The Jazz Age

1. The Jazz Age By Brian, Mitch, Steph, and Lynh

2. Outline • Prohibition • Flappers • Presidents • After the War • Heroes • The Harlem Renaissance • …and of course, the Jazz

3. Prohibition • In 1919, the 18th Amendment was passed, which made the production, distribution, and consumption of alcoholic beverages illegal • Some people believed that alcohol and drunkenness were linked to high rates of crime, poverty, and violence. • To combat the 18th Amendment, organized crime began to produce alcoholic beverages illegally.

4. Bootleggin' • Bootlegging was the illegal production and distribution of alcohol. • People wanted their alcohol, and the mobs provided. • Offsetting the gangs of the 1920’s were the police officers and agents such as the famous Izzy and Moe, dedicated to preventing such crimes. • Later heroes of television and movies were based around these fighters of prohibition. An example is the character Eliot Ness in “The Untouchables,” who fights against bootlegging.

5. Bootleggers • The most famous bootleggers included the notorious Al Capone, who was never caught for his bootlegging and violent crimes. • He was eventually sent to Alcatraz for tax evasion. • Other famous bootleggers included the Kennedy family.

6. Speakeasies • Speakeasies were clubs in the 1920’s where the average Joe could go to get a drink (of alcohol), listen to jazz, and watched scantily clad women. • They were illegal establishments that ran under the cover of legitimate businesses and evaded the police in numerous ways.

7. Flappers were New Age women of the 1920’s, who refused to conform to the norms of the previous time period. • They cut their hair short, wore short skirts, smoked, drank, and danced such dances as The Charleston. • The image of the flappers was spread throughout America in magazines and movies, influencing many young girls. Flappers

8. Presidents • The presidents of the 1920’s include: • Woodrow Wilson (in office 1913-1921) • Warren G. Harding (in office 1921-1923) • Calvin Coolidge (in office 1923-1929) • Herbert Hoover (in office 1929-1933) Warren G. Harding Woodrow Wilson Calvin Coolidge Herbert Hoover

9. After the war... • Since items had been rationed, and factories had produced only wartime goods during WWI, people wanted to buy all of the items they could not get during wartime. • Americans could also turn in their war bonds at this time, which gave everyone extra cash to spend. • This caused a rise in sales. • To meet the demand for money, brokers introduced credit.

10. "Risky Loans..." • Credit was the lending of money by stockbrokers to common people, so that people could try to make money on the stock markets. They would (in theory) pay the brokers back with their winnings. • The system worked well as long as stock markets were always on the rise and people always made money on the markets. Brokers borrowed their money from banks. If the market ever fell, then, common people would not be able to pay back the brokers, who could not pay back the banks, which would collapse the American economy.

11. Heroes • Heroes of the 1920’s included movie stars, detectives, musicians, athletes, and record-setters in various fields. • Charles Lindberg – a famous aviator of the 1920’s, who completed the first ever solo flight across the Atlantic. His plane was called the “Spirit of St. Louis,” and it was a one-man plane. Lindberg finished the flight in 33.5 hours all alone and with no sleep.

12. Heroes • Clara Bow – She was a legendary star of silent films whose career was over by the time she was 30. Bow spread the image of flappers through her work in movies. • Izzy and Moe – Izzy and Moe were detectives of the 1920’s, who fought against the bootlegging of various mobsters. They were widely known for their creative disguises.

13. Heroes • Babe Ruth (“The Sultan of Swat”) – A legendary and dominating baseball player, who set a new standard in baseball. He started his career as a pitcher for the Boston Red Sox before the team owner sold the team to New York. Ruth became a hitter in New York, and established a new home run record of 714 home runs. • Jack Dempsey (“The Manassa Mauler”) – He was extremely popular and reigned as heavyweight champion from 1919-1926. Dempsey lost his title to Gene Tunney in 1926 because of a delayed count (Tunney got back up after 9 counts, which was actually estimated to be about 14 counts).

14. Heroes George Herman “Babe” Ruth Jack “Manassa Mauler” Dempsey

15. Harlem Renaissance • The Harlem Renaissance was a movement in the black community, centering around Harlem, a subsection of New York City. • It brought about development in black culture, including everything from music to literature to art.

16. Harlem Renaissance • Langston Hughes – The major writer of the Harlem Renaissance, who wrote about the negative treatment of African-Americans in America. • Jacob Lawrence – An influential black artist of the Harlem Renaissance, who focused on the life and struggles of African-Americans. Langston Hughes Jacob Lawrence

17. Jazz • Jazz was the popular music of the twenties. • It was characterized by improvised solos, in which the soloist made up the song as he was playing based on specific chords (notes that could be used in specific spots). • The improvisation gave the musicians musical freedom, which was desirable after the war. This is because during wartime, some rights and freedoms of citizens are taken away (so, the music of the time reflected the desires of the people at that time).

18. Jazz • Louis Armstrong – One of the most popular and famous jazz trumpeters of the twenties, he revolutionized jazz itself, expanded the range of the trumpet, created a new virtuosity in soloing, and supposedly invented scat singing (improvising with the voice, using not words but syllables). • Bessie Smith – Another famous jazz musician from the twenties. She was the most popular jazz singer of the time period, who typically sang blues and made her name first as a street musician, then in a traveling show dancing and singing before getting her break. Louis Armstrong Bessie Smith

19. Jazz • Tommy Dorsey – The “Gentleman of the Trombone,” who popularized swing bands with the white majority, creating an easier kind of jazz, more suitable for dancing than to play in a speakeasy over drinking and gambling. • Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington – Hailed as America’s greatest composer, Duke wrote hundreds of pieces that have become American standards. He was the head of one of the best big bands in jazz until his death, and they played regularly at the Cotton Club, from which his band was broadcast on the radio, spreading his “jungle music” to the world. Tommy Dorsey Duke Ellington