The Roaring Twenties

Mr. Miller

Seward Middle School

The Roaring Twenties

• After World War I, the U.S. went into a short economic recession, but then things picked up again in the 1920s for many, but not all, people in the U.S.

• This “feel good” time was known as the “Roaring” Twenties…

• Overview/Preview – see movie next slide…

Textbook Overview• Section 1: The Business

of America: “Harding & the Return to Normalcy”

• Warren G. Harding became President and chose a pro-business Cabinet.

• Many (not all) in his cabinet were corrupt and there was much scandal

• Harding died suddenly in 1923.

Textbook Overview• Section 1: The Business

of America: “Coolidge Takes Over”

• Coolidge took a “hands off” appraoch to business.

• He was a believer in less government control on a lot of things such as crop prices, taking care of the poor, etc.

• This helped lead to business really booming as the 1920s continued.

Textbook Overview• Section 1: The Business of

America: “Technology Changes American Life”

• Americans had more $ to spend, so items like cars (when they were invented), vacuums, refrigerators, etc. were bought and sold (more $)

• The assembly line increased production of many products.

• People started borrowing $ and buying on “installment” plans and paying monthly.

• This did lead to more people in debt (remember for 1930s)

Moving to Section 2

• What other aspects of society (other than business and the economy) changed or evolved (that’s whole other story) during the 1920s?

• Moving to Section 2…

Textbook Overview• Section 2: Changes in Society:

“Youth in the Roaring Twenties”

• Younger people started having more fun, going to college, etc. since the economy was doing better

• Women wore shorter dresses, shorter hair, and did “fun” stuff like go out on the town, etc. that the men got to do before

• The Charleston and other dances and songs went “big”

• The older generation did not like this “rebellious” movement

Zoot Suit“Flapper”

Textbook Overview• Section 2: Changes in

Society: “New Roles for Women”

• Women gained the right to vote with the 19th amendment in 1920 & they went from there

• The strong economy and seeing how women worked for the men during WWI led to more job opportunities.

• Young women really started “stretching” their roles in society, while the older ones felt they weren’t being ladylike

• (known as “flappers”)

Women’s Roles Change

• Women’s role changed. Youthful “flappers” were much different from the stuffiness of the Victorian era.

• This video shows the “fun time” that many were having during these Roaring Twenties…

• Youtube clip on Flappers

Textbook Overview• Section 2: Changes in Society:

“Prohibition and Lawlessness”• In 1920, the 18th amendment

was passed, which outlawed the sale and manufacture of alcohol in the U.S.

• Many felt the government overstepped it’s bounds

• Most still drank, but either made their own, smuggled, or went to “speakeasies”

• This also led to the rise of organized crime (mafia) such as Al Capone, etc.

Prohibition

• This History Channel clip shows a good summary of the Prohibition movement.

• See History Channel Video “Speakeasies” segment

• Mr. Miller’s soapbox moment… This is not meant to glorify the use of alcohol in any way (you’re way too young)

• See U.S. News article highlights…• Act accordingly…

Textbook Overview• Section 2: Changes in Society:

“Changes for African Americans”

• The Great Migration (WWI unit) led to many African-Americans moving to the north.

• Unfortunately, this led to a lot of racial tension and many riots, etc.

• The NAACP was formed to help protect rights, etc. with mixed results.

• Marcus Garvey led a movement by others to go back to Africa and leave USA

Marcus Garvey

Textbook Overview• Section 2: Changes in Society:

“A Divided Society”• Race wasn’t the only issue -

there was a backlash against immigrants, urban vs. rural, religion vs. science and other issues

• Fundamentalists fought against the teaching of evolution in schools and the Scopes trial became a huge story.

• The Ku Klux Klan also had a resurgence in power, numbers, and influence.

• More on these topics…

Charles Darwin

John Scopes

William Jennings Bryan

The Scopes “Monkey” Trial• Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution holds that inherited

characteristics of a population change over generations, which sometimes results in the rise of a new species.

• According to Darwin, the human species may have evolved from an ape-like species that lived long ago.

• Fundamentalists think this theory is against the biblical account of how God created humans and that teaching evolution undermine religious faith.

• Fundamentalists worked to pass laws preventing evolution being taught in schools, and several states did, including Tennessee in 1925.

• One group in Tennessee persuaded a young science teacher named John Scopes to violate the law, get arrested, and go to trial.

The Trial• Scopes was represented by Clarence Darrow, and

William Jennings Bryan, three-time candidate for president, represented the prosecution.

• John Scopes was obviously guilty, but the trial was about larger issues.

• Scopes was convicted and fined $100, but Darrow never got a chance to appeal because the conviction was overturned due to a technical violation by the judge.

• The Tennessee law remained in place until the 1960s.

• See History Channel video on the trial

The Ku Klux Klan• It originally started during the

Reconstruction era after the Civil War

• It gained momentum during the 1920s

• They had around 5,000,000 members at one point

• They used this influence to intimidate (and much worse) African Americans (and Catholics, and immigrants, and Jews, and…) and try to influence politics with violence

• It lost influence later in the 20s• Youtube clip

Moving to Section 3

• So there were good and bad things going on in America during this time

• What about American’s leisure time? How did they fill it?

• Race relations were still bad… but a change was coming…

• What about the “lost” in between?

Textbook Overview• Section 3: The Jazz Age &

Harlem Renaissance: “More Leisure Time for Americans”

• Inventions, shorter working hours, and higher wages gave most (not all) Americans more time and $ to spend on leisure

• Movies, museums, sports, driving, etc. were popular events to be part of

• Some African-Americans, Hispanic Americans, etc. were “left out” of this prosperity

Textbook Overview• Section 3: The Jazz Age & Harlem

Renaissance: “Mass Media and Popular Culture”

• Radio became very popular for the first time, “connecting” many Americans to sports, shows, etc. (like we have with TV and now internet today)

• Movies and movie stars became very popular as well

• Movies were mostly silent in the early 20s, but then sound came along as well in The Jazz Singer

• Disney came onto the scene with the first Mickey Mouse in Steamboat Willie

Textbook Overview• Section 3: The Jazz Age & Harlem

Renaissance: “A Search for Heroes”• Sports and sports stars became a big

deal during the 1920s• Babe Ruth & Ty Cobb in baseball• Negro leagues in baseball started due

to racism keeping them out of MLB• Jack Dempsey & Gene Tunney in

boxing• Bobby Jones wins the Grand Slam in

golf• Helen Willis and Bill Tilden in tennis• Other heroes: Charles Lindbergh and

Amelia Earhart for flying across the Atlantic Ocean

Textbook Overview• Section 3: The Jazz Age & Harlem

Renaissance: “The Harlem Renaissance”

• Many African Americans moved to New York City (and other northern cities) for work, escape, etc.

• The Harlem neighborhood of NYC was the world’s largest black community

• Jazz musicians, artists, writers, scholars, etc. that were African-American flocked to NYC and culture flourished there

• The “Renaissance” offered a new hope to African-Americans for their future in America.

• Famous jazz musicians Loius Armstrong and Duke Ellington

• Singer Bessie Smith was also popular.

Youtube

Textbook Overview• Section 3: The Jazz Age & Harlem

Renaissance: “The Lost Generation”• Some famous people lost hope for

America (or the world?) during this time and left America for primarily Paris, France

• They became expatriates and chose to live in another country

• Writers Ernest Hemingway (A Farewell to Arms), F. Scott Fitzgerald (The Great Gatsby), and Sinclair Lewis (Babbitt) were some famous ones who left

• They wrote about the negatives of the era such as Post-WWI despair, wealth gone wild, and material possession obsession in the middle class.