1920's America

Themes

● “Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die”

● Return to Normalcy● US isolationism● Jazz Age● Rural to Urban

society

1920's Slang

● Baby Grand- built, muscular man● Bank's Closed- no kissing● Dry Up- get lost● Egg- person who lives the “big” life● Handcuff- engagement ring● Pill- either a teacher or an unlikable person● Punch the Bag- small talk● Scratch- money● You Slay Me- That's funny

Main Ideas- Monday 2/16

● Changes for women– Women saw the right to vote (19th amendment),

opportunities outside the home to work, and a new rebellious attitude (flappers)

● Movies and radio– New mass media technology allowed for

information to reach the masses quicker

● Sports and Fads– Athletic events and hobbies gained popularity

around the US

Reading Check Questions

● Changes for women– 19th amendment allowed women to vote in public

elections

● Sports and Fads– Mah-jongg, crossword puzzles, flagpole sitting,

dance marathons

Changes for Women

● 19th Amendment– Right to vote for

women

● Women holding jobs outside of the home

● Flappers– Carefree women of

the 1920's

– Proved women had freedom

Entertainment

● Movies– Hollywood becomes

biggest motion picture industry

– Charlie Chaplin- English actor of silent films

● Radio– KDKA- first

commercial broadcast

– By 1922- 3 million families had a radio

● Sports– Jack Dempsey

(boxing)

– Babe Ruth (baseball)● 60 HR in a season

– Red Grange● 4 TD in 12 minutes

● New Fads– Flagpole sitting

● Alvin “Shipwreck” Kelly (23 days, 7 hours)

– Dance Marathons● 3 or 4 days long

– Miss America● First held in 1921

Homework Question: Monday 2/16

● What were the three main changes for women during the 1920's? Infer how these changes for women created an upbeat atmosphere in the US in the 1920's.

Harlem Renaissance● Who

– African American writers, artists, and musicians

● What– Growing interest of

African American culture and pride

● Where– Harlem, NY

● When– 1920's

● Famous People– Langston Hughes

(poet)

– Louis Armstrong (musician)

– Bessie Smith (singer)

Langston Hughes

Prohibition● 18th Amendment

– Established prohibition

– 1919

● Volstead Act– Means of enforcing

the 18th Amendment

– Two sides● Drys (pro-ban) vs Wets

(anti-ban)

● Nicknamed– “Noble Experiment”

● Goal– To reduce crime and

poverty

● 21st Amendment– Repealed the 18th

Amendment

– 1933

● Results of Prohibition– “bathtub gin”

– Speakeasies

– Bootlegging● Al “Scarface” Capone

HW Question: 2/23

● Explain the effects of the Prohibition act.

Fundamentalists vs. Evolution

● Fundamentalism – God created the world

and everything in it

● Evolution– Scientific theory that

humans evolved over time

John T. ScopesRespected high school biology

teacher arrested in Dayton,

Tennessee for teaching

Darwin’s Theory of Evolution.

Clarence Darrow

Famous trial lawyer who represented

Scopes

William J. BryanSec. of State for

President Wilson, ran for president three times, turned evangelical

leader. Represented

theprosecution.

Dayton, Tennessee

Small town in the south became

protective against the

encroachment of modern times and secular teachings.

SCOPES MONKEY TRIAL

Scopes Monkey Trial● What

– Tennessee state law making it illegal to teach evolution in school

● Who– John Scopes broke

the law

● Where– Dayton, TN

● When– 1925

● Outcome– Scopes broke law and

paid $100

– Fundamentalist movement ceased

Homework 2/24

● If you were the judge in the Scopes trial, which side would you have ruled on and why?

Red Scare● What

– Fear of Communism (“Reds”), or anarchists

– Began after WWI and Russian Revolution

● Palmer Raids– By A. Mitchell Palmer

– Arrested and deported 6,000 suspected communists

● When– 1919-1921

Sacco and Vanzetti● Who

– Nicola Sacco

– Bartolomeo Vanzetti

– Both are anarchists

● What– Tried for murdering a

guard and robbing a shoe factory

● Where– MA, 1920-1927

● Outcome– Men were falsely

accused because they were anarchists

Turn to page 701

Homework 3/3

● Infer what the Sacco and Vanzetti case revealed about the feelings of many Americans.

Nativism

● What– Native-born

Americans are superior to foreigners

– Restrict “undesirables”

● Quota System– Limiting number of

immigrants from each countries

● Quota Acts– Emergency Quota Act

(1921)● 3% from each country● Based on 1910 census

– National Origins Act (1924)

● 2% from each country● Based on census from

1890● No Japanese

immigrants

Homework Question 3/4

● Infer what you believe was the main goal behind the new quota laws of the 1920's? Why?

Strikes

● Boston Police Strike– September 9, 1919

– Goal: wanted to form unions

– Unions = communism in public eyes

– Calvin Coolidge becomes hero

● The Harlem Renaissance of the 1920's was a period when African Americans:– A-left the US in large

numbers to settle in Africa

– B-created noteworthy works of music and literature

– C-migrated to the West in search for jobs

– D-used force to fight segregation

● The 1920's is sometimes called the “Roaring Twenties” because:– A-foreign trade

prospered after WWI

– B-the US assumed a leadership role in foreign affairs

– C-political reforms made government more democratic

– D-widespread social and economic change occured

● Which events best support the image of the 1920's as a decade of nativism sentiment:– A-the passage of the

National origins act and rise of the KKK

– B-Scopes trail and woman’s suffrage

– C-growth of the auto industry and Teapot Dome affair

– D-Boston Police strike and labor strikes

● The 1925 trial of John Scopes reflects the conflict between:– A-isolation and

international involvement

– B-traditional roles and new roles for women

– C-science and religion

– D-Prohibition and rise of crime

Presidents of the 1920's● Who is the 29th President? Who is the 30th?

● When was the 29th President in office? When was the 30th President in office?

● What is the nickname of the 29th President? What is the nickname of the 30th President?

● Name one of the famous firsts of the 29th President. Name one of the firsts of the 30th President.

● Name one achievement of the 29th President. Name one achievement of the 30th President.

● Name one of the interesting facts of the 29th President. Name one of the interesting facts of the 30th President.

● List some of the issues of the 1920 and 1924 elections.

● What were the slogans of the 1920 and 1924 elections?

Homework Question 3/9

● Based off of the readings today, which President of the 1920's do you think made a bigger impact in the U.S. and why?

Harding Administration

● “Return to Normalcy”– Return to how things

were before WWI

● “I knew this job would be too much for me”

● Corruption– The “Ohio Gang”

– Teapot Dome Scandal

The “Ohio Gang”

● What– Close friends of

President Harding

– Many unqualified and corrupt

● Who– Charles Forbes

convicted of stealing funds from the Veterans Bureau

Teapot Dome Scandal● Who

– Albert Fall- Secretary of the Interior

● What– Secretly leased

government oil reserves to owners in Teapot Dome, WY

– Fall received $400,000

● “I have no trouble with me enemies, but my friends keep me walking the floor nights”

● Importance– Symbol of corruption

– First cabinet member to go to jail

Coolidge Administration

● Domestic Policy– Supported business

● Foreign Policy– Promote peace

– Kellogg-Brand Pact● Vowed not to go to war

Homework Question 3/10

● Explain why historians would say that the Harding Administration was full of corruption.