LIFE & LIFE & CULTURE IN CULTURE IN

AMERICA 1920-AMERICA 1920-19291929

THE THE ROARING ROARING TWENTIESTWENTIES

Americans on the MoveAmericans on the Move

Urbanization Urbanization still still acceleratingacceleratingMore More

Americans Americans lived in lived in cities than cities than in rural in rural areasareas

URBAN VS. RURALURBAN VS. RURALUrban life = Urban life = anonymous anonymous crowds, strangers, crowds, strangers, moneymakers, and moneymakers, and pleasure seekers.pleasure seekers.

Rural life = safety, Rural life = safety, with close personal with close personal ties, hard work and ties, hard work and morals. morals.

Cities were impersonal

Farms were innocent

Demographical ChangesDemographical Changes Great Migration Great Migration

African Americans African Americans moving North at moving North at rapid pace.rapid pace.

Jim Crow lawsJim Crow laws New job New job

opportunities in opportunities in northnorth

1860 – 93% in 1860 – 93% in SouthSouth1930 – 80% in 1930 – 80% in SouthSouth

Ku Klux KlanKu Klux KlanColonel William J. SimmonsColonel William J. Simmons

Revived organization in 1915Revived organization in 19151922: enrollment 4 million1922: enrollment 4 million““Sales” $8 commission of $10 Sales” $8 commission of $10

initiation fee for recruitsinitiation fee for recruits

ImmigrationImmigrationEmergency Emergency Quota Act Quota Act (1921) (1921) 3% of ethnic group 3% of ethnic group as per 1910 census as per 1910 census SE Europe, SE Europe, exempted those in exempted those in “Western “Western Hemisphere”Hemisphere”

National Origins National Origins Act Act (1924) (1924) 2% 2% 1890 census1890 census

“Keep America America”

SCIENCE AND SCIENCE AND RELIGION CLASHRELIGION CLASH

Fundamentalists vs. Secular thinkersFundamentalists vs. Secular thinkers

Eugenics- pseudo-scientific racism Eugenics- pseudo-scientific racism

The Protestant movement - literal interpretation The Protestant movement - literal interpretation of the bible is known as fundamentalismof the bible is known as fundamentalism

Fundamentalists Fundamentalists found all truth in the biblefound all truth in the bible – – including science & evolutionincluding science & evolution

SCOPES TRIALSCOPES TRIAL

Tennessee Tennessee made it a made it a crime to teach crime to teach evolutionevolution

Scopes was a biology teacher who dared to teach his students that man

derived from lower species

THE TWENTIES WOMANTHE TWENTIES WOMAN

Women were Women were independent and independent and achieving greater achieving greater freedoms.freedoms.

ie. right to vote, ie. right to vote, more employment, more employment, freedom of the autofreedom of the auto

Chicago 1926

THE FLAPPERTHE FLAPPER

A Flapper was an A Flapper was an emancipated emancipated young woman young woman who embraced who embraced the new fashions the new fashions and urban and urban attitudes.attitudes.

NEW ROLES FOR NEW ROLES FOR WOMENWOMEN

Many women entered the Many women entered the workplace as nurses, workplace as nurses, teachers, librarians, & teachers, librarians, & secretaries.secretaries.

Early 20th Century teachers

THE CHANGING THE CHANGING AMERICAN FAMILYAMERICAN FAMILY

Margaret SangerMargaret Sanger Birth control Birth control

activistactivist Founder of Founder of

American Birth American Birth Control LeagueControl League

ie. Planned ie. Planned ParenthoodParenthood

Margaret Sanger and other founders of the American Birth

Control League - 1921

PROHIBITIONPROHIBITION The 18The 18thth

Amendment in Amendment in 19201920 Launched era Launched era

known as known as ProhibitionProhibition

Made it illegal Made it illegal to make, to make, distribute, sell, distribute, sell, transport or transport or consume consume liquor.liquor.

A.K.A. Volstead A.K.A. Volstead Act Act

PROHIBITIONPROHIBITION

SUPPORT FOR SUPPORT FOR PROHIBITIONPROHIBITION

Supporters were Supporters were largely from the largely from the rural south and rural south and westwest

Poster supporting prohibition

SPEAKEASIES AND SPEAKEASIES AND BOOTLEGGERSBOOTLEGGERS

To obtain liquor, To obtain liquor, drinkers went drinkers went underground to underground to hidden saloons hidden saloons known as known as speakeasiesspeakeasies

People also bought People also bought liquor from liquor from bootleggers bootleggers who who smuggled it in from smuggled it in from Canada, Cuba and Canada, Cuba and the West Indiesthe West Indies

GOVERNMENT FAILS GOVERNMENT FAILS TO CONTROL LIQUORTO CONTROL LIQUOR

Prohibition failed: Prohibition failed: Why? Government Why? Government

did not budget did not budget enough money to enough money to enforce the lawenforce the law

Federal agents pour wine down a sewer

SUPPORT FADES, SUPPORT FADES, PROHIBITION REPEALEDPROHIBITION REPEALED

By the mid-1920s, By the mid-1920s, only 19% of only 19% of Americans supported Americans supported ProhibitionProhibition

The 21The 21stst Amendment Amendment finally finally repealed repealed Prohibition in 1933Prohibition in 1933

ORGANIZED ORGANIZED CRIMECRIME

Al Capone –Al Capone –Chicago, IllinoisChicago, Illinois famous bootleggerfamous bootlegger““Scarface”Scarface”60 million yr 60 million yr

(bootleg alone(bootleg alone))

Al Capone was finally convicted on tax evasion charges in 1931

St. Valentine’s Day MassacreSt. Valentine’s Day Massacre

Valentines Day – Valentines Day – February 14, 1929February 14, 1929

Rival between Al Rival between Al Capone and Bugs Capone and Bugs MoranMoran Capone – South Side Capone – South Side

Italian gangItalian gang Moran – North Side Irish Moran – North Side Irish

ganggang

Bloody murder of 7 of Bloody murder of 7 of Moran’s men.Moran’s men. Capone’s men dressed Capone’s men dressed

as copsas cops

EXPANDING NEWS EXPANDING NEWS COVERAGECOVERAGE

Literacy Literacy increased in the increased in the 1920s…1920s…

as a result as a result Newspaper and Newspaper and

magazine magazine circulation rose.circulation rose.

RADIO COMES RADIO COMES OF AGEOF AGE

Radio- most Radio- most powerful mode of powerful mode of communication in communication in 1920s1920s

Henry Ford and Model T

ENTERTAINMENT AND ENTERTAINMENT AND ARTSARTS

First sound First sound

movies: movies: Jazz SingerJazz Singer (1927) (1927)

First animated with First animated with sound: sound: Steamboat Steamboat WillieWillie (1928)(1928)

By 1930By 1930 millions ofmillions of Americans went to Americans went to the movies each the movies each weekweek

Walt Disney's animated

Steamboat Willie marked the debut of Mickey Mouse. It was a seven minute long black and

white cartoon.

Icons of 1920sIcons of 1920s

LINDBERGH’S LINDBERGH’S FLIGHTFLIGHT Charles Lindbergh Charles Lindbergh

May 27, 1927: May 27, 1927: Lindbergh made the Lindbergh made the first nonstop solo trans-first nonstop solo trans-Atlantic flight.Atlantic flight.

NYC - ParisNYC - Paris 33 ½ hours later – (no 33 ½ hours later – (no

auto pilot)auto pilot) $25,000 prize$25,000 prize

Amelia EarhartAmelia Earhart 1932: First female 1932: First female

to fly solo across to fly solo across the Atlanticthe Atlantic

1937: Attempt to 1937: Attempt to fly around the fly around the worldworld 2/3 completed and 2/3 completed and

went missing, went missing, presumed dead.presumed dead.

AMERICAN HEROES OF AMERICAN HEROES OF THE 20sTHE 20s

In 1929, In 1929, Americans spent Americans spent $4.5 billion on $4.5 billion on entertainmententertainment

Babe RuthBabe Ruth was a was a larger than life larger than life American heroAmerican hero who played for who played for Yankees and hit Yankees and hit 60 homers in 60 homers in 19271927

1920s DANCING1920s DANCING

CharlestonCharleston Swing DancingSwing Dancing Dance MarathonsDance Marathons

Walt DisneyWalt DisneyWalt Disney only Walt Disney only

attended one attended one year of high year of high school. school.

He was the voice He was the voice of Mickey Mouse of Mickey Mouse for two decades. for two decades.

ART OF THE 1920sART OF THE 1920s

Georgia O’ KeeffeGeorgia O’ Keeffe captured the captured the grandeur of New grandeur of New York using York using intensely colored intensely colored canvasescanvases

Radiator Building, Night, New York , 1927

Georgia O'Keeffe

WRITERS OF WRITERS OF THE 1920sTHE 1920s

Writer F. Scott Writer F. Scott FitzgeraldFitzgerald coined coined the phrase “Jazz the phrase “Jazz Age” to describe Age” to describe the 1920sthe 1920s

MARCUS GARVEY - MARCUS GARVEY - UNIAUNIA Marcus Garvey Marcus Garvey

believed that African believed that African Americans should Americans should build a separate build a separate society (Africa)society (Africa)

In 1914, Garvey In 1914, Garvey founded the founded the Universal Negro Universal Negro Improvement Improvement Association Association Garvey represented a more

radical approach

HARLEM, NEW YORKHARLEM, NEW YORK Harlem, NY Harlem, NY

became the became the largest black largest black urban communityurban community

Home to literary Home to literary and artistic and artistic revival revival known as the known as the Harlem Harlem Renaissance Renaissance

LANGSTON LANGSTON HUGHESHUGHES

Missouri-born Missouri-born Langston HughesLangston Hughes was the was the movement’s best movement’s best known poetknown poet

Many of his poems Many of his poems described the described the difficult lives of difficult lives of working-classworking-class blacksblacks

1919 Chicago White Sox

Prohibition Photos

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2009/06/02/dining/20090603-speakeasy-slideshow_2.html