I. A Booming EconomyII. The Business of Government III. Clash of Values IV. The New Mass Culture V. The Harlem Renaissance

The Twenties, 1919-1929“The Jazz Age”

4 Major Trends of the 1920s1. The 1920s were a time of great prosperity.

2. The 1920s were a time of great tension between groups in society.

3. The 1920s were a time of great creativity.

4. The 1920s were a time of great inequality.

The Century: Americas Time 1920-1929: Boom to Bust

1920s Timeline 1919—18th Amendment =Prohibition on alcohol 1920—19th Amendment gave women the right to

vote 1921—Warren Harding, President, 1921-1923 1922—Teapot Dome Scandal (government

corruption) 1923—Calvin Coolidge, President, 1923-1929 1924—National Origins Act limits immigration to U.S. 1925—Scopes Trial in TN: Science and Religion 1927—The Jazz Singer, first talking movie 1929—Herbert Hoover enters the White House Stock Market Crashes Prosperity of the 1920s ends

The “New Economy”

1. After WWI, the American economy grew rapidly.

2. With mass production, workers produced more goods faster and cheaper than ever before; they also began buying goods on credit.

3. The economic boom of the 1920s changed the lives of millions of people and helped create our modern consumer society of today.

What factors drove the economic boom of the 1920s?

Two Major factors: 1. Europe had been devastated by war. The

U.S. was the only healthy industrial power in

the world. 2. But the most important factor was new technology and inventions led to industrial expansion to produce goods for the growing market

New technology and products of the 1920s

1. Electric vacuum cleaners, refrigerators and freezers

2. Automatic washing machines3. *** Radios4. Scotch tape, Kleenex tissue paper, electric

razor 5. Computers at MIT6. Genetic Research7. Faster Trains8. Early stages of commercial aviation It took over 100 years for the US Patent

Office to issue its millionth patent in 1911; within 15 years it issued its two-millionth.

*The Automobile was the most important new technological invention of the 1920s:

1. Automobile industry drove the booming economy

2. Autos led to the growth of other industries:

Steel, rubber, glass, gasoline, oil, road construction, housing construction (suburbs), motels, restaurants, gas stations

Henry Ford

The Ford Assembly Line Mass production=production of

goods in large numbers through the use of machinery and assembly lines

Assembly line=arrangement of equipment and workers in which work passes from operation to operation in a direct line until the product is assembled

Scientific management=experts study ways to improve efficiency by studying every step of the process

Innovation =change in way of doing something

Model T=Henry Ford’s car many Americans could afford

Henry Ford= his assembly line revolutionized production, wages, and working conditions, and daily life

Ford Assembly Line

1920s Gas Station

In 1929, the nation produced 5.5 million cars and 5 of every 6 cars in the world were owned by Americans.

Automobiles transformed American society:

1. Drove the economy and promoted buying on credit

2. Social freedom, dating and privacy 3. Drinking alcohol 4. Cars were a status symbol 5. Americans were mobile and took

vacations 6. Americans moved to the suburbs which

transformed cities 7. Increased socialization, ended isolation 8. Gave rise to a youth culture

“Story of Us” Video-Automobiles 12 http://www.cleanvideosearch.com/media/action/yt/watch?videoId=dubvgA7Je7Y&name=%288%29+America%2C+the+Story+of+US+-+Boom&uploadUsername=9kYmo6fsrySOonVIbdINtw&hitCount=11328

Advertising and Buying on Credit Consumer revolution= more goods

were affordable and available to more people in American society than ever before

The 1920s was the first true “Age of the Consumer”

Installment purchases =customers would make small down payment on an item and pay the rest in monthly payments. Americans went into debt to buy the consumer goods of the 1920s.

Walking ads for stockings

Movies of the 1920s

The Bull Market of the

1920s

The Bull Market Bull Market=stock prices rose in the

1920s and more Americans began to invest in stocks

Get rich quick!

Buying on Margin=to pay for stocks, many people bought stocks on “credit” by only putting 10% down. They believed they could pay the rest of the cost with profits from the stock market.

Cities, Suburbs and the CountryCities and suburbs grew and more Americans moved to urban areas for jobs and entertainment.

More skyscrapers were built.Americans began to move to the suburbs (Cars made travel in and out of the city possible.)

Farmers were NOT prosperous.

Chrysler Building

First African American Union: Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters

Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters

African Americans in office in Hempstead, TX

Story of Us: Red Summer, 1919Blacks migrate North during WWI for jobsRacial tensions increase in cities in the

North and West

Boom: 25:00 Chicago 1919, Red Summer

Farmers at the Market, 1920s

Signs of the Booming Economy of the 1920s:

1.Wages rose from $36 billion to $51 billion 2. Gross National Product (GNP) jumped from

$69 billion to $93 billion 3. Mass production led to lower prices for

goods4. US entered WWI a debtor nation and

emerged the largest creditor ($12 billion) Compared to other nations, America was rich

5. Advertising increased and Americans bought goods on credit

*In the 1920s, Americans had the highest per capita income in the world.

Republicans Dominate Politics of the 1920s

1. Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge and the government in the 1920s supported business growth. Both believed in a smaller federal government.

2. This is a part of a pattern in U.S. history where economic cycles and government action are tied together.

Republican Presidents of the 1920s

1. Warren Harding, 1920

2. Calvin Coolidge, 1923

3. Herbert Hoover, 1928

Republicans controlled government for 12 years

Warren Harding, Ohio

WARREN HARDING (R), 1921-1923

Elected because he promised a “Return to Normalcy.”

Americans were tired of war and Progressive reform movements.

Harding promised smaller government and lower taxes.

“Ohio Gang” –Harding placed his friends in public office

Harding’s Cabinet Members

1. Andrew Mellon, Secretary of the Treasury Wealthy banker Lowered taxes Few regulations on businesses 2. Herbert Hoover, Secretary of Commerce Promoted business

3. “Ohio Gang”-Harding’s corrupt and greedy friends who saw government as a way to get rich. This leads several scandals in the administration.

Teapot Dome Scandal Senator Albert Fall, Secretary of the Interior, took bribes to lease lands with oil reserves for the navy to businessmen. He was convicted and served a year in jail.

Warren Harding died of a heart attack.

Calvin Coolidge became president.

Warren Harding as PresidentGo to 13 minutes

The Presidents of the 1920s: Warren G. Harding

“Silent Cal”-Calvin Coolidge, 1923-29

Calvin Coolidge and the Nation

1. Time of prosperity2. Reduced the federal budget3. Lowered taxes 4. Gave incentives to businesses5. Believed in small government

“The chief business of the American people is business.”

“The man who builds a factory, builds a temple.”

America’s Role in the World 1. No war had been as deadly as World War I.

2. All Americans agreed it should never happen again

3. The U.S. and other nations took steps to reduce weapons and avoid war.

U.S. International Affairs

1920-1929

GOAL U.S. Action

League of Nations

To prevent war and settle disputes between nations

W. Wilson wanted to join. U.S. Senate rejected membership

World Court To settle international disputes

Warren Harding wanted U.S. to participate; rejected by the U.S. Senate

Washington Naval Disarmament Conference

To reduce the number of arms and size of navies of major powers

U.S. and other nations agreed to limit construction of warships

Kellogg-Briand Pact

To “outlaw war….as an instrument of national policy.”

U.S. and other nations agreed

Economic Question of 1920s: How do we pay for WWI?

Dawes Plan-provided loans to Germany so they could pay their debts to Great Britain and France (so they could pay the U.S. )

This cycle of debt contributed to the Great Depression.

Herbert Hoover, the Forgotten Progressive, Elected in 1928

1920s, Clash of Cultures: Many Americans Resisted the Changes to Society in 1920s

1. During the 1920s, the nation became increasingly divided over major issues related to religion, science, immigration, morality, and the changing economy.

2. These divisions increased tensions between those living in urban areas and those living in rural areas.

3. For the first time, urban Americans outnumbered rural Americans. Many saw the new urban culture as a threat to traditional values

Major Questions: What kind of nation are we? What kind of nation do we hope to become?

Terms to KnowModernism-a growing trend that

emphasized science and secular values over traditional ideas and religious beliefs.

Religious fundamentalism-belief in strict interpretation of the Bible and that there are “fundamental” truths based on scripture

Nativism-fear, suspicion, or resentment of foreigners

Clash of the Cultures, 1920sCity vs. Country

Religious fundamentalism

Prohibition-end alcohol consumption

Slower to embrace change

Suspicious of foreigners

(nativism)

Modern religionEmbraced sciencePromoted changeFocus was more on

the individual

TRADITIONAL/ RURAL VIEW MODERN/ URBAN VIEW

Three Examples of the conflicts created by cultural change in the

1920s:1. Debate over prohibition

2. The rise of nativism and the New Ku Klux Klan

3. Religious fundamentalism vs.

modern religion (The Scopes Trial)

Prohibition: “Drys” vs the “Wets”

History of U.S. Alcohol Consumptionhttp://www.pbs.org/kenburns

/prohibition/watch-video/#id=2082675582

Ken Burns: Prohibition Preview, 2 minutes

Why did Americans outlaw alcohol in 1919?

Alcoholism, child abuse, injuries, job loss, gambling, and prostitution were all connected to alcohol abuse. Women were very active in the prohibition movement

The crusade against alcohol in the U.S. dated back to the 1850s. Alcohol consumption in the 1800s and early 1900s was much higher than today.

**During WWI, Americans argued the grain used to make alcohol was needed for food.

Resentment toward German brewers in America after WWI

http://www.history.com/videos/america-goes-dry-with-prohibition

The Laws (Prohibition) 18th Amendment to the Constitution-(1919) prohibited the distribution, sale, or manufacture of alcohol.

Volstead Act (1920) law to officially enforce the amendment.

Stories from the Prohibition Period

Freddie Johnson, historian:People made money during prohibition a number of rather ingenious ways. One was right here in the city of Frankfurt that went on for a number of years. There was one family that came up with a system that was based on the delivery of milk in the mornings. So what they did was they had their still located down in the basement of their home in a little cellar. It was underneath the mother's bedroom floor in the little cellar. And what she would do is when they would make the moonshine they would move the bed out of the way, move the throw rug, and they would go down and they'd make a batch of hooch. Their little truck was painted just like a milk truck. Their uniforms were white and the jugs, they painted them up just like milk. And so they would fill it up with moonshine. And they did this for years.

Impact of Prohibition (1920s)

Alcohol consumption did drop for a short period, but the law did not stop Americans from drinking.

Speakeasies were illegal bars for drinking “hooch” or white lightning

An illegal trade in bootleg alcohol led to a rise in organized crime and violence.

The most famous organized crime boss was Al Capone.

Bootleggers produced, transported and sold alcohol.

The issue of Prohibition divided America: Drys vs. Wets

TWO AMERICAS: Election of 19248 minutes

PBS Prohibition: Election 1924, A Divided America

WETS vs DRYS and KKK

Al Capone’s Hangout and Coroner’s Report

http://www.history.com/videos/al-capone

Largest moonshine still seized—”hooch” and white lightning

Story of Us: 1920s Prohibition

(33:00)

Nativism Increased in the 1920sNativism, resentment of foreigners, increased

in the 1920s. Americans argued they took jobs and

threatened the nation’s political, religious, and cultural traditions.

Two laws were passed that limited immigration: Quota System 1. Emergency Quota Act (1921) 2. National Origins Act (1924) Italian immigrants Sacco and Vanzetti (Italian Immigrants) were convicted of murder based on little evidence.

Rise in Nativism: Sacco and Vanzetti

Decline in immigration to the U.S. after the passage of Emergency Quota Act (1921) and National Origins Act (1924)

The New Ku Klux Klan of 1920s

Connected to nativism, this organization persecuted Jews, Catholics, African Americans, and immigrants.

“Old” Klan had been formed in the South after the Civil War.

The “New” Klan was strong in the South , but also in the Midwest (Indiana) and the Northeast.

Many Americans opposed the KKK: NAACP Jewish Anti-Defamation LeagueKlan members were often corrupt.

KKK Marches in Washington

KKK Initiation in Mississippi, 1923

Religious Fundamentalism vs Modern Religion: Clash of Values, 1920s

Scopes Trial, occurred in Dayton, TN to test the Butler Law

Butler Law-forbade the teaching of evolution in schools

John Scopes taught high school Dayton and had assigned readings on the theory of evolution

The trial pitted Clarence Darrow against William Jennings Bryan

The trial was a part of the debate between modernism and fundamentalism in American Society

Religion and Science: the Ongoing Debate

In 1632 Galileo published his work on the solar system asserting that the earth revolved around the sun (heliocentric).

He was tried and convicted of heresy and sentenced to house arrest.

Charles Darwin’s book, On the Origin of Species (1859) =Within 20 years it convinced most of the international scientific community that evolution was a fact.

John Scopes and the Scopes Trial, Clash of Cultures

Science teacher in Dayton, TN who was charged with violating a TN law that banned the teaching of evolution in schools. He was tried and found guilt.

Defense Attorney: Clarence Darrow

Prosecuting Attorney: William Jennings Bryan

High School in Dayton, TN

Outcome of the Scopes Trial

John Scopes was found guilty and fined $100.

William Jennings Bryan died 6 days later.The case was appealed to the state supreme

court but overturned on a technicality.Of the 15 states that banned the teaching of

evolution only two continued to enforce the law: Mississippi and Arkansas

**The debate between science and religion and what should be taught in schools continues today.

http://www.cleanvideosearch.com/media/action/yt/watch?videoId=ofM99LFZhxo&name=THE+MONKEY+TRIAL+1925&uploadUsername=historicfilmsarchive&hitCount=6334

Why was the Scopes Trial so important in American history?

It has been studied for 75 years Scopes trial and the subsequent

dramatizations mirror a continuous cultural conflict between different belief systems: modernists and fundamentalists.

People were looking for meaning in an increasingly complex world.

This is a common theme throughout history.

Current and Future Debates Between Science and Religion

Intelligent design or evolution? Birth Control and AbortionStem Cell Research Cloning What types of changes and laws will Americans support?

How will the government react?

The Harlem Renaissance Why It Matters:

1. Around WWI, African Americans began to migrate from the South to cities in the North.

2. This movement led to the rise of jazz and literary traditions that impacted all of American culture.

Reasons Blacks Migrated North 1915-1920s

Pull Factors1. Seeking manufacturing jobs in the North2. Greater political rights3. Social advancement

Push Factors 1. Low paying jobs in the South2. Jim Crow oppression and racism 3. Very few good schools

Blacks faced challenges in the NorthWages were better in the NorthThey still experienced racism and segregation in Northern cities

Race riots occurred in cities across the nation in 1919

Over 200,000 African Americans settled in Harlem, a neighborhood in New York City.

The Jazz Age: 1920s JAZZ-a style of music where musicians creatively

combine different forms of music often including blues and ragtime.

Improvisation-create music as you play *Jazz-one of the only truly indigenous forms of

American music (created in this nation) Jazz originated in New Orleans and moved North

with the migration.

JAZZ GREATS: 1. Louis Armstrong 2. Bessie Smith

Duke Ellington made his debut at the Cotton Club in 1927

Louis Armstrong

From New Orleans Trumpet Player

(soloist)“Satchmo”

Bessie Smith

“Empress of the Blues”

Singer (vocalist)

Jazz for Bears in the Park

The Harlem Renaissance: Harlem Renaissance-an explosion of African

American culture during the 1920s in the New York neighborhood of Harlem of black writers, poets, artists and musicians.

African American Writers:Claude McKay-writer who wrote about ordinary

African Americans struggling for dignity and advancement in the face of discrimination.

Langston Hughes-the most powerful literary voice of his time. He celebrated African culture and life.

Zora Neale Hurston –in her book, Their Eyes Were Watching God, she talked about the independence women were seeking in society.

Langston Hughes

Zora Neal Hurston

History Channel Video: Harlem Renaissance (3min)

Significance of the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s

1. The movement gave a voice to African American culture

2. Promoted black creativity and pride in the African American community

3. Jazz spread to Europe and other nations around the world.

N.A.A.C.P.-National Association for the Advancement of Colored

People founded in 1920

Women in the 1920s Young women were more independentVoted, some went to college Had more free time thanks to new

technology-vacuum cleaners, washing machines,…

Many young women worked: secretaries, teachers, nurses

Became major consumersNumber of children declined, New Ideal: “Flappers” –loose dresses,

shorter dresses, bobbed hair, smoking, consuming alcohol

Education in the 1920s***The number of Americans attending

high school grew rapidly (p447) Americans were more informed because of

radio and newsmagazines (mass media) Many realized they needed more education

for the jobs in societyMore people attended college Helped promote the rise of a YOUTH

CULTURE: Sports, time with friends,

dancing, fads, music

Important Americans of 1920s Charles Lindbergh—(1927) first nonstop flight from

New York to Paris in the Spirit of St. Louis Babe Ruth—Baseball great F. Scott Fitzgerald –writer--coined the phrase “Jazz

Age”, criticized the excesses of the 1920s in The Great Gatsby

Earnest Hemingway—writer— A Farewell to ArmsMarcus Garvey --Black activist who promoted

black pride and a back to Africa movement Harlem Renaissance writers and artists:

Langston Hughes, Claude McKay, Zora Neal Hurston Musicians of the 1920s: Bessie Smith, Duke

Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Paul Robeson

http://www.history.com/shows/gangland/videos/playlists/historical-gangs#john-dillinger

Video: Fads of 1920s Fads of the 1920s: Pole Sitting

Snapshot of 1920s, 10 minutes