

Rural vs. Urban• What are the differences between urban (city) and rural

(countryside) lifestyles?

http://www.newyorkwritesitself.com/2012/11/video-nyc-in-the-1920s/

Changing Ways of LifeWhat issues do you think society might face in the 1920s as a result of urbanization and lifestyle changes?

• Prohibition• Organized crime• Changes in youth culture• Changes in women’s roles• A clash between fundamentalism and science• Growth in the sports and music industries• A decline in agricultural jobs

Prohibition

Decision Making

You are the President of the United States. A “crisis of morals” is happening in your country. This means that a significant amount of people, mainly men, are showing aggressive behavior towards their spouses and their

children, are failing to maintain a job, and are living in abject poverty. It so happens that alcohol consumption is high

among the people in question. Also, a lot of these people are exhibiting low levels of health and a shorter life

expectancy. It is your job to create a law to tackle this situation. Your advisors have given you four choices and

now you have to pick one (or a combination of these programs).

Choices

The choices are:• 1. Institute harsher penalties for spousal and child abuse, increase

adult school educational programs, and increase social safety net programs to help those in poverty

• 2. Have the federal government assume control of the sale of alcohol, dramatically raising the price of alcohol to prevent poorer people from purchasing liquor. Also, increase funding for alcoholism recovery programs.

• 3. Illegalize the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcohol in the United States.

• 4. Hand the problem off to state and local governments. The federal government has no business trying to legislate morality to its people.

Underage Consumption of Alcohol in Mass

To persons under 21 years of age: Any person without a license to serve alcohol may not serve someone under 21 years of age, unless their relationship is that of parent and child or husband and wife. Violation of this section may result in a fine of $2000, 6 months imprisonment, or both. M.G.L.c.138, #34

•Should Massachusetts have a legal drinking age? Why or why not?

•What should the legal drinking age be and why?

Underage Consumption of Alcohol in Mass

• By unlicensed persons: It is unlawful for unlicensed persons to serve alcohol to persons underage. The only exception to this law is that parents may serve alcohol to their own child and a spouse may serve alcohol to an underage spouse. Parents may not, however, buy alcohol for their child or spouse at a bar or restaurant. M.G.L.c.138,#34, #34A.

• http://web.mit.edu/alcohol/wwwlaws.html#mass3a• Should parents/spouse be allowed to serve their children

alcohol at home or in a bar or restaurant?

Social Hosting Law• Under Massachusetts law, a host of a party may be held

liable for the injuries suffered by others if the host knew or should have known that a guest was drunk and nevertheless gave/permitted the guest to take an alcoholic drink and thereafter, because of the guest’s intoxication, the guest negligently caused injury to others. If the guest who causes an injury is a minor, the host who served the alcohol or permitted alcohol to be served to the minor might be held liable to others even if the minor was already intoxicated when the minor was served alcohol.

• Should parents be held legally & financially responsible for minors who cause injury to others while intoxicated?

Should alcohol be illegal?

Many people believe the government should make alcohol illegal to protect the public, while others believe it is a personal decision and not morally wrong. What do you think?

Consider:Impact of alcohol on peopleIndividual freedomEnforcementCan/should the government legislate

morality?

Why should alcohol be banned?

• Religious groups believed

drinking was sinful

• Reformers believe the

government should

protect public health

• Many reformers believed

alcohol lead to crime,

abuse, and accidents

Prohibition 1920-193318th Amendment (Volstead Act)•Prohibited the manufacture, sale, transportation and consumption of alcoholic beverages in the United States

http://www.history.com/topics/roaring-twenties/videos#america-goes-dry-with-prohibition

Who might support Prohibition?

• Many progressive reformers and religious groups

• Anti-Saloon League• Women’s Christian Temperance Union-considered drinking a sin

• People who lived in the rural South and West

• Native-born Protestant

Why might groups support Prohibition?

•Too much drinking led to crime

•Wife and child abuse•Accidents on the job•Drinking is sinful•The government should outlaw liquor to protect the public’s health and morals

Which groups oppose Prohibition?

•Many liberals, conservatives, and intellectuals

• Immigrant groups•People who opposed the government meddling in their lives

Prohibition: Success or Failure?

What is a speakeasy?

• Underground hidden saloons and nightclubs where people obtained liquor illegally.

• These places were called speakeasies because once a customer was inside, they spoke quietly, or “easily,” to avoid detection

• People had to have a membership card, or know a secret password to gain entry

video

Bootlegger

People who smuggled alcohol into the U.S. from Canada, Cuba, or the West Indies

Name for a smuggler’s practice of carrying liquor in the legs of the boots

• People learned to distill their own alcohol and built their own stills

Ways Around Prohibition• Alcohol could be purchased

for religious or medicinal purposes, and as a result people began posing as doctors and priests to purchase alcohol

“The business of evading the law and making a mock of it has ceased to wear any aspects of crime and has become a sort of national sport.” –H.L. Mencken

Organized Crime• One of the unforeseen consequences of prohibition was

the explosion of organized crime• Huge operations were set up around the country intending

to smuggle alcohol• The operations also ran prostitution rings, money-laundering

businesses, and hit men

• Prominent crime cities included New York and Chicago• New York: The Masseria and the Marazano factions of the Italian

Mafia, Irish-American “White Hang Gang”• Chicago: Al Capone’s “Chicago Outfit”, Irish-American “North-Side

Gang”

Al Capone• Chicago home notorious gangster

Al Capone, whose bootlegging empire netted over $100 million a year

• Born January 17, 1899 in Brooklyn, NY

• Always led a life of crime• Began working for New York

mafia boss Frankie Yale as early as 14

• Moved to Chicago and joined Johnny Torrio’s “Five Points” Gang

• Torrio was targeted in an assassination attempt and fled to Italy leaving Capone in charge

Al Capone• Politically savvy

• Capone lobbied for expiration dates to be printed on milk cartons, opened soup kitchens, and even paid for the healthcare of some Chicago citizens

• Known for his extravagant living style

• Indulged in clothing, liquor, jewelry, and women

• A trip to Chicago was not complete without an Al Capone sighting

• Chicago’s Robin Hood

St Valentine’s Day Massacre

• The Irish “North Side” Gang began to interfere with Capone’s operation

• On February 14, 1929, seven members of the “North Side” Gang were arrested by Capone’s gang members dressed as police, lined up against the wall, and shot.

• Known as the St. Valentine’s Day massacre

St. Valentine’s Day Massacre

• The Newspapers printed graphic images from the crime scene and the public was appalled

• Capone officially named Public Enemy No. 1 a short time later

Capone Imprisoned• The Federal Government investigated Capone for income

tax evasion• Arrested in 1931 put on trial in 1932 and was sentenced to 11

years in prison

What is this a picture of?

Capone Imprisoned• Capone was originally sent to

prison in Atlanta, but he became too close to the Warden

• In 1934 Capone was transferred to Alcatraz Island where he served out the rest of his sentence• Became an unpopular figure at

the prison• When the Alcatraz Warden

refused to succumb to Capone’s wishes he tried to have his way with other inmates

• Capone was stabbed after trying to cut in line for a hair cut

• Eventually, the dormant syphilis Capone contracted as a child began to emerge and his health deteriorated.

• Also, Capone’s influence outside prison declined with the end of prohibition.

Capone’s Legacy• How does Al Capone’s life

serve as a metaphor for the problems created by prohibition and the 1920s?• His fame and fortune was

amassed largely through the illegal sale of alcohol made possible by the law

• The fact he was never convicted on any prohibition related crimes highlights the ineffectiveness of the Prohibition bureau

• His immense fame shows just how easy it was for people to pay attention to a glamorous lifestyle

Effects of Prohibition• Consumption of

alcohol declined

• Increase in

lawlessness (such as

smuggling and

bootlegging)

• Criminals gain alcohol

as a new source of

income

• Organized crime grows

End of Prohibition 1933

• Local police and the federal enforcement agency were under funded, understaffed, and overwhelmed

• Drinkers and bootleggers found ways to evade the law through speakeasies, home stills, bootlegging/smuggling, etc.

• Underworld gangs caused a rise in crime and lawlessness

Conflict between traditional and modern ideas

21st Amendment-1933 repealed prohibition

Science & Religion ClashTerms & Names: Objective:

Scopes TrialClarence DarrowCharles DarwinTheory of evolutionfundamentalism

Identify & describe the conflict between science & religion in the 1920’s?

What is a world view?

The overall perspective from which one sees and interprets the world.

How do Americans see the world?

Do all Americans have the same world view?

• We carefully construct our worldviews in order to make sense of the world as we see it.

• Challenges to our worldview can be discomforting and even terrifying.

• Sometimes people are willing to accept that their worldview is wrong, and willingly adapt as need be, but other times, people will fight tooth and nail in order to uphold their worldview.

World View Building:• Where are we?• Is the earth round or flat?• Does 2 + 2 = 4?• Which music genre is the best?• Coke or Pepsi?• Too bitter or too sweet?

What happens when world views collide?

• Did you disagree with someone’s answer?

• How did you feel when they said something different from you?

• Now imagine the question was not 2 + 2 or Coke or Pepsi. Imagine it was “does God exist?” or “is Nazism wrong?”

What might be some controversial world view points?

• Sexuality• Civil Rights• Nationality• Religion• Abortion• Gay Marriage• Gender Roles

Origin of LifeWhat do you believe is the origin of life on earth?

Darwin’s Theory of Evolution

What is Darwin’s Theory of Evolution?

Darwin’s Theory of Evolution

• Plants and animals species developed and changed over millions of years

• Humans evolved from a common ancestor with modern African apes (chimpanzees & gorillas) but evolved into hominids

Which groups support evolution?

Scientists

Secularists

Non-fundamentalist Christians

Atheists

Fundamentalism

What do fundamentalists believe?

•A literal interpretation of the bible

•All important information can be found in the Bible

•Creationism

CreationismWhat is creationism?

The Bible teachings that the universe and living organisms originate from divine creation as in the biblical account

God made the world and all its life forms in six days

Evolutionism or Creationism?

• In 1999, Kansas State School Board voted to eliminate the teaching of evolution from its curriculum.

• Some people believe that creation theory of the origin of life (bible story) and not evolution (Darwin’s theory) should be taught in schools. What do you think?

Scopes Trial• 1925 Tennessee passed the nation’s first law making it a crime to teach evolution

John T. Scopes a young biology teacher in Dayton Tennessee challenged the law that forbade teaching of evolution

Who is this man? What is he known for?

Scopes Trial

Main Supporters:

(For Scopes)• Secular thinkers• American Civil Liberties Union

(ACLU)• People who didn’t interpret the bible literally

• People who believed Darwin’s theory of evolution Clarence Darrow

lawyer for Scopes

Scopes TrialAgainst Scopes:

•Protestant fundamentalists•Believed in creationism• the literal interpretation of Genesis

•skeptical of scientific knowledge

•Did not want evolution taught to their children

William Jennings

Bryan

Scopes “Monkey” Trial

Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan, 1925 Clarence Darrow, a famous Chicago lawyer, and William Jennings Bryan, defender of Fundamentalism, have a friendly chat in a courtroom during the Scopes evolution trial. Darrow defended John T. Scopes, a biology teacher, who decided to test the new Tennessee law banning the teaching of evolution. Bryan took the stand for the prosecution as a bible expert. The trial in 1925 ended in conviction of Scopes.

Click image for video link

Scopes Trial Outcome•Scopes was found guilty•Fined $100•Verdict was later overturned•The outlawing of the teaching of evolution remained on the books

•The real issue of the trial was the fight over evolution and the role of science and religion in public schools and in American society

Scopes TrialHow does the Scopes Trial illustrate conflict between traditional and modern values in the 1920?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9IO4dj_BqQ

The Twenties Woman

Chalk Talk Gender Roles Activity• What does feminine mean? (“Act like a lady”)• What does masculine mean? (“Be a man”)• Where do we learn these gender roles?• What reinforces our ideas about femininity and masculinity?

Chalk Talk • This is a SILENT activity, no one is allowed to talk during

it.

• The teacher will write a statement/question in the center of the board/paper.

• Every student can comment on the initial statement/question and any subsequent questions by simply drawing a line from the comment or question.

• Read other peoples questions or comments and write whenever you feel like it.

• DO NOT USE: NAMES/NICKNAMES OF STUDENTS, RACIAL/ETHNIC/RELIGIOUS SLURS, SWEAR WORDS, or other types of language that are highly offensive or inappropriate for school.

• NO TALKING

Gender Roles Chalk TalkConsider the following: •Personality traits •“Traditional” or stereotypical characteristics •Physical appearance or features (tall, muscular)•Socially acceptable behaviors •Professions (Jobs/Occupations)•Manners or Etiquette (i.e. open the door)

Read our class list. •Which items do you agree with?•Which items do you disagree with?•Did you find any offensive? If so, which one’s? Why•How could you try to challenge these roles?

Men’s Fashion• How do men/boys dress

today?• Where do you think they

get their sense of fashion from?

Changes in Men’s Fashion• Men took their fashion ideas

from gangsters• Wanted to appear “dapper”• Baggy pants, polished

shoes, & a handkerchief• Baggy “zoot suit” • Why do you think men

wanted to dress like gangsters?

How did women’s fashion change?

1910 1920

Changes in Women’s Fashion

• Brighter colored clothing• Shorter & looser fitting dresses• Skin colored stockings instead of black• High Heel pumps instead of high laced-shoes• Hair cuts “boyishly” short and dyed jet black instead of long and natural

• Exposed their legs in public• Smoked cigarettes in long holders

FlappersAn emancipated (freed) young women who embraced the new fashions and urban attitudes of the day

Changes in Women’s Fashion• Listen to the lyrics of Flapper

Girl by the Lumineers. • Underline historical

references to changes in women’s fashion and other trends of the 1920s within the song.

• “Cut off all of your hair, Did you flinch, did you care?”• “Cadillac, Cadillac, businessmen dressed in slacks. I'm gonna buy one for us

when I get back, a big Cadillac.”• “Makin o's with her cigarette.”• “Flapper girl, flapper girl. Prohibition in curls. Hair of gold and a

neck of pearls, it's flapper girl.”

Changes in Women’s Behavior

• More assertive• Smoked & drank in public• Casual dating• Dancing without care• Talked openly about sex

Watch 3 minutes of the videoWhat do you notice about women’s behavior?

How would you describe women’s attitude in the 1920’s?

• Rebellious• Youthful• Fun loving• Relaxed• Casual• Daring • Assertive• Independent

Watch 3 minutes of the video

What do you notice about women’s behavior?

What are some examples of professions/jobs occupied mostly by women

today?

Changes in Women’s Work

•More jobs available•Demand for clerical workers, store clerks, &

assembly line workers

“women’s professions”

How did women’s roles change in the 1920’s in regards to work?

Problems in the Workplace

•Few managerial jobs• Inequality in the workplace•Lower wages earned then men

What are some problems women face in the work place in the 1920’s or today?

Changes at Home• Relationships

• Before World War I, courtship was most common• Men only pursued women they wished to marry• In the 1920s, casual dating greatly increased

Marriage • based on personal choice (love) not arranged• marriage viewed as an equal partnership • housework & child-rearing were still considered the

woman’s job• Wider availability to birth control information• Affordable ready made clothes, sliced bread, &

canned goods• More schools for children to attend• Household labor simplified with inventions• Public services for elderly & sick

How might these changes impact women in society?

Changes in Society

• Pressure of juggling both work and family

• Women’s work viewed as temporary workers whose real jobs were at home

• “Women’s professions” were created

• Adolescent rebelliousness

• Conflict between traditional and modern values

A false image?

• Who are these women?• Do they represent the

typical woman in America?

• Why are these women so highly recognizable?

A False Image• Magazines, newspapers,

and advertisements promoted the image of the flapper

• However, many young people in America, particularly in rural America, still adhered to the traditional standard

• Traditionalists in churches and schools protested against the new dances and norms

Double Standard

• Principles granting greater sexual freedom to men than women were accepted

• Women had to observe stricter standards that men

• Many women were caught in the middle between the old and the new standards

Good Wife’s Guide• Read an actual 1955 Good Housekeeping article.

• Identify the male and female gender roles described in the article.

• How have women’s roles changed over time?