1. 1920s Popular Culture

2. Consumerism: New Culture of Consumers 1. 1920s economic boom. a. The average Per Capita income grew by 30% 2. Largely because the European Economy was destroyed by World War I.

3. New technological inventions allowed goods to be made quicker/cheaper. a. Henry Ford and the Assembly Line 5. Boost in economy and invention of many household appliances created more leisure time for men & women.

4. The Radio 1.KDKA in Pittsburgh, first radio station, starting in 1920. 2.By 1922 that number had grown to 600 3.Popularity grew quickly, becomes primary source of home entertainment. 4.Between 1923 and 1930, 60% of Americans purchased a radio.

5. Hollywood 1. By the early 1920s Hollywood was the film capital of the world a. Nickelodeons were escapist entertainment for the working- class. 2. Films were used as a platform to address “risqué” issues (sex, birth-control, violence, divorce)

6. 3. By the middle of the 1920s about half the countries population went to the movies weekly (50 million people). 4. Late 1920s and the “talkies” Charlie Chaplin: ComedyRudolph Valentino: Romance & Drama Clara Bow: Romance

7. Formation of the Teenage Culture 1. Fewer children had to work to support their families, teens weren’t being forced into marriage at 16 or 17and teens were staying in school longer 2. The automobile! 3. Teens could now go on dates

8. The “Golden Age” of Sports 1. Sports became another form of entertainment for the masses. 2. More free time allowed people other than just the wealthy to play/ watch sports Dempsey v. Carpenter College Football Charles Lindbergh Babe Ruth

9. Jazz 1. Jazz was born in New Orleans in the early 1900s, but quickly spread throughout the country 2. The phonograph

10. 4. 1920’s dances, like the Charleston and the Black Bottom.Charleston 5. Prohibition and the advent of the speakeasy provided many opportunities for Jazz musicians Louis Armstrong Nat King Cole Duke Ellington

11. Speakeasies 1. Because of Prohibition speakeasies become an established institution in America. 2. For every legitimate saloon that closed as a result of the new law, a half dozen underground palaces sprung up. 3. Speakeasies also become the place were fashions were made and the fashionable were seen.

12. Gangsters 1. Gangsters are the ones who provided the alcohol (and other things) to those who wanted it 2. Led to a collapse of law and order and many cities, do corruption and bribery 3. February 14, 1929, St. Valentine’s Day Massacre: Al Capone killed 7 men toeliminate any potential challengers to his “throne”

13. Prohibition Prohibition: complete ban on the sale, manufacture, and consumption of alcohol. Bootleggers: People who illegally smuggled alcohol. Speakeasy: Places that illegally sold alcohol. Moonshiners: People who illegally made alcohol.