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1 Unit 10 – The 1920s The Roaring Twenties
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Unit 10 – The 1920s
The Roaring Twenties
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1920s Presidents
Woodrow Wilson Warren G. Harding Calvin Coolidge Herbert C. Hoover
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The West Between the Wars
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The West Between the Wars
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Charles G. Dawes
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What led to U.S. prosperity Effects of World War I
Industrialization Increased production and
encouragement of big business Three limited involvement presidents.
Warren G. Harding Calvin Coolidge Herbert Hoover
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What led to U.S. prosperity New technology
War encouraged and produced new technology
Automobile Automobile society
Big growth in automobile purchases as they became cheaper from faster more efficient manufacturing.
Highway Construction-Federal Highway Road Act of 1916.
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U.S. Prosperity – other changes
Other technology Airplanes Chemicals
New technology and automobile society created a society of leisure Family vacations Road trips
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Growth of Industry
After the war, industrialization goes from military mode to domestic Increases in supply of new products
Growth is made possible through: Credit → never really before used on
consumer goods Advertising Belief that gap between rich and middle
class is narrowing because of concept of wealth.
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The Jazz AgeNicknamed “The Roaring Twenties”
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A Time of Extreme Optimism and a lot of Changes!
Americans move to the cities Between 1922 and 1929 almost 2
million people moved to the cities each year.
Instead of getting away from the cities, people were flocking to them.
Cities were the place to be. They grew more crowded everyday.
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Urban changes
Small-town people moving to the city had to change their thinking and everyday living.
The city exposed them to new ideas, change, and competition. Movies, museums, art,
immigrants, night clubs, sports, newspapers, drinking, gambling, smoking, and casual dating.
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Urban changes
Urbanization created a new way of life that usually clashed with the values of traditional rural society.
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The Great Clash
The clash between rural and city values is just one example.
The 1920’s is characterized by a clash between traditional morals and values and more liberal money and fun seekers.
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Cultural Changes! Prohibition
The Flapper
The Jazz Age
Harlem Renaissance
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Prohibition
Passage of the 18th Amendment in 1919 Outlawed making, selling, transporting,
importing, or exporting alcohol-not drinking it
The “Noble Experiment” Fought for years by temperance groups
They saw it as a way of bettering society War helped the situation
Many saw it as a way of hurting German American producers and so grain could go towards war effort.
Result: Speakeasies, bootlegging, and organized crime
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So Why didn’t it Work?
The Volstead Act set up the Prohibition Bureau. It was underfunded. Only 1,550 federal
agents and local police to enforce the laws
with 18,700 miles of coastline, inland borders, highways, illegal stills, and industries to watch.
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Bootleggers and Speakeasies
By the mid-1920’s only 19% of Americans supported Prohibition.
Alcohol was made illegally and sold illegally at bars called speakeasies
People blatantly broke the law Bath tub gin Sales for medicinal or sacramental alcohol
soar. Selling stills in hardware stores Magazines and books told how to make alcohol
from fruit and even potato peelings. Bootleggers provided access to alcohol
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Organized Crime develops
Bootlegging was a profitable business
Prohibition inspired the development of organized crime
Almost every city had gangs that profited from selling alcohol.
Chicago had one of the most famous criminals - Al Capone
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Causing too many problems
Prohibition caused more problems than it fixed.
Organized crime and lawlessness grew
It caused a want to disobey the law Alcohol use grew and more people
died. Prohibition was repealed with the
21st Amendment in 1933.
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Science and Religion Clash
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Let’s get back to Religion
Fundamentalism - Protestant movement that advocated the literal for the Bible
Push for going back to church and having traditional morals.
Revivals were held with charismatic preachers.
Also rejected the notion of Darwin and evolution. Thought that this meant denying scripture and blaspheming God.
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The Fight BeginsThe Scopes “Monkey” Trial - 1925
Conflict occurs when John T. Scopes teaches evolution.
Tennessee had passed a law banning the teaching of evolution.
Scopes read a passage about evolution in his classroom and was arrested.
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The Trial
Clarence Darrow defended John T. Scopes William Jennings Bryan is on the
fundamentalist side.
Trial becomes a national sensation. Bryan takes the stand and admits that the
Bible can be interpreted in different ways. Scopes is still found guilty and fined $100. This trial is another example of the clashes
and conflicts in the Roaring Twenties.
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Women in 1920s
Effects of World War I on women’s rights 19th Amendment granted suffrage in
1920.
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19th Amendment
Ratified in 1920 Gave women the right to vote
Women proved themselves when they filled the jobs of men during WWI
After WWI, many were forced to give up their jobs
Women went to polls for first time in November 1920 Helped elect Pres. Warren G. Harding
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The Flapper
Changes for women Hair, clothing, makeup, and dancing
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Women’s fashions prior to 1920s
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1910 Versus 1920’s
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1920s Fashions
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1920s Fashions
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So What’s a Flapper?
Flapper Nickname from a popular picture of a
woman with her boots unlaced and flapping as she is dancing.
Despite new social freedoms women were still limited and most did not rebel against social and religious standards. There was a double standard
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Work Opportunities
After World War I, women still are entering the work force.
Many attend college and enter the “women’s professions” Teaching, nursing, librarians, social workers
Big businesses also needed clerical workers secretaries, typists, office machine operators
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Not that many opportunities though
Even though women were in the work force, opportunities were limited. Earned less than men
Number of women doctor’s drops with the quota in medical schools.
Belief that women working was temporary and they would leave with marriage.
Their “real” job was at home.
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The Changing Family
Birthrate declines
Technology makes housework easier
Children are products of the home not producers. They go to school instead of work and spend
time with children their own age. Peers became more important.
Marriage came to be seen as more of an equal partnership
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Fads
Styles or fashions that become popular for a short time.
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Fads in the 1920’s-Flagpole sitting
‘Shipwreck' Kelly stayed on the pole for 100 hours in '28
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Other Fads
PEZ candy becomes popular (not in the head dispensers yet)
Mahjong
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Dance Marathons
Jazz
Dancing all night, all week long. Charleston, fox trot Longest lasted for 3
weeks!Outlawed in some places because of the dangers
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The Charleston
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1. Loosen up! Point your toes in and your elbows out.
2. To the beat of the music, point your toes out and your elbows in. Repeat several times.
3. Start by throwing your right foot diagnally back and right arm across your body forward. Repeat with your left leg and arm.
4. Bring right foot forward and place it just in front of your left. Right arm follows.
5. Bring your left foot up and give a good high kick. Follow with left arm.
6. Bring your left foot back and give two quick kicks diagonally back.
7. Once you've kicked twice, put the left leg down diagonally in back of you. Repeat steps 1-7 three times then move on to 8.
8. Bend forward and place your hands on your knees.
9. Bring your knees in and switch hands with your knees.
10. Repeat steps 8-10 three times and then return to step 1.
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Slang
All wet Bump off Coffin varnish
Gams Hooch Juice joint Wet blanket
Incorrect Kill Illegal Poisonous
alcohol Legs Alcohol Speakeasy Person who
doesn’t have any fun
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Baseball - the National pastime!
Baseball is extremely popular and produces heroes for the whole nation to follow!
Babe Ruth New York Yankees Record 60 home runs in
1927 Not broken until 1961 Lifetime batting
average .342 72 games hit 2 or more
home runs
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The Flight heard round the world
Charles Lindbergh makes the first transatlantic flight
Greatest hero of 1920s
Flying from New York to Paris in 33 hours and 29 minutes
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A Renaissance in the Arts
Not all agreed with the life seen in entertainment and popular culture
Some thought this to be superficial and shallow
These include artists, writers, theater, and music
They wanted to expose the negative side of the Roaring Twenties, the silliness, and fun
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Edna St. Vincent Millay
Popular poet•She expressed the frantic pace of the 1920s
"My Candle Burns At Both Ends"My candle burns at both ends;
it will not last the night,But--ah, my foes! and oh, my friends!
It gives a lovely light
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The Lost Generation
Many writers wanted to expose the shallowness of the times
One of these writers was F. Scott Fitzgerald
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Fitzgerald and the Jazz Age
He coined the term the “Jazz Age” to describe the 1920’s.
He wrote books that portrayed wealthy people who attended endless parties, but could not find happiness
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Writers
Ernest Hemingway One of the most popular
writers of the 1920s Wrote A Farewell to Arms
About his experiences as a young ambulance driver on the Italian front during WWI
Sinclair Lewis Wrote books presenting
small-town Americans as dull and narrow-minded
Babbitt and Main Street
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The Movies
First movies had no sound
Clara Bow became a popular movie star by playing restless, fun-seeking young women. Nicknamed the “It Girl”
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The Movies
Rudolph Valentino Women’s favorite The Sheik When he died in 1926 at age 31,
100,000 people lined up outside the funeral home to mourn
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The Movies
The Jazz Singer The first “talkie” movie
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Harlem Renaissance
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What was the Harlem Renaissance?
Great growth and gains by African Americans in literature and arts
Made great contributions in art, music, and literature
Rebirth of African American culture
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Going North
African-Americans move North to the cities Large numbers of musicians, artists, and writers
settled in Harlem in New York City
Believing there are more opportunities for jobs
Left the South because of racial and economic discrimination
The number of African Americans in Northern cities doubles
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Where is Harlem?
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African-American goals NAACP membership
doubles National Assoc. for the
Advancement of Colored People
Fight for lynching to stop
Marcus Garvey also offers many hope and someone to believe in
He promoted African American business and set up newspapers and stores
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Marcus Garvey Garvey was a Jamaican immigrant
He inspired “Black Pride” movements
Believed that African Americans should build a separate society
He promoted African American business and set up newspapers and stores
Encouraged followers to return to Africa
Back-to-Africa movement is big for a while and then dies down
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African American Contributions
Literature Langston Hughes
Harlem Renaissance’s best known poet
Denounced violence against African Americans
Zora Neale Hurston Most accomplished African American
woman writer in the 1920’s Traveled through the South collecting
folk tales, songs, and prayers of black southerners to preserve culture
Wrote Mules and Men
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Performers
More doors opened to African Americans in theater and music
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Jazz comes from the South
African American migration to the North brought also a new kind of music - Jazz. Black musicians from New Orleans and Chicago
created Jazz from ragtime and blues
Availability of records and phonographs meant that people could play the music whenever they wanted
Becomes extremely popular - that’s why the 1920s is called The Jazz Age!
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Famous Jazz Musicians
Louis Armstrong Helped create Jazz Trumpet player who
became the single most influential musician in the history of Jazz
Jazz spread from Chicago to Kansas City, Los Angeles, New York, and became the most popular music for dancing.
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U.S. and Foreign Affairs
After WWI, U.S. is world’s leading economic and political power
Europe expected U.S. to take leading role in world affairs Dawes and Young Plan
Isolationism (stay out of world’s affairs) Most Americans (including Harding & Coolidge)
didn’t want to commit the U.S. to the job of keeping world peace
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Washington Conference – 1921
U.S., Great Britain, and Japan agree to limit size of navies
Disarmament Reducing a nation’s armed forces and
weapons of war
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Warren G. Harding – 29th President of U.S.
1 term: 1921 - 1923 Republican Party
“Return to normalcy”
Teapot Dome Scandal
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Teapot Dome Scandal
Albert Fall Secretary of the Interior
under Pres. Harding Secretly leased land in
Teapot Dome, WY to oil companies
First cabinet official ever sent to prison
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Warren G. Harding Administration
Harding appointed William H. Taft to Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
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Warren G. Harding – 29th President of U.S.
Ohio Gang Political friends Charles Forbes
Head of Veterans Bureau
Convicted of stealing millions from Veterans Bureau
Harding died of heart attack in August 1923 Many blamed friends’
scandals
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Calvin Coolidge – 30th President of U.S.
1 term: 1923 - 1929 Republican Party
“Silent Cal” Forced officials involved
in scandals to resign Helped restore people’s
faith in government 1924 election
“Keep Cool with Coolidge”
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Signs of Trouble
Farmers suffer after WWI Rebirth of Ku Klux Klan
Setbacks for Labor Unions
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Signs of Trouble
Setbacks for Labor Unions Helped win WWI
High production Wages did not keep up with prices during war
Wave of strikes turned public against labor Workers demand higher wages Employers refuse
Government did nothing Management crushed strikes
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Fear of Radicals
During WWI, Americans on alert for spies and sabotage Growing fear of foreigners Rise of communism in Soviet Union
Lenin called on workers everywhere to overthrow their governments
Anarchists: People opposed to organized government
Many Americans saw labor union strikes as the start of a communist revolution Red Scare
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Fear of Radicals
Growing fear of foreigners
During the Red Scare Many foreigners were deported Limits on immigration
Emergency Quota Act of 1921 Set up a quota system: allowed only a
certain number of people from each country to enter U.S.
Sacco and Vanzetti trial
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Fear of Radicals Sacco and Vanzetti trial
Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti Two Italian immigrants Arrested for robbery and murder in 1920 Both admitted they were anarchists, but not to
committing a crime Prejudiced judge Convicted
Many Americans felt the trial was unfair
Appeals unsuccessful Executed in 1927
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Kellogg-Briand pact
192863 nations signed the Kellogg-Briand Pact, a treaty pledging “to renounce war as an instrument of national policy”
(outlawed war)
Nothing was said about what would be done if anyone violated the pact
(no way to enforce it)
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U.S. Secretary French foreign of State minister Frank B. Kellogg Aristide Briand
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Herbert C. Hoover – 31st President of U.S.
1 term: 1929 - 1933 Republican Party
1928 Election Won by a landslide
1929 Stock Market Crash
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New Goods for Sale
Americans wanted to buy things they could not afford Buy now, pay later → credit
Businesses allowed installment plans Buying on credit
Small down payment Monthly installments Plus interest
Increased demand for goods
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Stocks Surge
Corporations sold stocks to investors Shares of ownership
In 1920s, more people invested in stock market than ever before
In late 1920s, stock prices rose so fast that some people became rich almost overnight by buying and selling stocks
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Stocks Surge
The soaring market was called the bull market
People bought stocks on margin Similar to installment buying A person could buy a stock for a 10%
down payment The buyer held the stock until the price
rose, then sell the stock for a profit The system worked as long as stock prices
kept rising
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Stocks Surge
In 1928 & 1929, prices of many stocks rose faster than the value of many companies
A few experts warned that the “Great Bull Market” would end
Most investors ignored the warnings
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Stock Market Plunges
In August 1929, a few investors began selling their stocks
In September 1929, more people began selling
The rash of selling caused stock prices to fall
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Herbert C. Hoover – 31st President of U.S.
President Hoover reassures nervous investors “The business of the
country is on a sound and prosperous basis.”
But selling continued and prices tumbled
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Stock Market Plunges
Brokers asked investors who purchased stock on margin to pay the money they still owed for stock Investors who could not pay had to sell
their stock
This caused prices to drop even more
October 24-29, desperate people tried to unload millions of shares of stock
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Stock Market Plunges
Tuesday, October 29, 1929
A stampede of selling hit the New York Stock Exchange
Prices plummeted because there were no buyers for the stock
Previously valuable stocks became worthless pieces of paper
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Stock Market Plunges
Tuesday, October 29, 1929
Black Tuesday
Millions lost their fortunes overnight
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Severe Depression
Following the stock market crash, the economy slid into a severe depression
The crash did not cause the depression, but it did shake confidence in the economy
Many people who invested their savings in stocks suddenly had little or nothing left
