Age of Wonderful NonsenseLife in the Roaring

20s

Americans Struggle with Postwar Issues

• 4 trends in American society result from a desire for normalcy:– Renewed isolationism– Resurgence of nativism– Trend toward conservatism (away

from Progressivism)– Threat of communism

The Klan Rises Again• Advocates “100% Americanism”• Rise in membership – who joined?

normal people who felt threatened by changes in American society

Flappers• Flapper: an independent young woman who

adopts new fashions & progressive attitudes; short hair, boyish clothing, makeup

• Young women begin to assert their independence & demand the same freedoms as men

• Women were having fewer children• The divorce rate doubles in the 1920s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3svvCj4yhYc

The Lost GenerationWriters of the 1920s• Most authors criticized the

lifestyle of the 20s; materialism, conformity, etc...

• F. Scott Fitzgerald: reveals negative side of 1920s freedoms and lifestyle

• Ernest Hemingway: criticizes the glorification of war

Movies

• Silent movies already popular; introduction of sound increases attendance

• “The Jazz Singer”: first movie with sound

Fad: Pfefferminz

• Edward Haas came up with this new peppermint candy

• 1948: easy, dispenser that we all recognize now to be a regular

• More Pez dispensers are sold than there are kids.

Fad: Dance Marathons• Height of The

Depression• Record: 5,148 hours

and 28.5 minutes• Prizes ranged

anywhere between $1000 to $5000, but many contestants participated solely for the promise of food and shelter

• Eventually Outlawed

Fad: Flag Pole Sitting• Alvin Kelly: King of

the Flag Pole• Daniel Baraniuk: a

16-by-24-inch platform on an 8-foot pole for 196 days

• Died out around 1929

Fad: Miss America Pageant

• originated on September 7, 1921 as a 2 day contest in New Jersey

• Miss America 1922

• Modern Woman: Eat right, exercise etc.

Fad: Slang

Blame It on the Booze• the Prohibition Experiment: alcohol

has been considered a prime cause of corruption for a long time

• Prohibition is supported by religious groups, the rural South, & people in the West

Public EnemiesGovernment fails to budget enough

men/money to enforce the law

All That Jazz….