There was a lot of cultural tensions in the 1920s.  After WW1 the fear and prejudice towards Germans and communists expanded to all immigrants.  The people were also afraid the immigrants would steal their jobs. 

Sacco-Vanzetti Court Case

Two Italian immigrants were arrested for robbery and murder.  The case gave a bad reputation to immigrants.  It created a furor when newspapers revealed that they were anarchists, which means they opposed all forms of government. 

Ku Klux Klan

The KKK promoted white superiority and used threats and violence to gain power.  The KKK targeted: African Americans, Catholics, Jews, immigrants, and other groups said to be "un-American"

Fundamentalism, Scopes Trial

In 1925 Tennessee outlawed any teaching that denied "the story of the Devine creation of man as taught in the Bible" or the theory of evolution.  John T. Scopes was arrested for teaching evolution.  Eventually he was found guilty and fined $100.  They thought their traditional views were being attacked because they were questioned on their faith. 

Prohibition, Organized Crime

In January of 1920 the eighteenth amendment went into effect.  Many opposed alcohol consumption for religious reasons; others believed it would reduce unemployment, domestic violence, and poverty.  Other people who were against the prohibition created "speakeasies" where they could purchase and drink alcohol.  They believed it was their right and they could do what they wanted.

Mass production, or large-scale manufacturing done with machinery increased supply and reduced costs.  Also, it allowed new industries, such as automobile and airplane manufacturing to grow.  Workers would be paid more and the consumer goods they bought would cost less.

Model T and other Automobiles, Social Impact

The Model T demonstrated the economic concept of elasticity, or how sensitive product demand is to price.  The low price of Model T's allowed a mass production of them and created a competitive market for automobiles.  The auto industry lead to the growth of other industries and consumed 15% of the nation's steel.  Cars revolutionized American life.  It eased the isolation of rural life and made traveling to work a lot faster. 

Radios

The radio is a special circuit that made it practical to transmit sound via long-range.  The radio industry increased in November 1920 when the Westinghouse Company broadcasted the news of Harding's election victory from station KDKA.  It was one of the first public broadcasts in history.  By 1927, there were almost 700 station in the country.  It allowed people to receive information instantly as well as advertise goods. 

Credit

Credit allowed people to. "buy now and pay in easy installments".  It was one of the reason for the country's "economic boom".  Unfortunately, for many people, it lead to endless debt.  Americans bought 75% of their radios and 60% of their automobiles on the installment plan.  

Mass Advertising

To attract consumers, manufacturers used advertisement, another booming industry in the 1920s.  Some tried to manipulate people in order to buy their goods.  Mass advertisement helped the economy and contributed to the Roaring Twenties.   

John Martin was an American painter who drew nature as well as the urban dynamics of New York for inspiration.  He challenged traditional ideas and explored what it meant to be "modern", and searched for the meaning in the emerging challenges of the modern world.

Art: Charles Scheeler

Charles Scheeler applied the influences of photography and the geometric forms of Cubism to urban and rural American landscapes.  He changed how people saw paintings and urban/rural landscapes in the 1920s. 

Poets/Writers: F. Scott Fitzgerald

F. Scott Fitzgerald used colorful characters who chased futile dreams in The Great Gatsby, a novel critical of modern society's superficiality. 

Movies and Radio Shows

The mass media- radio, movies, newspapers aimed at a broad audience and did more than just entertain.  Their easy availability to millions helped break down patterns of provincialism, or narrow focus on local interests.  They fostered a sense of shared experience that helped unify the nation and spread new ideas and attitudes. 

Sports: Babe Ruth

Baseball star, Babe Ruth, became a national hero in the 1920s.  Famous for his countless homeruns he was a worldwide celebrity that made people proud to be an American.   

In the 1920s, hundreds of thousands of African Americans joined the Great Migration from the rural south to industrial cities in the North to escape Southern segregation, find economic opportunities and build better lives. 

Harlem Renaissance

The Harlem Renaissance changed American society in the 1920s.  It was there that African American artistic development, racial pride, and political organization thrived. 

Jazz: Louis Armstrong

Jazz is a style of music influenced by Dixieland blues and ragtime, with its syncopated rhythms and improvisational elements.  The artistic freedom of Chicago's South side gave Armstrong the courage to create his own type of Jazz. 

Jazz: Duke Ellington

Ragtime also influenced the composer, pianist, and bandleader Edward "Duke" Ellington.  Later, he played in "speakeasies" and clubs.  He soon created his own sound, a blend of improvisation and orchestration using different combinations of instruments.

NAACP

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, fought against segregation and discrimination against African Americans.  It's efforts focused primarily on lobbying public officials and working through the court system.

"To prohibit intoxicating beverages, and to regulate the manufacture production, use, and sale of high-proof spirits for other than beverage purposes, and to insure an ampe supply of alcohol and promote its use in scientific research and in the development of fuel, dye, and other lawful industries.

Title: Volstead ActSource: National Archives and Records Administration Author:  Publication Date: Oct. 28, 1919 Page Number(s): n.p. Database: SIRS Decades Service: SIRS Knowledge Source <http://www.sirs.com> Date Accessed: February 28, 2015

]]> 2015-03-02 01:34:49 UTC https://padlet.com/ahell908/bto7jhsszl6v/wish/51600923 ahell908 https://padlet.com/ahell908/bto7jhsszl6v/wish/51601233 Scopes Trial

"Scopes Trial judge excludes natural science testimony"

"The KKK invites you to the portals of the invisible empire."

http://decades.sirs.com/decadesweb/decades/do/article?urn=urn%3Asirs%3AUS%3BARTICLE%3BART%3B0000207226

"They're making almost five million motor cars in this country this year.  The whole industry will overproduce and go broke."

"The radio became a family experience. Everyone would gather around the radio listening to news, comedy shows and music."

"America's newspapers used to be, before all else, the expression of the tempers and beliefs which set small groups of citizens apart from one another."

Title: Things Are in the SaddleSource: Atlantic Monthly (Vol. 134, No. 5) Author: Strauss, Samuel Publication Date: Nov. 1924 Page Number(s): 577-588 Database: SIRS Decades Service: SIRS Knowledge Source <http://www.sirs.com> Date Accessed: February 28, 2015

]]> 2015-03-02 01:53:39 UTC https://padlet.com/ahell908/bto7jhsszl6v/wish/51602478 ahell908 https://padlet.com/ahell908/bto7jhsszl6v/wish/51602736 "The South will soon be demanding restriction of migration of its labor"

http://decades.sirs.com/decadesweb/decades/do/article?urn=urn%3Asirs%3AUS%3BARTICLE%3BART%3B0000209013

"He is new, he is old as the forests primeval.  Stark in their nakedness of limb.  His forebears roamed the jungle and led the chase.  Crystalized by the heat of oriental suns.  God made him a rock of undecaying power.

http://decades.sirs.com/decadesweb/decades/do/article?urn=urn%3Asirs%3AUS%3BARTICLE%3BART%3B0000208703 

"Bigotry against African Americans led to racial violence across the nation. While the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) spoke out against mob violence that often included the lynching of black men, Congressional efforts to pass the Dyer anti-lynching bill failed due to a Senate filibuster in 1922"

http://decades.sirs.com/decadesweb/decades/do/topic?urn=urn%3Asirs%3AUS%3BTOPIC%3B0000017826&decadeurn=urn:sirs:US;TOPIC;0000017806

"Professional sports drew huge crowds in the 1920s.  Top players such as Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb became celebrities and were among the first to be paid to endorse products in advertisements"

"Online Student Edition." Online Student Edition. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2015.

"Movies were very popular in the 1920s.  Musicians played music to accompany the silent film."

"Online Student Edition." Online Student Edition. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2015.

"Part of what made the 1920s feel "new" and "modern" was the rise of mass culture.  Popular entertainment- whether movies or sports- brought Americans together in a shared experience"

"Online Student Edition." Online Student Edition. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2015.