1. Chapter 23:
The Jazz Age
US History - HOnors

2. Prosperity The 1920s was a decade of great prosperity and productivity
Republican tax cuts and limited involvement in the economy encouraged investment
Wages increased as companies made better profits
Electricity became common in most homes, leading to household appliances like washing machines, vacuums, and radios
Much of the success was the result of scientific management
All tasks could be broken down into smaller tasks that people specialized in
This cut down the amount of time that it took for products to be made, increasing production
The automobile industry was a perfect example of scientific management

3. Henry Ford and the Automobile
The first automobiles were produced in the 1890s, but Henry Ford revolutionized the industry
Ford Motor Company created in 1903
Introduced the Model T in 1908
Ford perfected the assembly line to cut production times
People stood in a particular area and completed a specific task in the building of the car
By 1914, over 250,000 Model Ts were sold a year
Other companies followed suit
To provide for the auto industry, many other industries also prospered
Glass, rubber, steel, and other industries blossomed
Over 1 million were employed in the auto industry in some way by 1929

4. Ford’s Effect on AMerica
Ford also revolutionized working conditions for his employees
Guaranteed an 8 hour workday
Paid $5 a day
However, Ford was a stickler not only at work, but monitored his employees’ home lives as well
The booming auto industry changed the American landscape
People could buy a new car for $800
Service and gas stations sprang up throughout the nation
People could travel easier, thus roads were built and motels opened to accomodate tourists

5. Henry Ford and the Model T

6. Consumer AMerica
The prosperity of American in the 1920s created a nation of consumers
For the first time, people could buy products on credit
Companies offered installment plans for various products
This led to the creation of credit cards
Companies competed for the nation’s business through advertising
Companies continued to use newspapers, magazines and billboards, as they had before
However, the new medium of radio was the mode of advertising choice
Jingles, slogans, and celebrity endorsements became common
Some companies expanded the locations, having stores throughout the country

7. Prohibition
The 18th Amendment (1919) outlawed the manufacture, sale, distribution and consumption of alcohol
The law was very hard to enforce and created a unique American culture in the 1920s
The Volstead Act of 1919 was passed to enforce the law
People could obtain alcohol in different ways
Speakeasies were illegal bars
Bootleggers smuggled alcohol into the US from Canada and other places
Some people made their own liquor (“moonshine”)
Organized crime became rampant
Most notorious was Chicago’s Al Capone
Led by Eliot Ness, his group of detectives, the Untouchables, tried for years to convict Capone, to no avail
Finally, in 1931, Capone was sent to prison for tax evasion
The amendment was repealed in 1933 by the 21st Amendment

8. Youth Culture of the 1920s
The younger generation began to openly reject the values and morals of previous generations
Women were especially open to change
The “new woman” of the 1920s was the “flapper”
Not all women became flappers, but the flapper symbolized the 1920s
Flappers were very different than women before
Short, bobbed hair
Shorter skirts
Career minded and bold in manners and style
More and more people began to attend college

9. The Flapper

10. Entertainment Radio: first stations went on the air in 1920
Played a variety of programs, such as music, sports, and news
Companies such as NBC were created
Millions were made by selling advertising slots
Movies: became easier to produce and hundreds were made a year
The earlier part of the decade was dominated by silent films and stars such as Charlie Chaplin
In 1927, the first “talkie” was produced
Sports: both professional and college athletics
Football and baseball were the most popular
Stars like Red Grange, Ty Cobb, Lou Gehrig, and Babe Ruth became heroes to many
Books and Magazines: reading was a popular pastime
New weeklies and monthlies like Reader’s Digest were printed for the first time

11. Celebrities and Heroes
Sport stars were among the many heroes of Americans
Babe Ruth (“Sultan of Swat”)
Jim Thorpe, a Native American multisport star, also competed in the Olympics
Movie stars were emulated
One of the biggest of the decade was Charles Lindbergh
Pilot that flew mail between St. Louis and Chicago
Became the first person to fly non stop from New York to Paris in 1927
Took 33.5 hours to fly his plane the Spirit of St. Louis
Inspired Amelia Earhart to become the first woman to do it the following year

12. Stars of the 1920s

13. Stars of the 1920s

14. Religion of the 1920s
Because of the decline morals of the decade, preachers began to stress a revival of faith
Fundamentalism developed as preachers insisted that the words of the Bible should be taken literally
Claimed that scientific development and liberal thought “weakened” Christianity
In 1925, a trial in Tennessee tested fundamentalism
The theory of evolution was banned from schools in TN
John Scopes was accused of teaching the theory
Clarence Darrow represented Scopes, while William Jennings Bryan represented the prosecution
The Scopes trial divide views on religious fundamentalism and freedom of expression
Scopes was found guilty and fined $100
However, the trial weakened support for fundamentalism

15. Music of the 1920s The new music craze was jazz
Jazz was hybrid of musical styles popular among black musicians of the south
Ragtime, spirituals, and West African rhythms were the basis, as well as blues
Louis Armstrong was one of the first and most influential musicians
Duke Ellington also had a strong influence on the style
Both artists took jazz to the north, where it quickly gained popularity
The popularity of the music is the reason why the 1920s is considered the “Jazz Age”

16. Jazz Musicians

17. Harlem Renaissance
The predominantly black neighborhood of Harlem, NY was the site of an influential movement in the arts
This movement was known as the Harlem Renaissance
Theater: actors, playwrights and singers gained popularity
Literature: poets and novelists wrote stories that described what it was like being black in America
Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston were among the most famous

18. The Lost Generation
At the same time the Harlem Renaissance took place, another literary movement occurred
Ernest Hemingway dubbed the movement the Lost Generation
Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald, among others, wrote stories of disillusionment and criticized the new America
Conformity, materialism and close-mindedness were common targets

19. The Arts Painting and photography were common forms of expression
Much of the influence came from Mexican artists like Diego Rivera and their elaborate murals that depicted industrial development
Architecture also changed, especially with the boom of skyscraper building in cities
Frank Lloyd Wright was one of the most influential architects of the time

20. The Arts