Culture in the 1920’s

1920’s Culture•Decade of conflict

▫Consumption of goods▫Women’s roles▫New styles▫Urban vs. Rural▫Nativism▫Prohibition▫Civil Rights

Consumption of goods•New Inventions

▫Electric irons, vacuums, phonograph, electric sewing machine, washing machine, refrigerator

▫RADIO 1st Radio station (KDKA – Pittsburgh) broadcast in 1920

CBS, NBC networks

Consumption of goods•The Automobile

▫1921 – 1.5 million sold▫1929 – 5 million sold▫1908 – $1000▫1929 – $295

•Ripple effect on other industries•Increase in road construction

Consumption of goods•The Automobile•Model T most

popular▫Difficult to operate▫Henry Ford, “You

can have it in any color you want, so long as it’s black.”

▫Competition from General Motors forced Ford to make changes

Consumption of goods•Advertising

▫Becomes $2.6 billion/year business

•Becomes psychological concept▫Convince consumers need for product

Women’s Roles

•Style – Flapper▫Showing more flesh

▫Bobbed hair▫More makeup▫Loose fitting dress

•Double standard

Women’s Roles•Education

▫More women going to college•Work

▫Women move toward professional jobs (teaching, nursing, etc.)

▫Paid less, less upward movement▫Seen as “temporary”; real job at home

Women’s Roles•Family

▫Birth rates lowered (birth-control information)

▫More family time▫household chores easier

Women’s Roles

New Styles•Music – Jazz

▫Began in New Orleans▫Rooted in African-American music▫Free flowing structure▫Migrated north with blacks Cotton Club in Harlem

▫Louis Armstrong▫African-American culture becomes mainstream

New Styles•Movies

▫Silent pictures since early 1900’s▫First “talking” picture – 1927▫Al Jolson in "The Jazz Singer"

New Styles•Other Mass Media

▫Magazines (Time)▫Tabloid newspapers▫40% homes owned radio▫Market research for advertising

•Role of education▫Four times attending high school▫Need for management▫Child labor laws▫Emergence of the “modern” high school

New Styles•Sports and recreation

▫City parks▫Public pools▫Recreation sports (tennis, golf)

•Spectator sports▫Baseball▫Boxing▫College football

•Creates “heroes”

Heroes

•Babe Ruth•“Sultan of Swat”

•Held single season and career homerun record for many years

Heroes

•Josh Gibson•The “black Babe Ruth”

•Negro Leagues

Heroes

•Jack Dempsey•The “Manassa Mauler”

•Heavyweight champion

Heroes

•Red Grange•The “Galloping Ghost”

•All-American running back

•Led growth of the NFL

Heroes

•Helen Wills-Moody

•Won Wimbledon eight times

•Won the U.S. Open seven times

•Won the French Open four times

Heroes

•Bill Tilden•“Big Bill”•Number one ranked for seven straight years

Heroes

•Bobby Jones•Won the “Grand Slam” in 1930

•Remained an amateur his entire career

Heroes

•Gertrude Ederle•1924 Olympian•First woman to swim the English Channel in 1926

•Beat the men’s record by two hours

Heroes

•Charlie Chaplin

•“The Tramp”

Heroes

•Rudolph Valentino

•The “Latin Lover”

•Died of complications from appendicitis in 1926

Heroes

•Clara Bow•The first “sex symbol”

Heroes

•Louis Armstrong

•“Satchmo”•Jazz musician

Heroes•Charles Lindbergh

•First solo flight across the Atlantic (New York to Paris)

•Spirit of St. Louis

•http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIUL_qUJUOo

What is happening to America culturally?

Cultural Conflicts

Decade of Conflict• Urban vs. Rural

▫ 1920 Census – over 50% urban (first time)• Rural America

▫Very conservative▫Religious▫Close knit▫Many (especially young) left for city

• The city provided▫new ideas▫new popular culture (sports, nightclubs, etc.)▫vices (gambling, drinking, casual courtship)▫ judgment based on accomplishment not values/name▫ fast paced lifestyle▫ loneliness

Decade of Conflict

Decade of Conflict

•Nativism▫Goal: limit “new” immigrants▫radicalism (socialism, etc.) due to immigrants

•Three immigration limitations

Decade of Conflict•1921 Emergency Act

▫Limit immigration to 3 million•1924 National Origins Act

▫Limit 2% immigration based on 1890 Census

▫Why 1890?▫Favored Northern/Western Europe▫Discriminated against Southern/Eastern

Europe▫Still no Chinese/Japanese immigration▫164,000 total immigrants

Decade of Conflict•1929

▫Reduced immigrants to 150,000•Latin American immigration

▫Still unlimited▫Increased▫Mexico = 1 million (1900-1930)▫1917 – Puerto Ricans get citizenship

•Anti-Semitism grew

Decade of Conflict

•Rebirth of the Ku Klux Klan▫Spread to North and West▫Became multi-bigotedAnti-blackAnti-CatholicAnti-JewAnti-immigrant

▫WASPSWhite Anglo-Saxon Protestant

Decade of Conflict•Klan’s popularity helped by ▫The Birth of a Nation

▫Wilson segregated government facilities

Decade of Conflict•Membership

▫1920 – 4 million▫1924 – 6 million▫1930 – 30,000

•What happened?▫1925 – Indiana

Grand Wizard D.C. Stephenson convicted of rape and second degree murder

Decade of Conflict•Oregon and the Klan▫Strong Klan state▫Walter Pierce won

1923 Governor’s race with Klan support

▫Largest margin in Oregon history

•Strongest in rural areas

Decade of Conflict•Prohibition

▫18th Amendment ▫The Volstead Act▫January, 1920

•Prohibited manufacture, sale, transportation, and consumption of alcoholic beverages

•1,550 men were paid to enforce the Volstead Act

Decade of Conflict•Supporters

▫Protestants (anti-alcohol)

▫Anti-Saloon League▫Woman’s Christian

Temperance Union▫South and Western

United States (mostly Protestant and rural)

•Drinking was sin, or results lead to sin

Decade of Conflict

•Anti-Prohibitionists

•immigrants (alcohol part of cultures)

•city dwellers (have fun)

Decade of Conflict

•Problems▫enforcement▫Speakeasies▫Moonshine, bathtub gin

▫organized crime

Decade of Conflict•Religion•Growth of Fundamentalism▫All information from the Bible

▫Rejected scientific theory

▫Evolution vs. Creationism▫Scopes “Monkey” trial

Decade of Conflict•Scopes “Monkey” trial

▫1925 Tennessee state law: evolution illegal

▫Scopes violated it; arrested

▫Defended by Clarence Darrow

▫Prosecuted by William Jennings Bryan

Decade of Conflict•Scopes “Monkey” trial▫Turning point: Darrow calls Bryan as witness

▫Scopes found guilty; fined $100

▫Never paid fine▫Overturned by higher court

Decade of Conflict•Civil Rights

▫W.E.B. DuBois▫Demanded racial equality

▫Worked through the NAACP

▫Became more radical politically

Decade of Conflict•Civil Rights

▫Marcus Garvey▫Universal Negro

Improvement Association

▫“Back to Africa” movement

▫Jailed for mail fraud in 1925

▫Released from jail in 1927

▫Deported to Jamaica

Literary Movements•Harlem Renaissance

▫Racial pride▫Cultural identity▫Theme: What it’s

like to be black in white America

•Prominent writers▫Langston Hughes▫Zora Neale Hurston▫Countee Cullen▫Jean Toomer

Literary Movements•The “Lost Generation”

▫White writers▫Disillusioned with

America, consumerism, horrors of WWI

▫Many left for Europe (Paris)

•Prominent writers▫F. Scott Fitzgerald▫Ernest Hemingway▫T.S. Eliot

The Great Gatsby

•Book written F. Scott Fitzgerald•Shows shallowness of people in the

1920’s▫Lifestyle (5:30 to 11:16)▫Gatsby’s parties (30:30 to 42:00)▫Gatsby’s funeral (2:15.30 to 2:18)▫Nick sums up the 20’s (2:18 to 2:21.30)