Changes in American Society

1. Changes in American Society Section 2 Reform, Culture, Conflict

2. Prohibition: The Failed Experiment • Prohibition gained considerable ground during the War because of the need to preserve grains. • In 1919, the United States ratified the 18th Amendment, which prohibited the making selling and transportation of Alcohol. • Saloon and breweries were closed but the law proved almost impossible to enforce. • Prohibition had a disastrous effect.

3. Organized Crime • Bootleggers made huge profits from importing illegal alcohol. • Private illegal saloons, called Speakeasies were established in every town. The city elite would congregate at these saloons to drink and socialize. • Prohibition led to a growth in organized crime. The 1920’s was the age of Gangsters and the Mafia.

4. Organized Crime • One of the most notable crime lords was Al Capone, the son of an Italian immigrant that was given control of Chicago’s largest criminal organizations. • Al Capone’s history is legend however it is his arrest that was the most controversial. • Capone never personally conducted his illegal activities thus the State Department could never produce evidence to arrest him. • Capone’s down fall came from the U.S. treasury for multiple counts of tax evasion.

5. Prohibitions end • There are several factors that led to the repeal of the 18th Amendment • The growth of organized crime. Gangsters would donate money to Women’s temperance movements. • The rise of popular culture made prohibition seem outdated and old. • Men returning from the War were not too fond of prohibition. • The 21st Amendment repealed Prohibition.

6. Women in the 1920’s • Women made great strides for equality during this period. • Women were allowed to vote in the election of 1920 due the creation of the 19th Amendment. • Two women governors were elected, Nellie Tayloe Ross and Miriam Ferguson • However in some states women could still not serve on juries or keep their earnings.

7. Flapper The 1920’s also saw the introduction of the “flapper”, young women that broke the traditions of older generations. These women dressed differently, spoke differently and behaved differently. These women became the symbol of the 1920’s.

8. New Mass Culture • Consumer culture boomed in the 1920’s. • With the introduction of the assembly line by Henry Ford the prices for cars, such as the Model T began to drop. • Now affordable to most families the automobile became a symbol of individual freedom and independence.

9. Mass culture continued • New business sprang up around the automotive industry: gas stations, roadside restaurants and cabins. • Cars also promoted the movement of families to the suburbs and made rural areas less isolated. Cars encouraged tourism.

10. Entertainment • Radio’s became common place in American homes. • The very first radio station was KDKA. • Radio stations provided Americans with entertainment as well as information. • Families could listen to baseball games as well as political conventions. • The 1920’s was also the time when the first “talking movie: The Jazz Singer was introduced.

11. Social Conflict • The 1920’s was also a time of noticeable social conflict. • A Tennessee science teacher, John Scopes, challenged state law by teaching the Theory of evolution in his classroom. He was put on trial and found guilty. • However this trial put the theory of evolution to the forefront of American education by pitting religion against scientific theory. • The Scope’s defense lawyer was Clarence Darrow, a famous attorney argued his case. The prosecuting attorney was William Jennings Bryant.

12. African Americans • During this time the great migration was taking place, African Americans were moving out of the South to settle in cities in the North. • The large flow of African Americans to cities like Chicago created race riots. • Several leaders emerged from this period. Marcus Garvey, an immigrant from Jamaica created the Universal Negro Improvement Association. • This organization promoted black pride and unity and encouraged African Americans to move back to Africa.

13. African Americans • The rise in social tensions also led to the growth of the Ku Klux Klan - a white supremacist group that used terror and hate to lash out at the groups it despised.

14. Hip Slang from the 20’s • Hey Lucy, • Last night my sheik took me to a ritzy speakeasy. Everyone in the place was a hepcat, and the music was the bee’s knees. The band leader was so hep he sounded like Benny Goodman on the licorice stick. The canary sang some swell songs, and we danced until our dogs hurt. That evening was the cat’s meow.