Changing Ways of Life

Changing Ways of Life Mr. White’s US History 1

Main Idea and Big Questions • Main idea: Americans experienced cultural conflicts as customs and values changed in the 1920s • Big question: How should we react to change? • After this section, we should be able to: • Explain how urbanization created a new way of life that often clashed with the values of traditional rural society. • Describe the controversy over the role of science and religion in American education and society in the 1920s

Part I: Rural and Urban Differences Rural and urban cultures clashed and interacted in the 1920s.

The Move to Cities • In the 1920s, more and more Americans began moving to the cities • Many Americans coming to cities came from rural/agricultural places • Agriculture and rural life typically centered around continuity, tradition, and predictability • In the cities, these and other Americans would encounter the unstable, unpredictable, and constantly changing atmosphere of urban life

Big City Life • Cities offered many Americans a chance at prosperity • Industrial and factory jobs • Weren’t going to get rich farming • Cities were also a center of culture, education, and the arts • Many Americans left the countryside and came to cities for these reasons

Fast-paced Life • The largest cities of the time were New York, Chicago, and Philadelphia • Immigrants arrived in these cities and made the atmosphere even more strange and seemingly unstable • The pace of life was fast, and many people had to adjust from their slow-paced rural lives • Competition vs. cooperation • Permissive vs. restrictive moral codes • Impersonality and anonymity vs. small-town feel

Prohibition • In January of 1920, the Eighteenth Amendment went into effect, making the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors illegal • The temperance movement had worked for decades to pass this amendment, and many states had already passed prohibition laws • Shortly after the amendment was ratified, the Volstead Act was passed, enforcing prohibition

Why Prohibition • Moral reformers thought that liquor caused many social evils that could be eliminated by stopping its consumption • Crime • Wife and child abuse • Accidents on the job • Support came mostly from rural areas of the south and west • Many Protestant church groups such as the Anti-Saloon League, and social groups such as the Women’s Christian Temperance Union supported prohibition

Backlash • While the laws at first resulted in a reduced amount of alcohol consumption, this quickly changed • Many city-dwellers felt that this was an infringement on their rights • Many immigrants also considered drinking not to be a sin, but a part of social life • Saloons acted as important social centers in many cities • Places to cash checks, social meeting places

Organized Crime • As Prohibition became increasingly unpopular, organized crime was able to benefit • They already were okay with doing illegal things, and now they had an illegal product that many people demanded • Mobs and other organized crime in the major cities began to set up distillery, bootlegging, and speakeasy operations • In many cities, gangs were able to use sympathetic or “bought” law enforcement officers

A Failed Experiment • Prohibition would eventually fail for several reasons: • The growth of organized crime as a result • The unpopularity of the law itself • The lack of financial support for enforcing the law from the federal government • Even people who supported prohibition at first reluctantly admitted that it had failed, and caused a disrespect for the law by the average citizen • The 18th Amendment would repealed by the 21st Amendment

Part II: Science and Religion Clash Science and American traditional religion began to clash in the 1920s.

Religious Revivals • During the 1920s, religious revivals of American Protestantism continued to spread across the nation • Many of these Protestant groups adopted fundamentalism, which is a belief that the Bible should be literally, not symbolically, interpreted • Fundamentalists rejected most or all things that conflicted with the Bible • Darwin’s theory of natural selection – God had created all creatures • The age of the earth – God had created the earth in six days, and based on Biblical records, the earth was roughly 6,000 years old

The Butler Act and John T. Scopes • In March 1925, Tennessee passed the Butler act, making it illegal to teach evolution/natural selection in schools • The American Civil Liberties Union proposed that an American teacher should challenge the law by teaching evolution in schools • An athletic coach and part-time substitute teacher named John T. Scopes agreed to challenge the law, and broke it

Darrow and Bryan • Clarence Darrow stepped forward to defend John T. Scopes in the his trial • William Jennings Bryan, a three-time candidate for president, would prosecute Scopes • Both of these men were friends, and many people eagerly anticipated their seemingly inevitable face-off in the trial • Even though Scopes admitted to breaking the law, the trial went on

National Sensation • The trial quickly drew national attention • The courtroom was so filled with people that later parts of the trial had to be moved outside • At the culmination of the trial, Darrow called Bryan to the stand to testify as a self-proclaimed expert on the Bible • Darrow attacked Bryan’s literal interpretation of the Bible • Scopes was convicted and fined at $100 for his crimes • Most importantly, the trial seemed to demonstrate the cultural clash between religion and science in the United States

Main Idea and Big Questions • Main idea: Americans experienced cultural conflicts as customs and values changed in the 1920s • Big question: How should we react to change? • After this section, we should be able to: • Explain how urbanization created a new way of life that often clashed with the values of traditional rural society. • Describe the controversy over the role of science and religion in American education and society in the 1920s

Wrap-up • So… • One of the ways that urban and rural life clashed in the 1920s was… • One way that science and religion clashed in the 1920s was…

The Twenties Woman Mr. White’s US History 1

Main Idea and Big Questions • Main idea: American women pursued new lifestyles and assumed new roles in society during the 1920s • Big question: Are there right/wrong or acceptable/unacceptable ways for both men and women to act? • After this section, we should be able to: • Explain how the image of the flapper embodied the changing values and attitudes of young women in the 1920s. • Identify the causes and results of the changing roles of women in the 1920s.

Part I: Young Women Change the Rules Young women began to push and challenge social norms.

Rethinking Old Ways The experiences of many young Americans in World War I had encouraged them to rethink their old values and norms For women especially, the 1920s was a time after this great war, and women began to challenge their norms The pleasure-seeking atmosphere of the 1920s was fed by this attitude

The Flapper In the 1920s, many liberated, young women became known as flappers The flapper lifestyle was young, free, and defied many social norms in ways of acting, styles of dress, and women’s roles

Flapper Style Flappers dressed in a style that tended to de-emphasize curves and the feminine figure – from the French garconne style Hair was cut short into bobs – some say that this reflected women’s new roles in industrial jobs Clothing usually included a straight and loose dress that descended to the knees or ankles, possibly a loose, floppy hat

Defying Social Norms • Flappers were considered most outrageous for their defiance of social norms • Drank alcohol – both illegal and unaccepted for women at the time • Smoked openly – considered unacceptable for women • Spoke about sex and sexual issues – still might be considered unacceptable in some contexts • Dated casually and possibly also indiscriminately

The Double-Standard • As the 1920s went on, and women challenged these social norms, many of them pointed out what they felt was a double-standard – two different standards of behavior for men and women • While women were able to challenge some norms, for the most part, people still believed that women should act one way, and that men should act another • Most people did not accept the openness with which flappers did many of the things that they did

Part II: Women Shed Old Roles at Home and At Work Women began to change their roles, both in home, and in the workplace

New Roles in the Workplace • In the 1920s, women began to encounter new educational and work opportunities • At the end of World War I, many women were removed from their war industry jobs as men returned • Still, many women continued to seek employment, but typically in what were considered “female” jobs • Teachers, nurses, librarians – educational fields • Typists, filing clerks, secretaries, stenographers, and office-workers – business • Some women broke old stereotypes by working in male-dominated jobs, but this was rare

Women in the Workplace • However, the double-standard still applied • Women typically did not work in leadership or managerial jobs • Women earned less than men did in virtually every job • Many men argued that women should serve only as temporary workers, but that they should stay in the home, and men should provide for the family

The Family Structure • As women’s roles in the workplace changed, so did the structure of the family and women’s roles in it • A rise in the use of birth control corresponded with a decline in the birth rate • Many innovations began to reduce the amount of time required to maintain a home • Many consumer goods came ready-to-use – clothes, food, etc. • Women began to spend more time focusing their attention on the home, husbands, children, and pastimes

Marriage and The Family • As this changed, women began to experience greater equality in marriage • Both men and women began to see marriage increasingly as a partnership between equals • Changing ideas about dating and marriage also strengthened many people’s belief that marriages should be based on mutual love and affection • Working-class women still led very challenging lives • They continued to work in factory or other manual-labor jobs to help support their families

Children’s Lives • Children’s lives began to change, as well • As child labor laws increased, and labor-saving innovations reduced housework, children were increasingly sent off to school • They spent more time with children their age • Parents also began to rely more on the advice of experts for raising their children • As teenagers spent more and more time away from their parents, they often began to put a strain on families as they rebelled against control

Main Idea and Big Questions • Main idea: American women pursued new lifestyles and assumed new roles in society during the 1920s • Big question: Are there right/wrong or acceptable/unacceptable ways for both men and women to act? • After this section, we should be able to: • Explain how the image of the flapper embodied the changing values and attitudes of young women in the 1920s. • Identify the causes and results of the changing roles of women in the 1920s.

Wrap-up • So… • One of the characteristics of a flapper that showed her freedom and empowerment was… • One way that women’s roles changed in the 1920s was… • One way that the structure of the family changed in the 1920s was…

Education and Popular Culture Mr. White’s US History 1

Main Idea and Big Questions • Main idea: Mass media, movies, and spectator sports played important roles in creating the popular culture of the 1920s • After this section, we should be able to: • Describe the popular culture of the 1920s • Explain why the youth-dominated decade came to be called the Roaring Twenties

Part I: Schools and Mass Media Shape Culture Schools and mass media began to shape the culture of the United States.

Education Growing • Before the 1920s, few American children attended school for much longer than 5th-8th grade – why? • Many rural families – farm jobs required only a basic education • Industrial jobs were typically unskilled, and many children began to work at a young age • But in the 1920s, more and more children began attending school for longer and longer – why?

Reasons • Times were prosperous, and so more families could afford to send their children to school • Industrial jobs were requiring higher and higher skills as new products were produced • High schools began to gear themselves around vocational or business training • Immigrant families sent their children to schools to learn the language and grow into American culture and society • As more children sought education, taxes increased to pay for this

Expanding News Coverage • As literacy increased among most Americans, the newspaper, magazines, and other printed media grew • National, big-city newspaper chains began competing with and swallowing up local town newspapers • National news, especially in the cities • International news • New American magazines such as Time and Reader’s Digest entered circulation

Radio While readership of printed media grew quickly, radio was the most powerful media of the time The first commercial radio stations began appearing in the 1920s These stations typically offered news, entertainment such as serials (a new story every week), or sports

Part II: New Heroes, Old Dreams Americans spent more of their leisure time and money on new forms of entertainment and amusement, and new forms of artistic expression emerged.

The Age of the Fad The age of the fad, a passing fashion or popular piece of culture, came around in the 1920s Many Americans began playing popular games, such as crossword puzzles, or a game imported from China known as mahjong When the tomb of Tutankhamen was opened by Howard Carter in 1922, Americans began buying up ancient-Egyptian themed furniture, accessories, jewelry, etc. Other fads included flagpole sitting and dance marathons As sports figures became more widely known through the news, more Americans attended sporting events to see them play

Charles Lindbergh Charles Lindbergh, an aviator, decided to take up the offer of $25,000 for the person to make the first solo non-stop flight across the Atlantic Ocean Lindbergh flew from New York City to Paris in 33 hours and 29 minutes In Paris, the French people threw a huge celebration for Lindbergh’s achievement When Lindbergh returned to the United States, millions of people attended a parade held in his honor Lindbergh’s heroism and plain-folks appeal captured the imagination of many Americans

In the 1920s, distinctively American art and art-forms began to develop Movies – the beginnings of sound in movies allowed American film-makers to pioneer movie-making Music – jazz, a completely American style and classical elements merged to make music that was American Fine art – painters and other artists portrayed uniquely American themes

The Motion Picture The 1920s began to offer movies with sound, which greatly increased their popularity 1927 – The Jazz Singer, the first major movie with sound, was released 1928 – Steamboat Willie, the first animated film with sound, was released By 1930, “talkies” had increased movie attendance to millions of Americans per week

American Music American music began to break away from European styles, which it had basically copied for most of the 19th century George Gershwin was a composer who created music for both popular consumption and classical pieces His piece, “Rhapsody in Blue,” is considered a famous American musical piece that joins jazz and classical music

American Art Many American artists began to portray more American themes Edward Hopper portrayed empty streets and solitary people Georgia O’Keeffe wanted to capture the appearance of New York city and urban settings, and did so with vibrant colors

American Literature • The literature of the time reflected the experiences and attitudes of the “Lost Generation” • These Americans often physically left the United States to go to Europe and other places, and encouraged people to sort of disconnect from American society • These authors typically criticized society, the establishment, and cast doubt on the idea that people were rational • Some took on other issues in a more constructive approach

American Literature F. Scott Fitzgerald showed the downside to the period’s freedom and carefree attitude in The Great Gatsby Ernest Hemmingway criticized war and its glorification in A Farewell to Arms T.S. Eliot wrote The Wasteland, which portrayed society as having lost its humanity

Changing Ways of Life