Transcript City/Urban Life in the 1920s

By,
Elana Cooper, Safiya Lochan, and Gabriela Patla
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40% of nations people lived in cities
More Americans lived in cities of 2,500+ people than in
small towns or rural areas
Immigrants settled in New York due to the open jobs
and the fact that they were brought over from Ellis
Island.
Immigrants were attracted to the cheap housing and
job opportunities in the city
They moved in large groups of mainly young men who
hoped to be successful in the city
Foreigners of many different cultures all came in large
groups
The percentage of immigrants were cut down each
year
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Majority of the male population in
high school were drafted into the
army due to World War I so school
wasn’t a priority.
They often started families and got
jobs at an early age unless they
were in the war.
Girls were influenced by the
flapper style which became the
latest trend.
Rock N’ Roll set an example of
what men/teenagers should wear
which was a leather jacket.
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Prohibition began on
January 16, 1920
Speakeasies were created which were hidden rooms
in public areas that illegally sold alcohol
Speakeasies used secrets codes that you would have
to say in order to fool the police and keep them from
finding out about the speakeasy
The people who were involved in speakeasies were
usually in gangs and supplied the alcohol, or
flappers who would dance all night
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Work was usually 12-14 hours but it later became 8
hours in the 1930’s due to much protest
Jobs during this time weren’t much different how they
are now excluding the fact that women were now
starting to get a bit more equality.
Down in the South farming, share croppers and tenant
farmers were still in business
New York Had more doctors, shopkeepers, lawyers
and clergies
Outside the city there would usually be factories,
seamstresses, miners and loggers
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Lived on the outskirts of the cities because the city was
overpopulated and they could afford to have a car to
transport in and out of the city as much as they needed.
Created separate neighborhoods for themselves in the
suburbs.
Built mansions on large empty plots at the edges of
cities.
The ones that did live in the city lived on the upper
side
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Holland Tunnel opens
Development of railroads, street cars, and trolleys in
the 19th century allowed city boundaries to expand
 People didn’t have to live within walking distance of
their jobs
The cities roadways could not keep up with the
growing demand for automobiles
More than half a million new cars were built but there
were no highways constructed.
Because there weren’t any highways, cars traveled
through the cities which caused heavy traffic.
transportation video
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Besides cars as a new invention,
many appliances that we use
today were invented during this
time period as well.
The radio became a big hit for
spreading information quickly,
the media had a major influence
on people.
Because of the crowded streets
and accidents the traffic lights
were created to ease congestion.
Assembly lines were created to
increase production and produce
things more quickly and
efficiently.
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The great depression began on October 29, 1929 (Also
known as Black Tuesday) on the day that the stock
market crashed
The stock market crash was only the beginning to the
crisis
It left many homeless and unemployed
The US wasn’t the only country to have a depression.
France, Germany and England had one as well.
It lasted until 1939
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Much lower than previous decades but still common
3.2 million people were unemployed after the
depression
Unemployment rose up to about 25% of the country
and even 33% in other countries
People were desperate for money so they sold basically
any item they could find.