The Roaring 20s 1920-1929

Overview Was the age of dramatic social and political change. Also referred to as: The Jazz Age The Golden Age The Age of Intolerance Facilitated the beginning of the 4 Dreams of Consumerism which becomes the basis for a new American Dream.

The Booming Economy Goods became available for more people. The nation’s total wealth more than doubled between 1920 and 1929 and swept in 1920people into a “consumer society.” The economy of the 1920s raised the number of household appliances in the home of the average middle-class American family. The automobile ratio per American decreased from 1/15 to 1/5 because the cost of automobiles became more affordable. Homes supplied with electricity jumped from 3.5% to 68% in 1929. “The business of America is business.” – President Coolidge

Inventions of the 1920s http://www.history.com/topics/roaring-twenties/videos/1920s-inventions

The 18th Amendment Made the manufacture, sale, and distribution of alcohol illegal. Also known as “The Noble Experiment” coined by President Hoover. Was the result of prohibition groups who considered alcohol a threat to the nation. These groups believed that banning alcohol = lowering crime rates, strengthen families, and generally improve the national character. Amendment resulted in the widespread of bootlegging and prohibition.

George Remus Was the biggest bootlegger in the U.S. Some even believe that he was the inspiration for the title character of The Great Gatsby. Was a lawyer specializing in criminal defense. He memorized the Volstead Act (legislation that made it easier for the law to enforce prohibition and the 18th amendment), found loopholes in order to be a more successful bootlegger.

Social Tensions of the 1920s The Great Migration of African Americans: the many African Americans move to Northern cities from the Southern countryside and the visibility of black culture (Jazz/blues music) discomforted some white Americans. Rise of the KKK The National Origins Act of 1924: an extremely restrictive immigration law which set immigration quotas that excluded some people in favor of others. Effect of the Anti-Communist “Red Scare” in 1919 which encouraged widespread nativist, or anti-immigrant, hysteria.

Women of the 1920s The flapper was one of the symbols of the decade. A young woman with bobbed hair and short skirts who drank, smoked, and said what might be termed “unladylike” things. Freedoms women acquired: The right to vote (19th amendment) Work white-collar jobs and participated in consumer society. Increased availability of birth-control devices.

1920s Fashion Pre-1920: Conservative and restrictive Bodies were corseted into an hourglass shape; skirts hit the floor, and the sight of the ankle was considered to be racy. 1920s: Less restrictive. Free, flowing, and comfortable. Flowing skirts and dresses. Shorter skirts with pleats and slits that allow motion. Shorter haircuts Clog hats.

The Jazz Age Jazz became the most popular type of music in the 1920s. Older generations thought the music was vulgar and threatened the youth’s morality. Famous Jazz musicians to come out of this decade: Louis Armstrong: “What a Wonderful World” Duke Ellington Kid Ory

F. Scott Fitzgerald 1896-1940 American Author The Great Gatsby was said to be his masterpiece. Zelda Fitzgerald: Fitzgerald’s wife Daughter of an Alabama Supreme Court judge. Said she would not marry him until he became wealthy. Like his characters in the novel, Fitzgerald and his wife lived extravagantly. They were famous in NYC for their extravagant parties and incessant drinking.

F. Scott Fitzgerald Critical of society and materialism, as seen through the novel. He believed that modern society was taking over and replacing the American Dream with corruption and bare materialism. The fight vs. Old Money (traditional values; the traditional American Dream) and New Money (consumer culture; the corrupted American Dream). People of NY labeled him as a playboy and alcoholic which hindered his reputation as a serious literary writer.

F. Scott Fitzgerald Was an American short-story writer and novelist famous for his depictions of the Roaring 20s and the Jazz Age. Themes demonstrated in his writing were: Love and the American dream Critiques of materialism Old money vs. materialism The corruption of the American dream