Culture Changes of the 20’s

Increasing Consumerism

People are spending more $$$ During the war people were thrifty but

people are going to stop saving and start spending.

WHY?1. New products are going to mass marketed

Including: Ford’s Model T & Model A

Vacuum cleanersRefrigeratorsElectric irons & fans, etc.

And other more inexpensive items such as wrist watches, cigarette lighters and hand held cameras.

2. Advertising - Designed to convince people to spend rather than save- no longer focused on the product itself but appealed to peoples needs, frustrations and anxieties

3. Installment plan (credit)Buy now - pay later

With installment plans people could buy things they normally could not afford.

Ex. Phonograph that was $43.50 $5 down - $5 a month

PEOPLE LIVED BEYOND THEIR MEANS!

Harlem Renaissance

Langston Hughes, expressed the feeling of the Harlem Renaissance with this:

“We younger Negro artists who create now intend to express our individual dark-skinned selves without fear or shame. If white people are pleased we are glad. If they are not, it doesn’t matter. We know we are beautiful.”

This cultural rebirth can be seen through different aspects ,such as:

Started in New Orleans and then moved with the migration of African Americans to Chicago and New York.

Some of the most popular jazz musicians were:

Louis Armstrong (Satchmo) who played the trumpet.

Duke Ellington – an artist turned pianist, composer and band leader

JAZZ

JAZZ MUSICIANS WOWED AUDIENCES OF ALL

RACES!

Louis Armstrong http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmfeKUNDDYs

The Harlem Renaissance was more than just a musical awakening.

▪ Poets such as Langston Hughes became a spokesman for African-Americans▪ He is known for his black pride poems, stories of

lowly walks of life, novels, experimental theatre pieces, an autobiography

Writers/Poets

Artists▪ Focused on the culture and history of black

americans▪ Laura Wheeler Waring – painted scenes of upper class

African Americans▪ Edward A. Harleston – focused on African American servants,

soldiers and hired hands▪ Aaron Douglas – his goal in his arts was to portray the

spiritual identity and African roots of blacks in the U.S.

Prohibition-The outlawing of alcohol sales and consumption

Led by activists in the temperance movement because they believed that alcohol led to violence, unemployment and economic and moral bankruptcy.

“No power on earth…has such influence to terrorize and make cowards of men as the liquor power. Satan could not have fallen on a more potent instrument with which to thrall the world!!!!”

---- Eliza Stewart

Congress agrees with Eliza and passes the 18th Amendment: outlawed the “manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors” within the United States not illegal to buy, possess, or consume

Many people found ways AROUND this amendment:

Drinking surged as people found ingenious ways to get around the law▪ Gave alcohol nicknames such as giggle

water or hooch▪ Bootleggers▪ Hid liquor in boots/concealed in flask▪ Made liquor with household products▪ Got liquor from church wine producers/for

medicinal purposes▪ Smuggled from Bahamas/Canada

▪ Speak-Easies▪ Concealed purposes with false business fronts▪ Membership cards and passwords used to get in

People found it “glamorous” to break the law $ to be made▪ $ 3.5 billion – illegal liquor trade

Crime Lords emerged ▪ EX. Al Capone – headed a gang on the west side of Chicago ($

40 million annual income; organization made $ 100 million annually)▪ Battled with rival gangs to control: illegal liquor trade, drugs, gambling,

prostitution, and paid protection for “speak-easies”

Enforcement of Prohibition proved difficult The # of Americans breaking the law was enormous 60% of Chicago police force making $ from trade Not enough government money to support enforcement Lack of public support for policy “Dry Snoops” – prohibition agents ridiculed ▪ evil methods: smashing with axes, bursting into houses,

sniffing for alcohol, arresting the innocent

Offered flexibility and united

Americans

More leisure time; Radios more affordable; staple in average American home

Popularity of Radio & Movies

Important Dates in Radio

1920 - First station in Pittsburgh (Presidential election results)

1922 – 3,000,000 Americans owned radios and could listen to 508 stations

1929 – National Broadcasting Company (NBC) was making $150 million per year

Live broadcasts instantly connected Americans to:▪ Nationwide events▪ Orchestra performances▪ Soloist concerts▪ Sports events▪ Politician’s speeches▪ Comedies▪ Dramatic Series featuring

Orson Wells (“The Shadow”)

• Radios more affordable; staple in average American home

Motion Picture Film IndustryPEOPLE ARE GOING TO THE MOVIES BECAUSE:

1.Escape from postwar recession

2.Enjoyed love/fight scenes, westerns

3.Escaped in fantasy world

4.Created jobs5.Promoted

advertising6.Politicians saw

opportunity to promote themselves

CRITICS OF THE MOVIES ARGUED:

1.Decreased church attendance

2.Increased materialism

3.Led to immorality

Big Industry Hundreds of films made 1922 – almost every community in

America had at least 100-seat theatre

10 cents to 75 cents per picture bigger city theatres featured

elaborate furnishings by 1929 movies, theatres, and

spectator sports brought in 21% of the nation’s total $4.3 billion in amusement revenues

Worshipped stars

Rudolph Valentino – played an Arab “sheik” who stole women into his tent

Mary Pickford/Douglas Fairbanks – married 1920 Clara Bow – showed legs in movies and was a

heartbreaker both in and out of her movies Charlie Chaplin – comedian (laugh/cry) Lillian Gish – “Broken Blossoms” Mickey Mouse – introduced in the first Disney

cartoon “Steamboat Willie” in 1927

Warner Brothers produced “The Jazz Singer” – 1st movie with sound (“talkies”), made $2 million

Steamboat Willie http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REbZO82tkgw

Charlie Chaplin http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNseEVlaCl4

Sports ManiaLaws limiting work = more leisure time, so let’s watch sports!!!Sports stars became American heroes!

BASEBALL! – America’s pastime Babe Ruth – New York Yankees; “home run king”

Yankee Stadium: “The house that Ruth built”; increased profits

  Jim Crow Laws made baseball be separated by

race. Negro Leagues:▪ Stars : Satchel Paige, James “Cool Papa” Bell, Josh Gibson▪ Large fan base but lacked equipment and $$

Football Not as popular as baseball initially Harold “Red” Grange – “Galloping Ghost”: had

power & speed▪ Running back for the University of Illinois▪ Four touchdown runs/263 yards in the 1st twelve minutes

of a game▪ First athlete to be on the cover of Time magazine

Age of Play

Boxing Once outlawed, now hugely

popular 2 prizefights – top of American

sports interest

Jack Dempsey/Gene Tunney – Philadelphia (1926) ~ 130,000 people; made $ 2 million

Rematch – Chicago (1927) ~ 145,000 people; 40 million people heard it on the radio; conspiracy with ref’s call; made $2.6 million 10 Americans died from heart

attacks in their living rooms

Minor Sports Bobby Jones

▪ Golfer – won many tournaments

Helen Wills▪ Tennis – won every match

from 1927 - 1930 William “Big Bill” Tilden

▪ Tennis – 1st American to win Wimbeldon

Gertrude Ederle▪ 1st woman to swim the

English Channel (2 hours faster than the men’s time; 14:31)

▪ 1926 Olympian

Improved Transportation

Automobile Henry Ford

-responsible for auto explosion (7 million by 1918)- Model T* assembly line production = cheaper cost ($260)* make time 14 hours93 minutes* by 1925 = new model every 10 seconds* Average American could use* big economic impact (biggest in country 1923)revolution in American way of life (mobile)

Road Improvements-created a spider-web across the country-1921 Federal Highway Act – 10,000 miles of highway-businesses grew along these new roadsgas stations, restaurants, campgrounds, motels -billboards became the newest method of advertising

Airplanes flying = object of national attention WWI had pushed development aviators from war though couldn’t get jobs

There were some pilots that wanted to keep flying Such as Amelia Earhart took up barnstorming-

touring and performing in small towns and rural areas

Charles Lindbergh 1927- left NewYork in single engine plane

headed over the Atlantic to France▪ 33 hours 30 minutes▪ Plane: Spirit of St. Louis▪ Made him a world hero▪ received $25,000 and parade

Changing Role Of Women

Due to WWI, women took traditionally male jobs such as: shipment collectors Accountants phone operators steel mill workers

This movement into new jobs motivated women to say: Hey! Treat us as

equals! Pay us the same!! AND grant us

suffrage! (which by the way happened in 1920 with the passage of the 19th amendment!)

Yeah~ for the right to vote! But some women thought politics were boring so

they moved their focus into social life!• Women’s fashion became an outlet for expression• Less modest, shorter hemlines, short hair (“shingle

bob”), cosmetics (rouge & lipstick)• Danced the Charleston• Advertising made women more aware of their

image• Ex. - Smoking advertisements promoted sophistication

and weight loss• The number of women smoking doubled during the 20’s

• Women became more self-sufficient & independent

Here comes a QUIZ!

Look over your notes and get out a piece of paper!