Study Guide 1920’s
Changing Ways of Life in the Roaring 20’s
Cities Are the Place To Be Between 1922 & 1929, migration to the cities rose NY- 5.6 million people Chicago- 3 million Philadelphia- 2 million
Prohibition Big clash between small-town (Traditional) & big-city (Modern) Americans 18 th Amendment: manufacture, sale, & transportation of alcoholic beverages were legally prohibited
Causes Religious groups thought drinking was sinful Belief that alcohol led to crime, wife & child abuse, and accidents on the job Thought the govt. should protect the public health
Effects Consumption of alcohol declined Disrespect for the law developed Organized crime grew Smuggling & bootlegging become criminals new sources of income
Speakeasies Speakeasies= a way to get around law enforcement For every saloon that closed because of the law, 6 underground speakeasies sprung up. By the middle of the decade there were thought to be 100,000 speakeasies in New York City alone.
Risk and Reward Although speakeasies were illegal there were many benefits to those who took the risks of ownership. A speakeasy could earn its owner a lot of money One of New York's owners estimated his costs at about $1370 per month. – $400 was money to Federal Prohibition Agents – $40 went to the cop on the beat to turn his back whenever beer was being delivered.
Bootleggers People also distilled (made) their own alcohol Alcohol was still allowed for medicinal and religious purposes so prescriptions skyrocketed
Prohibition
Innovative Ways to Beat the Law People used hip flasks, false books, coconut shells, hot water bottles and garden hoses to transport illegal liquor. It was also stored in strollers with babies perched on top. One man was even caught hustling liquor over the border in two boxes of eggs, he refilled them with liquor.
Al Capone Prohibition led to an increase in organized crime America's best known gangster. Operated illegal breweries Ran a network of 10,000 speakeasies in Chicago Arrested for tax evasion
Losing Support By the mid-1920’s only 19% of Americans supported Prohibition Most believed it caused more problems than it helped 21 st Amendment: ended prohibition in 1933
The Flapper Young women who wore short skirts, bobbed their hair, listened to jazz, smoked cigarettes, drove cars and wore make-up.
The new dress was shocking for the day when compared to these styles
New Roles in the Workplace Booming economy created new opportunities for women in offices, factories, stores, and professions- teachers, nurses, & librarians
New Roles in the Workplace 2 By million women were earning wages Few rose to managerial jobs & all women earned less than men Created the pattern of discrimination & inequality for women in the business world
The Changing Family Widespread social & economic changes reshaped families Birthrate declining because of birth control clinics Household labor and family life simplified by stores with ready-made clothes, sliced bread, and canned food Women had more time to focus on their homes, husbands, children, and pastimes
End of the Flappers Despite its popularity, the flapper lifestyle and look could not survive the Wall Street Crash and The Great Depression. The high-spirited attitude simply could not find a place amid the economic hardships of the 1930s.