The Roaring Twenties

Just What is America?

Social and Cultural Changes

What is America - New vs. Old, Modern vs. Traditional

Charles Lindbergh - becomes an American hero when he flies the Spirit of St. Louis solo across the Atlantic to Paris

Women voting - 20th Amendment passed Women to work - women began to enter professional careers

Flappers - young women to wore heavy make-up, had short hair, short skirts, and smoke and drank alcohol in public. Thought as scandalous by older generations

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Movies and Radio

Hollywood, CA - become the center of the movie world

Silent Movies - at first movies were black and white and had captions at the bottom of the screen for dialogue

The Jazz Singer - the first “talkie,” this movie was a sensation

Radio - brought sports and news into peoples homes. Commercials sold on air pushing consumers to increase buying.

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Sports and Fads

Radio creates stars in baseball, boxing, and football

Babe Ruth - Yankees hitter becomes the home run king

Fads - things that are popular for short periods of time– Dance Marathons - sometimes lasted three days

– Flag Pole Sitting - Alvin “Ship-Wreck” Kelly is the King of the Sitters. Guess how long.

49 days!

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Prohibition

Rural vs. Urban, Govt. vs. Will of People

18th Amendment (1919) - banned alcohol sale, production and consumption in U.S.

Supported in rural South and Mid-West (called “drys”) but not popular in eastern cities (“wets”)

Constant rule breaking in cities and only 1500 US agents to stop it

If people don’t support it, should it be a law?

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Prohibition (cont)

Speakeasies - illegal bars Organized Crime - speakeasies had to get alcohol from somewhere. Crime families (Mob) sprung up to provide alcohol. Some are very violent.

Al Capone - – controlled alcohol in Chicago through violence and threats, made millions.

– Busted on tax evasion charges 21st Amendment (1933) - Cancelled out 18th Amendment and made alcohol legal again

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Nativism

Native-born vs. Immigrants Belief native-born Americans are superior to foreigners

KKK - Used threats and violence against blacks, Jews, Catholics, non-English speakers

Emergency Quota Act (1921) - Put limits on immigration by country. North and West European countries are favored (racist)

National Origins Act (1924) - lowers permitted immigrants and bans Japanese. Countries in Western Hemisphere excluded.

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Scopes Trial (AKA The Monkey Trial)

Religion vs Science TN teacher, John Scopes, arrested for teaching Darwin’s “Theory of Evolution” in class (watch out Ms. Moller)

Case goes to court and focuses those who favor teaching of Bible versus modern science (conflict of new vs. old)

Scopes fined $100 but TN Supreme Court reverses the decision

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Election of 1928

Rural vs Urban, Old vs. New, Nativist vs. Immigrants, Traditional vs. Modern

Coolidge surprised everyone by deciding not to run again

Hoover is Republican candidate - a Quaker protestant, “dry,” and had been in govt a long time

Alfred Smith is Democrat - From NYC, son of immigrants, Catholic

Hoover wins election of 1928 - good news, bad news.

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Create Art to Reflect Conflicts in 20s Society - Due Next Block

Modern vs. Traditional New vs. OldNativists vs. ImmigrantsBlacks vs. WhitesReligion vs. Science Drys vs. WetsClassical vs. JazzBooks vs. Movies/Radio