Download The *Roaring Twenties*

The “Roaring Twenties”
“A Time of Prosperity”
• World War I was over.
• The nation was at peace.
• The economy was strong.
• Americans began to enjoy consumer goods, leisure, and jazz
music.
“A Time of Prosperity”
• President Warren G. Harding
• Warren G. Harding (Republican) won the election of 1920.
• Harding promised Americans “A Return to Normalcy”
• Isolationism & peace.
• Deregulation of the economy.
• Many Progressive Era laws that protected the economy and workers were
changed or made powerless.
President Harding
President Warren G. Harding
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President Harding kept his promises.
• America became an isolationist nation.
• Harding passed laws to deregulate the economy.
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“We want less government in business and more business in government.”
Lower taxes for the rich.
• Harding did have economic successes.
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His administration balanced the budget and reduced the national debt.
The Harding Scandals:
• Harding administration was plagued by scandals.
• The Teapot Dome scandal.
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In 1923, it was discovered that Secretary of the Interior, Albert B. Fall had been involved in a major scandal
involving government oil reserves.
Fall had been leasing government oil wells to private oil companies in exchange for bribes.
In 1923, the U.S. Senate discovered that Fall had been given over $400,000 dollars in bribes from oil
companies.
Fall had to pay the government a $100,000 fine and spend one year in prison.
• On August 2, 1923, President Harding died of a heart attack while returning to Washington D.C. from
a speaking tour.
The Teapot Dome Scandal
President Coolidge
President Coolidge
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Vice President Calvin Coolidge became the 30th President of the United States.
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President Coolidge wanted to see American businesses grow and the wealth of
the nation increase.
• Therefore, Congress passed laws that favored big business owners.
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Lower taxes for the rich.
Deregulation of the economy.
“The business of the United States is business.”
“The man who builds a factory builds a temple.”
• President Coolidge’s economic plans:
• If Businesses grow - - - > Prices come down - - - > salaries increase - - - > Americans buy
more consumer goods.
Conclusion
• Who:____________________________________________________
• What:____________________________________________________
• When: ___________
• Why/How: __________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
The Ford Model T
The Ford Model T
• The invention of the Ford Model T automobile changed the
nation.
• Henry Ford created the assembly line.
• Assembly Line: “A system in which each worker in a factory does
a different job in putting together a product. As parts are sent
down the line, each person adds a part to the product. When the
product reaches the end of the line, it is finished.”
The Ford Model T
• The benefits of the assembly line.
• Products could be built quicker (The assembly line moves quickly).
• It cost less money to make a product (cheaper cost of doing business).
• Products could be sold at low costs (affordable for common Americans).
• The Ford Model T was built on an assembly line. This made the
Model T an affordable automobile for the common American.
• By 1929, 23 million automobiles were owned by private Americans.
The Ford Model T
• How the Model T Ford automobile changed America.
• The construction and use of an automobile required many
different parts and resources. Therefore the oil, steel, glass, and
rubber industries grew.
• New jobs were created: car salesmen, car mechanics, and private
drivers.
• Thousands of miles of roads were built.
• New businesses: hotels, restaurants, and stores were built on
highways and road stops.
• The suburbs: The automobile allowed people to move from the
cities to the suburbs.
The Airplane
The Airplane
• On May 20, 1927, Charles Lindbergh departed from Long
Island, New York to become the first person to make a solo
flight across the Atlantic Ocean.
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Lindbergh’s plane was the Spirit of St. Louis
Lindbergh landed in Paris, France after flying for 33 ½ hours.
Lindbergh became the greatest hero of the 1920s.
He also ushered in the age of commercial air travel.
• People began taking commercial flights to different parts of the
country.
Charles Lindberg
Conclusion
• Who:_________________________________________________________
• What:_______________________________________________________
• When: ___________
• Why/How: ___________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
A Decade of Consumerism
A Decade of Consumerism
• During the 1920s, many American businesses adopted Henry
Ford’s assembly line model.
• Americans began buying consumer goods, items of comfort
and ease.
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The washing machine
The refrigerator
The vacuum cleaner
The automobile
The radio
The record player
A Decade of Consumerism
A Decade of Consumerism
• Many Americans started to buy consumer products that they could
not afford (i.e., the automobile).
• The concept of the installment plan was created to allow
Americans to buy the products they wanted . . . but did not
necessarily need.
• Installment Plans: The payment of money over time toward the total
cost of an item.
• For the first time in American history, American citizens were
spending a significant portion of their income on consumer goods
A Decade of Consumerism
• Advertising:
• American businesses began to advertise their products.
• An advertisement is a form of media created to convince a person to
buy a product.
• An advertisement was created to convince a person that they needed a
product.
• It would make them happier, smarter, wealthier, etc.
• Prior to the 1920s, most advertisements were in newspapers. But
during the 1920s advertisements were being played over the
radio, posted in magazines, and put on billboards.
• Mass Media: communications that reach large numbers of people.
Conclusion
• Who:____________________________________________________
• What:___________________________________________________
• When: ___________
• Why/How: ______________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
1920s Popular Culture
1920s Popular Culture
• The entertainment industry grew significantly during the
1920s.
• American families had radios, went to movies, and enjoyed
leisure.
• “The Roaring Twenties.”
• People wanted to have fun, spend money, and be carefree.
1920s Popular Culture
• Music
• Jazz Music: A musical style created by African Americans in the
South during the early 1900s.
• Jazz music spread from the South to Northern and Midwestern
American cities (i.e., New York, St. Louis, Chicago).
• Jazz music was multicultural, even though it was started by African
Americans, it was enjoyed by both white Americans and African
Americans.
Louis Armstrong
1920s Popular Culture
• The Radio
• The first commercial radio station was broadcasted from
Pittsburg, Pennsylvania in 1920.
• KDKA
• By 1922, there were over 500 radio stations in the United States.
• Americans listened to the radio to hear
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Music
News
Children’s stories
Sporting events
Advertisements
The Radio
1920s Popular Culture
• Movies
• In the 1920s, movies were “silent films,” there was no sound, just
picture.
• Sometimes movies had background music.
• Words were written on the screen.
• Hollywood, California became the center of the movie industry.
• In 1927, the first movie with sound was created – “the talkie.”
• The Jazz Singer
• After 1927, all movies included sound.
• The movie star of the 1920s – Charlie Chaplin
Charlie Chaplin
1920s Popular Culture
• Books and Magazines
• Two of the most famous 1920s authors were
• F. Scott Fitzgerald
• Wrote stories about subjects that captivated Americans in the 1920s: wealth,
success, and love.
• This Side of Paradise
• The Great Gatsby
• Ernest Hemingway
• Wrote stories about war, sports, and traveling.
• The Sun Also Rises
• Farewell to Arms
• Many popular American magazines were published in the 1920s.
• Time Magazine.
• Saturday Evening Post
The Great Gatsby
1920s Popular Culture
• Sports
• Sports became an important part of American culture during the 1920s.
• People had money and free time.
• The radio could broadcast sporting events to millions of Americans.
• The first sports heroes.
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Babe Ruth (Baseball)
Harold “Red” Grange (College football)
Jack Dempsey (Boxing)
William “Big Bill” Tilden (Tennis)
Gertrude Ederle (Swimmer)
• Many Americans began to play sports for recreation and to follow in their
heroes footsteps.
Babe Ruth
Conclusion
• Who:____________________________________________________
• What:___________________________________________________
• When: ___________
• Why/How: ______________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
The Scopes Trial
The Scopes Trial
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The 1920s saw a rise in religious fundamentalism in America.
• Fundamentalism (In 1920s America): Individuals who believed in a strict interpretation of the bible,
primarily Baptists and Methodists.
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They rejected the theory of evolution, and beliefs regarding the origins of the universe.
• By 1929, five states passed laws making it illegal to teach the theory of evolution in public schools.
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Evolution: A theory that the various kinds of plants and animals are descended from other kinds that lived
in earlier times and that the differences are due to inherited changes that took place over many generations.
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Scientists argued in the theory of evolution that human beings are descended from apelike ancestors.
• A high school biology teacher in Tennessee named John T. Scopes violated the state law against
teaching evolution and was arrested.
• John T. Scopes’ court case became a nation-wide media event.
• Scopes was found guilty by a jury, and fined $100 for teaching the theory of evolution to his science
class.
• The Scopes Trial was seen as a victory for religious fundamentalism in 1920s America.
The Scopes Trial
Prohibition
Prohibition
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In 1920, Prohibition became an official law in the United States of America.
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Prohibition did have some success.
• The national consumption rate of alcohol decreased.
• The amount of arrests for drunkenness decreased.
• Deaths from alcohol decreased.
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However, thousands of Americans violated prohibition.
• Bootleggers: Individuals who smuggled alcohol into the United States for sale made
fortunes.
• Speakeasy: A secret bar or club that sold alcohol to patrons.
• Gangsters: Many gangsters became involved in bootlegging, and organized crime
increased throughout the United States.
• Al Capone
Al Capone
Conclusion
• Who:_________________________________________________________
• What:________________________________________________________
• When: ___________
• Why/How: ___________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
The Harlem Renaissance
The Harlem Renaissance
• Renaissance: A time of new interest and activity in the arts
(i.e., music, poetry, plays, paintings, books).
• In the 1920s, a large community of African Americans
developed in Harlem, New York.
• The Harlem Renaissance had begun.
The Harlem Renaissance
• Although African American artists had existed in our country since its
founding, the Harlem Renaissance was the first time these artists could
express themselves freely.
• These artists used literature, art, and music to express:
• Feelings of racial pride
• The state of being an African American (racial discrimination).
• The Accomplishments of the Harlem Renaissance:
• A vast contribution of music, literature, and artwork to American society by
African Americans.
• The first time in American history African Americans were able to freely express
themselves without facing violence associated with discrimination and racism.
• The first time African American art was appreciated by a large white population.
• A significant step in ending racism in American society.
The Harlem Renaissance
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Famous artists from the Harlem Renaissance
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Langston Hughes (poet, playwright, social activist)
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Countee Cullen (poet)
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Claude McKay (author and poet)
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Zora Neale Hurston (author)
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Louis Armstrong (musician)
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Bill “Bojangles” Robinson (dancer)
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Duke Ellington (musician)
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Maria Anderson (singer/musician)
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W.E.B. Du Bois (political activist, writer)
Conclusion
• Who:__________________________________________________
• What:__________________________________________________
• When: ___________
• Why/How: _____________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
Women in 1920s America
Women in 1920s America
• A new era of freedom
• In the 1920s, women began to rebel against their “traditional” role
in American society.
• Prior to the 1920s, American women were expected to stay at
home, get married, and have children. . . that’s it.
• However, in the 1920s, many women began to dress differently,
wear different hairstyles, speak their minds, and live an
untraditional lifestyle.
• “The Flappers”
Women in 1920s America
• Changing times:
• The 19th Amendment was ratified in 1920. Women gained the right to
vote in local, state, and federal elections.
• During the 1920s, American women were voted into important political
positions.
• 1924: Nellie Tayloe Ross became the Governor of Wyoming.
• 1925: Miriam A. Fergurson became the Governor of Texas.
• In World War I, news jobs opened to women in the workplace. Many
women continued to participate in the workforce during the 1920s.
• As Clerks, typists, salespeople, receptionists, telephone operators, and
other service-oriented jobs.
• By the end of the 1920s, 10.6 million women were active in the
workforce.
Women in 1920s America
• Changing times (continued):
• New consumer products made life easier for women (i.e., the
refrigerator, the washing machine, etc.)
• Women could spend more time reading books, listening to music,
and enjoying art.
• These new sources of entertainment allowed women to think
differently about their role in society.
• Many women decided to go to college, join the workforce, and
live independently.
Conclusion
• Who:___________________________________________________
• What:__________________________________________________
• When: ___________
• Why/How: _____________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
Economic Problems of the
1920s
Economic Problems of the
1920s
• Even though the 1920s were a time of prosperity, wealth and
leisure, new economic problems threatened the nations’
prosperity.
• Jobs:
• Millions of Americans returned home from WWI to find that their
old jobs were no longer available.
• There were fewer factory jobs available than before the war.
• Factories stopped making weapons and military supplies.
• Many veterans were unemployed.
Economic Problems of the
1920s
• Economic Problems:
• Supply and demand: American factories were not able to supply
America’s demand for consumer goods - - - - > Prices rose on
consumer goods.
• Inflation: Prices on consumer goods increase (because there was
a small supply of goods).
• Conflicts between factory owners and workers: Factory workers
demanded higher wages to keep up with inflation. Many workers
went on strike to protest their working conditions.
The Red Scare
The Red Scare
• During the 1920s, many American labor unions went on
strike to protest low wages.
• Labor unions were radical, and many American citizens
began to associate labor unions with communism.
• Communism: A political system in which the government
controls all businesses and property in a nation.
The Red Scare
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Many Americans believed that the labor strikes were the start of a communist takeover of the United States.
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American citizens demanded that the government must suppress these “radicals” and prevent them from taking
over the nation (The Red Scare).
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In November 1919, Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer ordered 650 supposed “radicals” to be deported from the
United States.
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Many of these individuals had no connection with the labor unions.
In most cases, there was no clear evidence of a crime.
Many were singled out because they belonged to “radical” organizations.
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On January 2, 1920 a total of 6,000 Americans citizens and immigrants were arrested as suspected “communists.”
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By May 1920, The Red Scare had ended after a communist uprising predicted by A. Mitchell Palmer failed to
occur.
Immigration Laws
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The Red Scare was not the only social problem to arise in American society during the 1920s.
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Many Americans also began to fear immigrants.
• Americans believed that immigrants were taking jobs away from Americans.
• Americans also believed immigrants were communists.
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Americans demanded that the U.S. government pass laws to restrict immigration to the United
States.
• In 1921, the U.S. government passed an immigration law-the quota system-that restricted the number
of immigrants allowed to enter the country.
• Each country’s “quota” was based on the number of its nationals already living in the U.S. in 1910.
• America continued to lower the quota throughout the decade.
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In 1921, only 350,000 new immigrants were allowed to enter the United States.
By 1929, only 150,000 new immigrants were allowed to enter the United States.
America was no longer the land of opportunity for many potential immigrants.
Conclusion
• Who:__________________________________________________
• What:__________________________________________________
• When: ___________
• Why/How: _____________________________________________
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