The Roaring Twenties

1. The Roaring Twenties

2. Improved Transportation

3. Henry Ford’s use of the assembly line made automobiles more affordable to average Americans, therefore more and more Americans began to buy automobiles. Assembly line – a production system with machines and workers arranged so that each person performs an assigned task again and again as the item passes before them. • The popularity of automobiles affected the country in many different ways. • Greater Mobility: Because people could travel faster and easier than ever before, Americans began to take vacations for the first time and tourism increased. • Created New Jobs: As the demand for automobiles increased, so did the need for more auto workers.

4. 3.Suburbs expanded further away from the cities. As car designs improved and more roads were built people could now live further away from their jobs. Traffic jam in the 1920s as workers leave the city and drive to the suburbs.

5. 4. Transportation Industries Expanded • .Road Construction – as people moved further away from their jobs new roads had to be built. • Oil Industry – since gasoline is manufactured from oil, there was an increased demand for oil in order to meet the increasing demand for gasoline. • Steel Industry – cars were built of steel so more steel was needed which was a boost to the steel industry.

6. Airplane 1903 World War I 1915 1928 – the passenger plane could carry 18 people

7. Although the Wright brothers were the first to fly an engine powered aircraft in 1903, it wasn’t until the 1920s that air travel became a more reliable form of transportation. • US Postal service began to use airplanes in the 1920s to transport mail long distances. • Passenger travel: In 1926, 6,000 people traveled by airplane. In 1929, 173,000 people traveled by airplane. • Aviation Hero: In 1927, Charles Lindbergh became the first person to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. Lindbergh became a national hero!

8. Spirit of St. Louis Charles Lindbergh

9. How Electricity Changed American Life in the 1920s

10. During the 1920’s American homes became wired with electricity for the first time which caused many new items to be invented. • 1. Labor saving products were introduced which enabled Americans to have more leisure or free time to enjoy other things in life. • Washing machines • Electric Stoves • Water pumps (for indoor plumbing) 1920s Washing Machine 1920s Electric Stove

11. 2. Electrical lighting: started to become standard in American homes, businesses and cities during the 1920s. 3. Entertainment: Electricity enabled more Americans to purchase radios which transformed communication across the country.

12. Changes in Communication during the 1920s. 1. Telephones: Invented by Alexander Graham Bell in 1876, it wasn’t until the 1920’s that telephones became a standard feature in American homes.

13. 2. Radio: The first wireless form of electronic communication. Radios could transmit speech instantly hundreds of miles. • The first public radio broadcast was in 1920 when radio station KDKA, in Pittsburgh, PA broadcasted the results of the 1920 presidential election. • By 1923, 600 radio stations were broadcasting news and entertainment programs to millions of Americans.

14. The German dirigible Hindenberg, explodes as it docks at Lakehurst, New Jersey in 1937.

15. Facts: • 97 passengers and crew • 62 people survived • 35 people died The Hindenberg falls to the ground and continues to burn.

16. Movies: Although motion pictures were invented years earlier, again it wasn’t until the 1920’s that “movies” became a profitable industry and a new form of entertainment for millions of Americans. • At first, movies were in black and white and had no sound. • Charlie Chaplin was a popular “silent-film” star. • In 1927, the first movie with sound was made, “The Jazz Singer”. Charlie Chaplin

17. Cultural Climate of the 1920s and The Harlem Renaissance

18. Georgia O’Keeffe Known for painting urban or city scenes and scenes of the Southwest.

19. Georgia O’Keeffe Painting of the Southwest Urban Scene: Sky-scrapper

20. Literature of the 1920s F. Scott Fitzgerald Wrote novels about the Jazz Age of the 1920s

21. John Steinbeck Wrote novels about the strength of poor migrant workers during the 1930s.

22. Music of the 1920s George Gershwin and Aaron Copland were composers who wrote uniquely American music.

23. Jacob Lawrence A painter who chronicled the experiences of the Great Migration through Art.

24. Langston Hughes A poet who combined the experiences of African and American cultural roots.

25. I, Too Sing America By Langston Hughes I, too, sing America I am the darker brother. They send me to eat in the kitchen When company comes, But, I laugh, And eat well, And grow strong Tomorrow, I’ll be at the table When company comes, Nobody’ll dare Say to me, “Eat in the kitchen,” Then. Besides, They’ll see how beautiful I am And be ashamed. I am, too, am America. Juke Box Love Song By Langston Hughes I could take the Harlem night And wrap around you, Take the neon lights and make a crown Take the Lenox Avenue buses, Taxis, subways And for your love song tone their rumble down. Take Harlem’s heartbeat Make a drumbeat, Put it on a record, and let it whirl And while we listen to it play, Dance with you till day--- Dance with you, my sweet brown Harlem girl.

26. Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong: 1920s Jazz musicians.

27. Bessie Smith 1920s Blues Singer