1920s The Good, The Bad, And the Ugly

1920s The decade of the 1920s is often characterized as a period of American prosperity and optimism. It was the "Roaring Twenties," the decade of bath tub gin, the Model-T, the $5 work day, the first transatlantic flight, and the movie. It is often seen as a period of great advancements as the nation became urban and commercial.

The Good

Harlem Renaissance Between 1920-1930 an unprecedented surge of creative activity among African Americans occurred in all fields of art. It was a celebration of African American culture in literature and art

Harlem Art Aaron Douglas

Poets, Musicians, and Artists Langston Hughes What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore-- And then run? Does it stink like rotten meat? Or crust and sugar over-- like a syrupy sweet? Maybe it just sags like a heavy load. Or does it explode?

Music Jazz was hot. It was exciting and fun, and it provoked all the wildness the youth in the 1920s strived for. Its off-beat rhythms and improvised melodies were a welcomed new beginning for music. New Orleans was the birthplace of jazz, but it quickly spread and became extremely popular in New York City’s Harlem district.

Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong http://www. youtube. com/watch

Bessie Smith http://www. youtube. com/watch

Dance Crazes Charleston Black Bottom Shimmy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uor5mrzNtFg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTR6xBeC2xA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcemYjTdvZ8

Flappers Now that women had the right to vote they became more independent and demanded more rights. Flappers were a "new breed" of young women in the 1920s who wore short skirts, bobbed hair, listened to jazz, and flaunted their disregard for what was then considered acceptable behavior Flappers were seen as brash for wearing excessive makeup, drinking, treating sex in a casual manner, smoking, driving automobiles, and otherwise breaking social, sexual, and feminine norms

Fashion for Shebas Cloche Flapper Bob

Movies The film industry bloomed in the 1920s. The first movies were filmed in New Jersey. Films of the 1920s were in major demand. Most of the productions were silent and theaters were packed every night. The Big 5 included MGM, Fox, and Warner Brothers. Smaller studios at the time were Universal, United Artists, and Columbia Pictures.

Clara Bow http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dxo_99eaEEA Clara Bow starred in “It” and “Wings.” After starring in the movie “It” she was called the “It” Girl. Mary Pickford and Gloria Swanson were also popular. When talkies became popular Clara lost her job…why?

Betty Boop Banned now, this Betty Boop cartoon showed how racism existed in the 1920s http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIxHfwhckcs

Charlie Chaplin One of the greatest comedians of all time http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Qsd6FX3C0c Rudolph Valentino-Lawrence of Arabia Douglas Fairbanks-Zorro Robin Hood

Fashion for Sheiks

Radio When the radio was invented it became immensely popular, and a huge fad. (Remember: there is no TV at this time) Radio did everything the TV does for us. If you tuned in at the right time, you could catch comedy shows, news, live events, jazz, variety shows, drama, opera. You name it, the radio had it!

Abbott and Costello http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_gSWTQKE-0

Fads Smoking in public Extreme dieting Bobbed hair Showing your knees Marathons Feats of endurance-Charles Lindbergh, Amelia Earheart Flagpole Sitters

Arts and Architecture Skyscrapers were erected and hundreds of architects competed for the work. The first successful design was the Woolworth Building in New York.

Frank Lloyd Wright Frank Lloyd Wright was prolific during this period, designing homes in California and in Japan. 

Surrealism Salvador Dali

Dadaism Dadaism was an art movement. The Dadaists were mainly a group of ill-organized artists experimenting with bizarre art and literature. The artists wanted to take modern art into a direction that would broaden the meaning of "what art was and could be".

Culture One of the biggest cultural developments of the 1920s was the rise of spectator sports. Golf was at the height of its popularity in the 1920s Olympics were extremely popular But the number one sport of the 1920s was…

Baseball The Babe http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyFaLT-L2uk

Harry Houdini

The first Mickey Mouse cartoon came out in 1928. Steamboat Willie

Inventions We are still benefiting from many of the inventions of the twenties. The refrigerator was brought out of the dust. It changed the convenience of the world today. Can you imagine? Always having to run to a cellar, This could be a pain, especially in the middle of the winter.

Penicillin Penicillin was discovered by accident in 1928 by Alexander Fleming.  Doctors used the first samples of this antibiotic for World War II soldiers. Penicillin is still used frequently to cure illness. 

Cars Possibly the most significant change during the 20s was the mass production of the car started by Henry Ford, he had manufactured and sold some 15 million Model-Ts by 1927 Nicknamed Tin Lizzie Only available in black

3/19 US II Goal: Assess the impact of artists, writers, and musicians of the 1920s, including the Harlem Renaissance, on American culture and values. QOD: How did the invention of the automobile impact American society? Agenda: PowerPoint with notes and video All essays not submitted are now a zero

The Bad Gangsters, Crime and Prohibition WCTU against drinking Prohibition-18th amendment-Volstead Act Illegal drinking establishments-speakeasies Rise of bootlegging Al Capone Rise of the KKK

Ku Klux Klan The decade is also seen as a period of rising intolerance and isolation. The rise of the Ku Klux Klan, restrictive immigration laws, and prohibition are indications of this. The Klan gained political power in the South in the 1920s due to resentment of cultural change coming from Northern cities. Historians usually see the 1920s as a decade of serious cultural conflict. 

Can you guess what these slang terms mean?

Bees knees Bump off Cheaters Dogs Gams Giggle water Jake

That’s why it was called the Roaring Twenties

The Century: Boom to Bust https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RN7ftyZigYs

20’s Mixer