Individuals of the Roaring 1920s

Individuals of the Roaring 1920s An Introduction to the Individuals and Groups That Captured the Publics Imagination During the Jazz Age

KDKA On November 2, 1920, station KDKA made the nation's first commercial broadcast. They chose that date because it was election day, and the power of radio was proven when people could hear the results of the Harding-Cox presidential race before they read about it in the newspaper. Broadcasting’s Pioneer Station

WARREN G. HARDING Warren Harding was elected in 1920, after promising Americans that he would lead us in a “Return to Normalcy.” After the troubles of World War I and the Red Scare of the 1920s, most Americans were ready for this. Unfortunately Harding’s administration was very corrupt – the Teapot Dome scandal was uncovered after Harding passed away in 1923.

SILENT CALVIN COOLIDGE Calvin Coolidge was known as “Silent” Cal. While he was President, the United States was a very prosperous nation. He said “The business of America is Business.”Unfortunately, the United States economy was overproducing goods and relied too much on credit purchases – which eventually would cause a severe depression!

HENRY FORD Henry Ford used the assembly line to mass produce the Model-T automobile. This made cars more affordable. Model-T Fords came in “any color you want, as long as it’s black!”

CHARLES LINDBERGH In 1927, Charles Lindbergh crossed the Atlantic Ocean, from New York City to Paris in just over twenty-eight hours. He flew in his airplane, The Spirit of St. Louis, and when he landed, he was probably the most famous man in the world. He sailed back to the United States and was greeted with a ticker-tape parade in New York City.

AMELIA EARHART She was the first woman to fly across the North American continent and the Atlantic Ocean; sadly, however, she was lost over the Pacific Ocean while attempting to fly solo across the great body of water. She is presumed dead, and the search for her plane and its wreckage continues.

FLAPPERS Flappers of the 1920's started a new era for women. Independent-minded women who cut their hair short, went to college, drank alcohol, smoked cigarettes, and became involved with politics and demonstrations during the Roaring 1920s. This was a rebellion by women that changed women's fashion and their place in society. Dancing the Charleston

AL “SCARFACE” CAPONE Al Capone was a rumrunner and a bootlegger during the era of Prohibition. He ran the alcohol trade in the city of Chicago, made millions of dollars, and was responsible for the deaths of dozens of police officers who attempted to enforce the law during Prohibition.

MARCUS GARVEY Marcus Garvey was the leader of the Universal Negro Improvement Association. He urged African-Americans to take pride in their culture, and started the “Back to Africa” Movement.

CHRISTIAN FUNDAMENTALISTS Individuals who interpret the Bible literally and oppose teaching theories which are in opposition to Scripture, in particular the theory of evolution. They rejected the theory of evolution saying it denied the words of the bible. The Scopes ‘Monkey’ Trial

JOHN SCOPES – The Scopes-Monkey Trial of 1925 in Dayton, TN John Scopes was a substitute teacher who was arrested in Dayton, TN forteaching Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution from the book, The Origin of the Species. The law in Tennessee said that only the Book of Genesis could explain the origins of man.

The KU KLUX KLAN This Nativist hate group claimed to have over 5 Million members during the 1920s, most of whom used threatening, violent methods to hurt African-Americans, Jews, and immigrants Klan Rally

LOUIS “SATCHMO” ARMSTRONG Louis Armstrong was born in New Orleans around the turn of the century. He became the most famous jazz trumpeter and vocalist of his generation, and is considered by many to be the ‘Father of Jazz”. You know ‘It’s a Wonderful World’ and a ‘Hello Dolly’.

Babe Ruth This Yankees slugger was the homerun king with 711 until Hank Aaron (755). He was known as the “Sultan of Swat” and the “Bambino” “The Great Bambino”

LANGSTON HUGHES This African-American poet was the most famous contributor to the “Harlem Renaissance.” His most famous poems during the 1920s were “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” and “I, Too Sing America.”

Zora Neale Hurston She was a famous author of the Harlem Renaissance and wrote the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God. She did not become famous, however, until after her death when her work was rediscovered. “No matter how far a person can go the horizon is still way beyond you."

Ernest Hemmingway He wrote The Sun Also Rises, and A Farewell to Arms. Many Americans argue that his work is the most representative of American individualism and conflict. “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” ― Ernest Hemingway

Sinclair Lewis Sinclair Lewis an American novelist, short-story writer, and playwright. He was the author of the novels Main Street and Babbitt.

Upton Sinclair He was the author of The Jungle, a novel which inspired the Meat Inspection Act and the Pure Food and Drug Act during the early 1900s.

F. SCOTT FITZGERALD AND The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald was a member of a group of expatriate American authors known as “The Lost Generation.” He was the author of The Great Gatsby, a novel which many of America’s literary critics consider the greatest novel in American History.

DUKE ELLINGTON He was born in Washington, D.C., but he really became famous after moving to New York and taking a job playing piano at the Cotton Club in Harlem. His “swing” music was a major innovation in the history of jazz. Today, he is picture on Washington DC’s quarter, standing next to his piano.

NAACP This organization was founded in 1909 by W.E.B. DuBois, and rose to prominence in the 1920s by opposing segregation, discrimination, racism, and lynching's. National Association for the Advancement of Colored People

‘Lost Generation’ This title is given to the group of expatriate American authors who moved to France after World War I to pursue their writing – Hemingway, John Dos Passos, Sinclair Lewis, and F. Scott Fitzgerald were all considered a part of the group.

Harlem Renaissance This term refers to the birth of African-American literature, poetry, art, and music which occurred during the 1920s in Harlem, New York. The movement consisted of poets like Langston Hughes, actors like Paul Lawrence Dunbar, and writers like Zora Neale Hurston.

Individuals of the Roaring 1920s