1. “Characteristics of the 1920s”
LECTURE 1
“Characteristics of the 1920s”
FEAR OF IMMIGRANTS
FEAR OF ALCOHOL USAGE
FEAR OF EVOLUTION

2. Fear of foreign ideas, strange lifestyles, and immigrants was huge!
POST WAR AMERICA
The time period after World War I seemed to be filled with anxiety and fear about a large number of things
Fear of foreign ideas, strange lifestyles, and immigrants was huge!

3. FEAR OF IMMIGRANTS RED SCARE
Characteristic number 1 of the 1920’s is a fear of immigrants and communism known as the “Red Scare”
The Bolshevik Revolution in Russia had brought communism to Americans attention
There was a small Communist Party structure in America
Communism was about workers and their rights…and there were many strikes after WWI, so many Americans believed there was lots of communists running around!
Even evangelists like Billy Sunday spoke about the evils of communism

4. FEAR OF IMMIGRANTS “Soviet Ark” Sacco & Vanzetti A. Mitchell Palmer
The main leader of the “Red Scare” of the 1920’s was Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer
Sacco & Vanzetti
A. Mitchell Palmer
“Soviet Ark”
Palmer sent suspected radicals back to Russia
The most clear example of radicals and anything foreign was the case of Sacco & Vanzetti
Both men were eventually electrocuted in Massachusetts

5. KKK FEAR OF IMMIGRANTS FOCUS?
The fear of anything “un-American” also was exhibited by the rise again of the KKK
Was different than the KKK of the late 1800s
Klan had greatest strength in the Midwest and South
Normal everyday citizens were “proud” to be members of the Klan in the 1920s and membership swelled!
KKK of the 1920s then collapsed suddenly due to scandal
FOCUS?
Anti-Catholic
Anti-black
Anti-Jewish
Anti-Pacifist
Anti-Communist
Anti-Internationalist
Anti-Evolution
Anti-Birth Control
KKK

6. Old Immigrants tended to blend in much better than New Immigrants
FEAR OF IMMIGRANTS
New Immigration
Immigrants who arrived from Southern and Eastern Europe during the years 1890-on
Old Immigration
Immigrants who arrived from Northern and Western Europe during the years before 1890
Old Immigrants tended to blend in much better than New Immigrants
Emergency Quota Act (1921)
Immigration Act of 1924
Two laws that attempted to stop the number of “new immigrants” coming into the United States

7. 18th AMENDMENT NOBLE EXPERIMENT FEAR OF ALCOHOL USAGE
Another fear that showed up in the 1920s was the fear of effects of alcohol on society
This was one of the last Progressive issues attacked!
18th AMENDMENT
The production and consumption of alcohol had become effective in 1919 with the passage of the 18th Amendment
Prohibition is the name for the period of non-alcohol production/consumption
Prohibition was implemented by the VOLSTEAD ACT
Major problem for prohibition was it couldn’t really be enforced
NOBLE EXPERIMENT

8. Speakeasies Al Capone FEAR OF ALCOHOL USAGE
Prohibition also led to the growth and golden age of organized crime (gangsters)
Al Capone
One of the most powerful and ruthless leaders of organized crime
Speakeasies
Secret places where you could buy and drink alcohol

9. FEAR OF EVOLUTION Scope’s Monkey Trial
The issue of the Bible account of creation versus Darwin’s theory of evolution finally came to a head in the 1920s with the Scopes Monkey Trial
Fundamentalists—those that believe the Bible is inerrant and correct
Trial occurred in Dayton, TN
William Jennings Bryan was the lawyer for the Biblical viewpoint
Clarence Darrow was the lawyer for the evolutionists viewpoint

10. LECTURE 2 732-742 “The 1920’s Society” THE AUTOMOBILE THE AIRPLANE
THE RADIO
THE MOVIES
SPORTS

11. THE AUTOMOBILE Henry Ford Frederick Taylor
The 1920’s is often referred to as the “Roaring Twenties” because of the large amount of products and inventions created for mass consumption
Henry Ford
The first mass produced automobile was produced by Henry Ford at his Detroit Rouge River plant
Pushed out a new auto every ten seconds!!!!
By 1930, Americans had 30 million cars on the streets
Ford was able to mass produce auto’s because of the assembly line and mass production techniques
Detroit became the major car manufacturing city
The first major auto produced was called the Model T
Frederick Taylor—”Father of Scientific Management”
Frederick Taylor

12. The automobile changed life more than any other invention!!!!!
One of the major impacts was that the auto spawned many other industries related to it
NEW INDUSTRIES?
SOCIAL CHANGES?
Steel—need more steel to produce auto’s
Rubber, glass, fabrics
Highway construction
Service stations/garages
Petroleum industry
Auto became a necessity and were a badge of freedom and equality
Joyriding and vacations became popular
Allowed women more freedom
Allowed for the creation of suburbs—could live farther away from the main city
Injured many, many people
Morals of youth became more relaxed—”a house of prostitution on wheels”
Helped organized crime be successful

14. THE AIRPLANE Charles Lindbergh
First airplane successfully flown by Orville and Wilbur Wright at Kitty Hawk, NC
Airplanes used with some success in the first World War, but very dangerous for personal travel
Charles Lindbergh
First major airplane pilot to gain fame was Charles Lindbergh
Flew across the Atlantic from NY to Paris in 33 hours and 39 minutes
Flew on plane The Spirit of St. Louis
“Lucky Lindy” became an overnight hero and sensation

15. THE RADIO
Most historians credit Guglielmo Marconi with the invention of the radio, although it is debated
The first major radio broadcast was the results of the 1920 Presidential election
Broadcast on station KDKA
By the late 1920s, technological improvements made long distance broadcasting possible
The radio became a social instrument as family and neighbors would gather around a household radio for entertainment
Used extremely well during the Great Depression by FDR in his famous “Fireside Chats”
Famous radio shows included Amos and Andy and were sponsored by companies now using “advertising” to sell their products
Radio also made sports much more popular

16. THE MOVIES The Jazz Singer
The birth of the movie industry began in 1903 with The Great Train Robbery
Early movies were “silent”
Often shown in “Nickelodeons”
Other famous movies included DW Griffith’s Birth of a Nation about the KKK in Reconstruction days
The movie industry also birthed a new city known as “Holllywood”
Created the idea of “Movie Stars”
Movies became the most popular form of entertainment
The Jazz Singer
The first talking motion picture (with sound) was the Jazz Singer starring Al Jolson
THE MOVIES

17. In the 1920s, sports became big business too
Baseball became America’s pastime with heroes like Babe Ruth
Boxing became popular with men like Jack Dempsey
SPORTS

18. MASS ADVERTISING Bruce Barton
One of the major affects of the mass consumption society was a renewed emphasis on advertising
Advertisers wanted Americans to desire their products and want more, and more, and more!
Bruce Barton wrote a book entitled “The Man Nobody Knows” about advertising
Said Jesus was the greatest ad man of all time!!
Bruce Barton

19. Flappers CHANGE IN LIFESTYLES Dr. Sigmund Freud
The 1920’s also saw major changes in lifestyles and values compared to earlier times
An organized birth control movement began led by Margaret Sanger
Sexual issues became more commonly talked about and women felt a surge of sexual freedom and liberation
Flappers
Flappers were they symbol of women’s new freedom and independence
Dr. Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud encouraged even more sexual openness
Teenagers became much more open about sexual issues too!

20. LECTURE 3
“Arts and Literature
of the 1920’s”

21. Jazz was the music of the Twenties
JAZZ MUSIC
One of the biggest artistic achievements of the 1920s was the growth and popularity of jazz music!
Jazz was the music of the Twenties
Jazz was a mixture of blues, spirituals, etc. that moved from New Orleans along with migrating blacks during the Great Migration of WWI
Famous Jazz musicians included “Jelly Roll” Morton, Duke Ellington, Bessie Smith, and Louis Armstrong
Jazz was also a rebellion of high school and college youth against the music of their parents (much like rock n roll of the 1950’s and the music of the 1960s
Originally played by black musicians, as jazz music became more popular all white jazz bands began to form

22. THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE
A new form of black racial pride began to develop in the 1920s too
The center of this revival was in the city of Harlem, NY
Thus, the revival of black arts is known as the HARLEM RENAISSAINCE
Famous artists of the Harlem Renaissance included Langston Hughes who was a great black poet
THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE

23. Even purchased a ship known as the Black Star Steamship Company
MARCUS GARVEY
Marcus Garvey also came to fame in the ’20s due to his Back to Africa movement
Garvey founded the United Negro Improvement Association and promoted resettlement of Africa with American blacks
Even purchased a ship known as the Black Star Steamship Company
Garvey was eventually discredited and convicted of crimes, but he did bring a sense of black pride to African American’s of the 1920’s

24. THE LOST GENERATION F. Scott Fitzgerald Ernest Hemingway
Sinclair Lewis
Wm. Faulkner
This Side of Paradise
The Great Gatsby
The Sun Also Rises
A Farewell to Arms
Main Street
Babbitt
The Sound & the Fury
The 1920s also saw a new group of authors rise to prominence who were known as the LOST GENERATION
Many of these writers were young and energetic, but were disillusioned with the effects of WWI

25. Famous architect of the 1920s
1920s ARCHITECTURE
Even architecture was affected by the mood of the 1920s with an emphasis on materialism and functionalism
Frank Lloyd Wright
Famous architect of the 1920s