1. Bell Work
Why was Prohibition passed?

2. Cultural of the 1920s

3. America in the 1920s
America was changed by the industrialism of the Gilded Age & the economic boom of WW I
During the 1920s:
The USA was the richest & most developed country in the world
Wages rose, hours declined, & Americans had access to new, innovative consumer goods

4. The Second Industrial Revolution
The increase of national name brands (rather than locally produced goods) linked Americans more than ever
From 1922 to 1929, the U.S. had a 2nd industrial boom:
Mostly in consumer durable goods like appliances, cars, radios, furniture, & clothing
Electricity replaced steam power
Corporations used salaried executives, plant managers, & engineers to increase efficiency

5. The Flowering of the Arts
The Harlem Renaissance reflected the explosion of black culture & the “New Negro”:
Jazz & Blues expressed the social realities of blacks; Louis Armstrong became very popular
Langston Hughes’ poetry, novels, & plays promoted equality, condemned racism, & celebrated black culture

6. Josephine Baker, internationally renowned singer/dancer
Josephine Baker-international singer/dancer
“You could be black & proud, politically assertive & economically independent, creative & disciplined—or so it seemed”

7. “The most dangerous enemy of the Negro race”
Marcus Garvey
Marcus Garvey was the preeminent civil rights activist of the 1920s
Oppression in the U.S. necessitated strict segregation & black nationalism
He formed the United Negro Improvement Assoc & advocated a return to Africa
“The most dangerous enemy of the Negro race”
—W.E.B. DuBois

8. A rural, Protestant attack on the “social disease of drunkenness”
Prohibition
In Jan 1920, Congress passed the Volstead Act to enforce the 18th Amendment (1917)
26 states had already banned alcohol, but the real conflict came when prohibition was applied to urban ethnic groups
Rural America became dry & urban consumption dropped but was severely resisted
A rural, Protestant attack on the “social disease of drunkenness”

9. Per capita consumption of alcohol (1910-1929)

11. The Ku Klux Klan
The rebirth of the Ku Klux Klan in 1915 (Stone Mt, GA) was aimed at blacks, immigrants, Jews, Catholics, & prostitutes
The “Invisible Empire” sought to ease rural anxieties in the face of changing cultural attitudes
Used violence, kidnapping, murder, & politics to affect change
3 distinct lives of the KKK: 1st Klan aimed at Reconstruction was disbanded in nd Klan aimed at cultural changes of early 20th century existed from 1915 to 1944; 3rd Klan emerged in 1946 aimed at growing civil rights movement & communism

12. Klan violence met resistance & membership declined by 1925
The KKK provided a sense of identity to its members: “Women’s Order, Junior Order for boys, Tri-K Klub for girls, Krusaders for assimilated immigrants
The state gov’ts of TX, OK, OR, IN were heavily influenced by KKK members
Klan violence met resistance & membership declined by 1925

13. Wrap Up
Why did these social changes take place in the 1920s?