Download THE 1920*S / ROARING 20*S/ JAZZ AGE

THE 1920’S / ROARING 20’S/
JAZZ AGE
Ch.13
Fighting Alcohol
• The 18th amendment to the Constitution was
added in 1918. Prohibition banned the
manufacture, sale, and distribution of alcohol.
Cause: wives and children were being abused at
home; workers were drunk (accidents), and
health concerns.
• The Volstead act 1919 created an agency to
enforce prohibition. It was underfunded, and
could not monitor all coastlines, state borders,
highways, and businesses well. (didn’t work)
• Speakeasies (underground nightclubs) sprang
up in major cities, selling alcohol and
entertainment.
• Bootleggers smuggled in alcohol from Canada
and Cuba. Others made it locally, and
distributed it
• Organized crime began to sell alcohol to a
thirsty public, illegally (large profits). Different
crime syndicates began gang wars in major
cities (N.Y, Chicago, Boston) to eliminate
competition. (Al Capone).
Bootlegging & Speakeasies
Scopes Trial
• Americans saw a rise in fundamentalism –
Christian belief in the literal truth (word for word)
of the bible (not symbolic). Religious revivals
took place mostly in the South and West.
• Scopes Trial- fundamentalists in some states
outlawed the teaching of evolution in schools.
John Scopes (teacher) protested this law by
teaching the subject in a small Tennessee town.
The Famous trial drew national attention, he was
found guilty (fined $100 only), and the state
Supreme Court overruled the conviction
Women of the 20’s
• Women’s appearance began to shift from the
“Victorian” style – (long hair, large bust, small waist
and covered legs) to a look that expressed more
freedom. Many women cut their hair short (bob),
bound there chest to flatten it, lifted the hem line to
show more leg, and took off her stockings. Also they
wore a type of shoe that would flap, thus young
women of the 20’s were known as flappers.
• Dating before WWI tended to aligned with marriage,
but in the 20’s it became more casual (for fun).
Churches and schools began to ban social dances.
There became a Double Standard to sexuality. Women
had stricter standards of behavior than men did. (still
today?)
FLAPPERS
• Women also worked more after the war (filled
in for soldiers). They became teachers,
nurses, and secretaries. Discrimination,
women got paid less than men.
• The first Women’s rights convention was held
in 1848 Seneca Falls N.Y. In 1890 the National
American Women’s Suffrage Association was
created. Women eventually achieved their
right to vote with passage of the 19th
amendment in 1920.
Automobile (changing culture)
Henry Ford
• Henry Ford revolutionizes the automobile industry in
1914 with the Model T.
• He created a new and efficient process in
manufacturing called the assembly line. (various
workers have 1 function in assembling the vehicle)
• Before 1914 (assembly line introduced) it took 14
hours to assemble a car. After introduction, it took
approx. 1hr 30min. By 1925 1 car was assembled every
10 seconds!
• The mass production of these cars decreased the price,
so that most Americans could afford it! It also allowed
Ford to pay a better wage, and reduce working hours.
Auto Industry Has Major Impact
• Other industries prospered: steel, rubber, glass,
petroleum, machine tools, and road construction.
Garages, filling stations, and restaurants boomed
as Americans use their cars to travel. (parks,
beaches, family outings)
• Teens used them to go out on dates, and privacy
(pregnancy rates ↑).
• With the affordability of Ford automobiles, a
driving culture was created. By 1927 there were
over 50,000 miles of paved highways. (Route 66,
1926, from Los Angeles to Chicago; p.423) In
1927 Ford introduces the Model A, in different
colors. (Model T, only black)
Popular Culture In the 20’s
• American taste was shaped by mass media. People
increasingly read newspapers, and magazines. Radio
was the most powerful form of mass media. It grew
into national networks and offered programming to
millions.
• As Americans became more prosperous ($) during the
1920’s, the standard of living rose, and they began to
spend more.
• New household gadgets saved time for household
chores, which allowed more time for entertainment.
(washing machines, vacuum cleaners, electric irons,
refrigerators, and electric ranges and toasters)
• Americans went to sporting events (boxing, baseball, and
football were major spectator sports) where stars like
“Babe Ruth” were made. (Negro Leagues). Sporting events
bridged gaps between rich and poor, and racial differences
as everyone cheered and supported the home team!
• Two of the biggest heroic events of the 20’s were: 1.
Gertrude Ederle became the 1st woman to swim across the
English Channel in 1926, (21 miles, 14 hrs) and 2. Charles
Lindbergh became the man to fly across the Atlantic Ocean
in 1927. (NY to France, 33 hrs & 29 min. p.449) His plane
was called The Spirit of St. Louis
• Americans also went to the movies. The Jazz Singer, 1927,
became the first movie with sound. People went to the
movies to escape reality (tough times?), and they fell in
love with actors/actresses and mimicked their looks,
speech, and habits.
Art
Art
• The 20’s became synonymous with Jazz, and Blues. Both
sounds of music originated with African Americans.
• Blues grew out of the chants of field slaves at work. It
spoke mostly about the harsh lives that they struggled with.
• Jazz is a sophisticated set of rhythms and melodies with
solo and ensemble improvisations. Most Black musicians
never wrote a note down (couldn’t read music) and played
by ear. The music energized Americans to dance, drink, and
to feel good!
• F. Scott Fitzgerald “The Great Gatsby” wrote novels that
showed the dark side of a flashy life in the 1920’s. He
created the phrase, The Jazz Age. Ernest Hemmingway
wrote novels that criticized the glorification of war, and set
new literary standards in writing.
Harlem Renaissance
• Was an African American literary and artistic
movement that began in the Harlem section of
New York.
• It countered popular thought that African
Americans were not intelligent, terrible workers,
and had minimal skills. (from slavery)
• African American artists, authors, actors,
musicians, and composers, expressed pride in
their culture and celebrated the African American
experience through their work. Famous writers:
Langston Hughes, and Zora Neal Hurston. Famous
composers: Louis Armstrong, George Gershwin
Langston Hughes