The Roaring 20’s

What made the 1920’s roar? Jazz music Change from traditional values Prohibition The Arts The Harlem Renaissance Radio shows Baseball, boxing and other sports

Harlem Renaissance The flowering of African American cultural and intellectual life Centred in NYC neighbourhood of Harlem

Jazz Music Introduced by Louis Armstrong Duke Ellington played in NYC clubs and speakeasies Cotton Club was the most famous nightspot in Harlem

Cotton Club African Americans could perform, but not be patrons Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole, Sammy Davis Jr., Bessie Smith, and Billie Holliday all performed there

Prohibition Prohibition Bureau set up to enforce the law was understaffed, underpaid and ineffective Prohibition created an illegitimate multi-billion dollar industry Estimated speakeasies in NYC

Al Capone Gangster who made millions on bootlegging liquor during prohibition Dominated organized crime in Chicago and had many police officers and judges on his payroll

Flappers Women who wanted great social and political freedoms Drank, smoked, dressed in a new way Term came from wearing galoshes unbuckled, causing it to flap

Ernest Hemingway Wrote about disillusionment and reevaluated myths of American heroes as did many novelists in the aftermath of WWI “For Whom the Bell Tolls” and “A Farewell to Arms”

Babe Ruth New York Yankees star “The House that Ruth Built” Home run record stood for 39 years until Hank Aaron beat it One of the most popular athletes of the decade

Jack Dempsey Held world heavyweight title from When he retired his record was , with 50 knockouts Inducted into Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990

Charles Lindbergh First person to fly nonstop solo across the Atlantic Ocean “Spirit of St. Louis” Took 33.5 hours “Lucky Lindy” Became a hero and symbol of the 1920’s

Invented in the 1920’s Push-button elevators Neon signs Electric razors Spiral-bound notebooks Motels Zippers Pop-up toasters Flavoured yogurt Car radios Adhesive tape Water skiing Self-winding wristwatch

Numbers… million Families with radios in 1922 Letters received by Charles Lindbergh People who wrote to Henry Ford begging for money Vehicles registered in the United States

Women in the Workforce 1920 – 25% of female workers in sales and clerical work Graduates of women’s colleges begin moving into business world BUT

Female workers subjected to long hours, low wages, poor conditions, severe discrimination Women paid only 50 – 60% of males for same work

Radio Prosperity and credit made them affordable Offered variety of information, advice, entertainment to mass audiences Medium of mass communication, mass influence, sharing of common popular culture

Movies

Automobiles Introduction of assembly line by Henry Ford lowers cost of production by using standardized parts, unskilled labour Average price of car in 1907: $2 123 in 1924: $ 290

Impact was revolutionary Smaller car makers disappear – rise of the “Big 3” New businesses cater to cars Rural isolation reduced – farming becomes more mechanized

The Stock Market Speculation Margin-buying Penny stocks “bucket shops”

Black Tuesday