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THE 1920’S / ROARING 20’S/ JAZZ AGE. Ch.13. Fighting Alcohol.
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Fighting Alcohol • The 18th amendment to the Constitution was added in 1918. Prohibition banned the manufacture, sale, and distribution of alcohol. Cause: wives and children were being abused at home; workers were drunk (accidents), and health concerns. • The Volstead act 1919created an agency to enforce prohibition. It was underfunded, and could not monitor all coastlines, state borders, highways, and businesses well. (didn’t work)
Speakeasies (underground nightclubs) sprang up in major cities, selling alcohol and entertainment. • Bootleggerssmuggled in alcohol from Canada and Cuba. Others made it locally, and distributed it • Organized crime began to sell alcohol to a thirsty public, illegally (large profits). Different crime syndicates began gang wars in major cities (N.Y, Chicago, Boston) to eliminate competition. (Al Capone).
Scopes Trial • Americans saw a rise in fundamentalism – Christian belief in the literal truth (word for word) of the bible (not symbolic). Religious revivals took place mostly in the South and West. • Scopes Trial- fundamentalists in some states outlawed the teaching of evolution in schools. John Scopes (teacher) protested this law by teaching the subject in a small Tennessee town. The Famous trial drew national attention, he was found guilty (fined $100 only), and the state Supreme Court overruled the conviction
Women of the 20’s • Women’s appearance began to shift from the “Victorian” style – (long hair, large bust, small waist and covered legs) to a look that expressed more freedom. Many women cut their hair short (bob), bound there chest to flatten it, lifted the hem line to show more leg, and took off her stockings. Also they wore a type of shoe that would flap, thus young women of the 20’s were known as flappers. • Dating before WWI tended to aligned with marriage, but in the 20’s it became more casual (for fun). Churches and schools began to ban social dances. There became a Double Standard to sexuality. Women had stricter standards of behavior than men did. (still today?)
Women also worked more after the war (filled in for soldiers). They became teachers, nurses, and secretaries. Discrimination, women got paid less than men. • The first Women’s rights convention was held in 1848 Seneca Falls N.Y. In 1890 the National American Women’s Suffrage Association was created. Women eventually achieved their right to vote with passage of the 19th amendment in 1920.
Henry Ford • Henry Ford revolutionizes the automobile industry in 1914 with the Model T. • He created a new and efficient process in manufacturing called the assembly line. (various workers have 1 function in assembling the vehicle) • Before 1914 (assembly line introduced) it took 14 hours to assemble a car. After introduction, it took approx. 1hr 30min. By 1925 1 car was assembled every 10 seconds! • The mass production of these cars decreased the price, so that most Americans could afford it! It also allowed Ford to pay a better wage, and reduce working hours.
Auto Industry Has Major Impact • Other industries prospered: steel, rubber, glass, petroleum, machine tools, and road construction. Garages, filling stations, and restaurants boomed as Americans use their cars to travel. (parks, beaches, family outings) • Teens used them to go out on dates, and privacy (pregnancy rates ↑). • With the affordability of Ford automobiles, adriving culture was created. By 1927 there were over 50,000 miles of paved highways. (Route 66, 1926, from Los Angeles to Chicago; p.423) In 1927 Ford introduces the Model A, in different colors. (Model T, only black)
Popular Culture In the 20’s • American taste was shaped by mass media. People increasingly read newspapers, and magazines. Radio was the most powerful form of mass media. It grew into national networks and offered programming to millions. • As Americans became more prosperous ($) during the 1920’s, the standard of living rose, and they began to spend more. • New household gadgets saved time for household chores, which allowed more time for entertainment. (washing machines, vacuum cleaners, electric irons, refrigerators, and electric ranges and toasters)
Americans went to sporting events (boxing, baseball, and football were major spectator sports) where stars like “Babe Ruth” were made. (Negro Leagues). Sporting events bridged gaps between rich and poor, and racial differences as everyone cheered and supported the home team! • Two of the biggest heroic events of the 20’s were: 1. Gertrude Ederle became the 1st woman to swim across the English Channel in 1926, (21 miles, 14 hrs) and 2. Charles Lindbergh became the man to fly across the Atlantic Ocean in 1927. (NY to France, 33 hrs & 29 min. p.449) His plane was called The Spirit of St. Louis • Americans also went to the movies. The Jazz Singer, 1927, became the first movie with sound. People went to the movies to escape reality (tough times?), and they fell in love with actors/actresses and mimicked their looks, speech, and habits.
Art • The 20’s became synonymous with Jazz, and Blues. Both sounds of music originated with African Americans. • Blues grew out of the chants of field slaves at work. It spoke mostly about the harsh lives that they struggled with. • Jazz is a sophisticated set of rhythms and melodies with solo and ensemble improvisations. Most Black musicians never wrote a note down (couldn’t read music) and played by ear. The music energized Americans to dance, drink, and to feel good! • F. Scott Fitzgerald “The Great Gatsby” wrote novels that showed the dark side of a flashy life in the 1920’s. He created the phrase, The Jazz Age. Ernest Hemmingway wrote novels that criticized the glorification of war, and set new literary standards in writing.
Harlem Renaissance • Was an African American literary and artistic movement that began in the Harlem section of New York. • It countered popular thought that African Americans were not intelligent, terrible workers, and had minimal skills. (from slavery) • African American artists, authors, actors, musicians, and composers, expressed pride in their culture and celebrated the African American experience through their work. Famous writers: Langston Hughes, and Zora Neal Hurston. Famous composers: Louis Armstrong, George Gershwin
