American AnthemModern American History

Chapter 10

The Roaring Twenties

1920-1929

Copyright © 2010, Mr. EllingtonRuben S. Ayala High School

Columbus statute in

Rhode Island

1. American Life ChangesA: New Roles for Women

B: Effects of Urbanization

C: Conflicts Over Values

D: Prohibition

2. The Harlem RenaissanceA: The Great Migration

Chapter 10: The Roaring Twenties, 1920-1929

A: The Great Migration

B: Life in Harlem

C: A Renaissance in Harlem

3. A New Popular Culture Is BornA: Mass Entertainment in the 1920s

B: An Era of Heroes

C: Arts of the 1920s

Columbus statute in

Rhode Island

Part 1: American Life Changes Section 1A: New Roles for Women

• In 1920 women received the right to vote

(19th amendment); however, most women

voted the same way as their husbands

• Many women worked in the 1920s, but

mostly in lower paying “women’s” jobs

such as teachers, nurses, or maids

• Flappers represented the desire of young

women for independence

Part 1: American Life ChangesSection 1B: Effects of Urbanization

• More Americans lived in cities than in rural areas by the 1920s and

less then 25% of Americans worked on farms

• Automobile use decreased rural isolationism from the big cities

• Industrialization and new laws led to increased schooling

1920s postcard of Los Angeles

Part 1: American Life ChangesSection 1C: Conflicts Over Values

• Changing values and fears brought on by urbanization led to a

conservative backlash and the rise of KKK as a political movement

• Uncertainty fueled the growth of fundamentalism which challenged

some of the teachings of modern science, especially evolution

• Scopes trial about the teaching of evolution in a public school

riveted the nation and demonstrated the cultural tensions of the era

Part 1: American Life ChangesSection 1D: Prohibition

• Prohibition (18th amendment) was passed in 1917 to help the WWI

war effort, promote family stability, and partly due to nativist feelings

• Prohibition lowered alcohol consumption but was poorly enforced

• Bootlegging led to the rise of organized crime (e.g. Al Capone, etc.)

Part 2: The Harlem RenaissanceSection 2A: The Great Migration

• Many blacks migrated out of the South in the early 1900s to escape

racial violence and find jobs in big cities

• Racial tensions and economic conditions led

to dozens of race riots

The burning of Will Brown's body, Omaha, 1919

Part 2: The Harlem RenaissanceSection 2B: Life in Harlem

• Harlem became the center of African-American culture (Harlem

Renaissance) in the 1920s as almost 200,000 blacks lived in NYC

• Marcus Garvey created UNIA and led a large, controversial “Back

to Africa” movement until he was jailed and deported for fraud

Part 2: The Harlem RenaissanceSection 2C: A Renaissance in Harlem

• African American art and culture flourished in Harlem in the 1920s

• Resistance was a common theme of writers like Langston Hughes

• Jazz and musicians such as

Louie Armstrong and Duke

Ellington became very popular

and drew large, white and drew large, white

audiences to their shows

Part 3: A New Popular Culture is BornSection 3A: Mass Entertainment in the 1920s

• Radio and movies helped create a more common American culture

• Radio stations and technical improvements made radios very popular

• By 1929, 100 million Americans went to see milestone movies such

as The Birth of a Nation, The Jazz Singer, and Steamboat Willie

Part 3: A New Popular Culture is BornSection 3B: An Era of Heroes

• The 1920s was an era with several groups of popular heroes

• Charlie Chaplin and Clara Bow were both famous film stars

• Lindbergh became a world hero after being the first to fly solo across

the Atlantic in 1927; Amelia Earhart flew across the Atlantic in 1928

• Many Americans enjoyed spectator sports such as baseball, golf,

football, tennis, and boxingfootball, tennis, and boxing

Part 3: A New Popular Culture is BornSection 3C: Arts of the 1920s

• Writers such as F. Scott Fitzgerald in The Great Gatsby criticized the

materialism and shallowness of 1920s culture

• Other literature expressed disillusionment after WWI (e.g. A Farewell

to Arms or celebrated business (e.g. The Man Nobody Knew)