Download The Roaring Twenties – “The Birth Scream of the Modern”

The Roaring Twenties – “The Birth Scream of the
Modern”
I.
What does “modern” America look like?
A. Urban
B. Secular (non-religious)
C. Equality (for women, minorities)
D. Consumer-driven economy
E. Mobile
II. Broad Changes
A. Rural => Urban
B. Religion => Science
C. White Male Protestant dominated => Diverse
III. What trends and events demonstrated these
changes?
A. Urbanization
1. Fast-paced
2. Vice (gambling, drinking, dating, etc.)
3. High number of immigrants and African
Americans.
Quote from the 5.0 book: “…a tug that pitted what
seemed to be a safe, small-town world of close
ties, hard work, and strict morals against a bigcity world of anonymous crowds,
moneymakers, and pleasure seekers.” – p. 436
B. Failure of Prohibition
1. Mostly supported by rural, religious
conservatives.
2. People in cities widely ignored it.
3. Immigrants drank as part of their culture.
C. Public embrace of science
1. Darwin - evolution
2. Freud - modern psychology
3. Einstein - modern physics
D. Changing roles for women
1. Dress
2. Behavior
3. Career Opportunities
WOMEN in 1900
WOMEN IN THE 1920s
E. The Harlem Renaissance
1. Expression of black culture centered in
Harlem.
2. Development of African American pride and
place in American society.
III. What events exposed the tension between the
traditional and the modern?
A. The Scopes Trial
B. The growth of the Ku Klux Klan
C. Disregard for prohibition/organized crime
D. Rise of religious fundamentalism.
E. Race riots in northern cities.
We’re going to categorize the changes of
the 1920s into 3 areas:
Social
Economic
Technological
Clarence Darrow & Wm J. Bryan
1925: Anti-immigration march in N.J.
1924: KKK Spring festival
1923: Postcard sent to
Madison, WI
Ku Klux Klan
50,000 KKK MEMBERS MARCHING
9) The “speakeasy’…
11) Al Capone
“Scarface”
1899-1947
Chicago- Italian
gang leader..
“The most
notorious gangster
in the history of
the nation”
Capone’s income by 1929…
100 million per year…
 $60,000,000 - Speakeasies, night
clubs, distilleries & breweries
 $25,000,000 - Gambling
 $10,000,000 - Brothels
 $10,000,000 other rackets
600 gangster employees