Transcript U.S. History Chapter 11 Notes Politics of the Roaring Twenties

U.S. History Chapter 11
Notes
Politics of the Roaring
Twenties
The United States seeks postwar normality
and isolation. The standard of living soars
amid labor unrest, immigration quotas, and
the scandals of the Harding administration.
Section 1
A Booming Economy
Consumer goods fuel the business
boom of the 1920s as America’s
standard of living soars.
The Impact of the
Automobile
Henry Ford made
cars affordable
- Used assembly
line
 1908 - Model T hit
the market (cost
$825)
 By 1920's - Model T
came off the line
every 10 seconds

Henry Ford’s success
Scientific management: approach to
improving efficiency, in which experts
looked at every step of a manufacturing
process, trying to find ways to reduce
time, effort and expense
 Bolstered employees by doubling their
wages and reducing their work days

– $2.35/day to $5/day
– 9 hours to 8 hours
– Gave weekends off
The Impact of the
Automobile
Cars changed life paved roads, gas
stations, motels,
shopping centers
 Route 66 from
Chicago to
California

The Impact of the
Automobile



1920s – 1st Automatic
traffic signals used in
Detroit
1927 – Holland Tunnel
opened to connect New
York City & New Jersey
(1st underwater tunnel
specifically designed for
cars)
Gave mobility to rural
families, women, & young
people
The Impact of the
Automobile







Enabled workers to live farther
from jobs
- Led to urban sprawl
(spread of cities)
Auto industry became
economic base for some cities
Boosted oil industry
Late 1920s - 1 car for every 5
Americans
1927 – The Model A replaced
the Model T
Enabled customers to order a
variety of colors
Traveled faster & smoother
1923
1924
The Young Airplane
Industry



Airplane industry started
as mail service for U.S.
Post Office
Weather forecasting
began
- Planes carried radios&
navigation tools
1926 – Henry Ford built
trimotor plane
The Young Airplane
Industry

Charles Lindbergh &
Amelia Earhart flights
helped promote airlines
- 1927 - Charles
Lindbergh became the
1st person to fly nonstop
across the Atlantic
- 1928 - Amelia Earhart
became 1st women to fly
nonstop across the
Atlantic
The Young Airplane
Industry
1927 - Lockheed
Company produced
popular transport plane
of the decade (Vega)
 1927 - Nations 1st
commercial airline
formed (Pan American
Airlines)
- Brought cities closer
together
- Began transatlantic
commercial flights

America’s Standard of Living
Soars

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
1920s were prosperous
times for America
1920 to 1929 – Average
annual income rose over
35%, from $522 to $705
People tired of sacrificing
Ready to spend money
New inventions
- Refrigerator
- Vacuum cleaner
- Electric stove
- Wrist watch
1921
Tellus Super model 20
1922 Gas Stove
Refrigerator
Electrical Conveniences
Prosperity was a result
of cheap power
 1920's - electricity and
petroleum become
widely available
 Widespread electricity
made possible by
Samual Insull
- He formed GE
Company with
Thomas Edison

Electrical Conveniences






Electricity along with petroleum helped to transform the
nation
Factories used electricity to run machines
Development of alternating current made it possible to
distribute electricity over longer distances
- Gave electricity to suburbs
By end of 1920s, more homes begin to have electrical
appliances
Appliances made housework easier & freed women for
other activities
- Refrigerators , cooking ranges, & toasters
Appliances coincided with trend of women working
outside home
The Dawn of Modern
Advertising
Advertising agencies
began hiring
psychologists to learn
to appeal to public
 Made brand names
familiar nationwide
 Pushed luxuries as
necessities

The Dawn of Modern
Advertising

Results were impressive
- “Say it with Flowers”
slogan doubled florists
business between 1914 &
1924
- “Reach for a Lucky
instead of a sweet”
caused people to choose
cigarettes over candy
- 1923 – Listerine
advertisements warned
about the disastrous
effects of halitosis
The Dawn of Modern
Advertising

Businesspeople began working with
service groups (Rotary, Kiwanis, & lions)
- Raised money for charities & boosted the
image of the businessman
- promoted selves as benefactors of
society
A Superficial Prosperity
Most Americans believed prosperity would last forever
- Productivity increased, & businesses expanding
- Several mergers in auto industry, steel, electrical
equipment, utilities
- Chain stores developed
- National banks were allowed to create branches
 Not everyone became wealthy
 Consumer Revolution: a flood of new, affordable
goods became available to the public
 Income gap between workers & managers grew
- 1929 - 60% of Americans lived in poverty

Two Major Groups Suffered in
the 1920s
Farmers - food prices fell after World War I
- New machines increased productions
- Many farmers couldn't afford new machines
- Drought and insects also damaged crops
- Government refused to help farmers
 Labor - violent strikes following WWI led to
anti-union feelings across the country
- Court rulings caused the unions to lose power

Buying Goods on Credit
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Businesses began provided easy credit to lure customers
- “a dollar down and a dollar forever”
Installment plan - pay for goods over extended period with
interest
Bull Market: a period of rising stock prices
Buying on Margin: buying stocks, only paying a small percentage
of the purchase price
Banks provided money at low interest rates
Some economists & business owners thought installment buying
was becoming excessive
- Thought it was a sign of fundamental weakness behind superficial
prosperity
Most focused their attention on the present & didn’t worry about the
future
- Thought prosperity would last forever
Postwar Trends
World War I left Americans exhausted
- Debate over League of Nations had divides
them
 Economy adjusted as cost of living doubled
- Farm & factory orders were down
- Soldiers took jobs from women& minorities
- Farmers & factory workers suffered

Postwar Trends

Many Americans
responded to the stressful
conditions by becoming
fearful of outsiders
- Nativism swept nation
- prejudice against
foreign-born people
- Isolationism became
popular - pulling away
from world affairs
Fear of Communism
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The spread of
Communism was
perceived as a threat to
America (The Red
Scare)
Communism economic, political
system, single-party
government
- ruled by dictator
- no private property
Fear of Communism
1919 - Vladimir
Lenin & the
Bolsheviks set up
Communist state in
Russia
 U.S. Communist Party
formed (70, 000
radicals joined)
- Some Industrial
Workers of the World
join

Labor Unrest and
the Red Scare
American government feared
Communism would spread to
the U.S. through immigrants
 Feared infiltration of

–
–
–
–
–
–
Anti-Capitalists
People who refused to work
Subversives
Propaganda
Critics of government
poster
(1921):
Supporters of “free speech”
“Lenin Lived,
Lenin Lives,
Anyone who was “unLenin Will
American” (pacifists, draftLive.”
dodgers, conscientious
Vladimir Lenin and Leon Trotsky started the Bolshevik
objectors)
Revolution in Russia, a violent and murderous overthrow of
the Romanov Czars. The provisional government gave
“power to the working class” on whose back the elite earned
its wealth.
Fear of Communism

Several bombs were
mailed to government
& businesses
- People feared Red
conspiracy
Fear of Communism

Attorney General A. Mitchell
Palmer took action
- Appointed J. Edgar Hoover
as special assistant
- They hunted down
Communists, socialists, &
anarchists (Palmer Raids)
- Anarchists oppose any form
of government
- Raids trampled civil rights &
failed to find evidence of
conspiracy
Sacco and Vanzetti
Red Scare fed fear of
foreigners, ruined
reputations & wrecked
lives
 The two most famous
victims were Italian
immigrants Nicola
Sacco and
Bartolomeo Vanzetti
 Shoemaker & fish
peddler who evaded the
draft during WWI
(Anarchists)

Sacco and Vanzetti

1920 - Sacco and
Vanzetti were arrested
& charged with the
robbery & murder of a
factory paymaster & his
guard in South Braintree
Massachusetts
– Prosecutors only had
circumstantial evidence
– They provided alibis
– Judge made prejudicial
remarks throughout the
trial
A painting of Sacco and Vanzetti during their trial.
Sacco and Vanzetti
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Jury found them guilty &
sentenced them to death
- There were widespread
protests in U.S. & abroad
- 1927 Sacco & Vanzetti
were executed in the
electric chair
1961- new ballistics test
proved that the pistol
found on Sacco was used
to kill the guard
(Couldn’t prove who
actually pulled the
trigger)
Limiting Immigration

Anti-Immigrant Attitudes had been growing in
America since the 1880s
– Southern & Eastern European immigrants
Need for unskilled labor decreased in the U.S.
after WWI
 Nativists believed fewer immigrants were
needed since there were fewer unskilled jobs
available,
 Also thought immigrant anarchists and socialists
were Communist

The Klan Rises Again
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Bigots used anti-communism
as an excuses to harass groups
unlike themselves
1915 - KKK was revived in
Georgia
- Called for a “racially &
morally pure America”
KKK opposed blacks,
Catholics, Jews, immigrants,
unions, & saloons
- Beat and killed minorities
The Klan Rises Again
Members were paid to recruit new
members
- 1924 - 4.5 million members
- Indiana had the most Klan members
 Klan dominated politics in many states
 Violence led to a decrease in power
- Membership dropped by the end on the
1920s

The Quota System
1919 - 1921, number of immigrants grew almost
600%
 141,000 to 805,000
 Nativsists pressured Congress to limit
immigration from certain countries (Southern &
Eastern Europe)
 The Emergency Quota Act of 1921 set up a
Quota system
- Established the maximum number of people
who could enter the U.S. from each country
- sharply reduced European immigration

The Quota System

1924 – Amended law
limited European arrivals
to 2% of number of its
national living in the U.S.
in 1890
- Discriminated against
southern, eastern
Europeans (Didn’t arrive
until after 1890)
The Quota System

Law also prohibited Japanese immigration;
– Caused ill will between U.S. & Japan
– Japan had faithfully kept the Gentlemen’s
agreement to limit emigration to the U.S.
that had been negotiated by Teddy Roosevelt
in 1907

Quota system didn’t apply to Western
Hemisphere
- Many Canadians & Mexicans entered
A Time of Labor Unrest
Government didn’t allow strikes in wartime
- 1919 over 3,000 strikes
 Employers were against raises& unions;
- Labeled strikers as Communists
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The Boston Police Strike
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Boston police went on strike
over raises & the right to
unionize
- Hadn’t received a raise since
beginning of WWI)
Mass. Governor Calvin
Coolidge ended strike by
calling out the National Guard
- “there is no right to strike
against the public safety by
anybody, anywhere, anytime”
Replaced strikers with new
policemen
The Boston Police Strike

People praised
Coolidge for saving
Boston if not the
nation from
communism
- He was nominated
as Warren G.
Harding’s running
mate in the 1920
election
The Steel Mill Strike
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September1919 - Steel
workers went on strike
for the right to negotiate
shorter working hours & a
living wage
- Also wanted union
recognition & Collective
bargaining rights
Steel Companies hired
strike beaters & used
force (Police, Federal
troops & state militias)
The Steel Mill Strike
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Used propaganda to link
strikers to communist
Late negotiated
Talks deadlocked
Wilson appealed to both
sides & the strike ended
January 1920
1923 - report on the
harsh working conditions
shocked the public
Steel companies agreed
to a 8-hour day but no
union
The Coal Miners’ Strike
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1919 - John L. Lewis
became head of United
Mine Workers of
America
Led strike & defied a
court order to return to
work
Coal minors accepted
arbitration
- Miners received 27%
wage increase
- Lewis became national
hero
Labor Movement Loses Appeal
1920s - union membership dropped from
over 5 million to 3.5 million
 Immigrants were willing to work for less
 Hard to organize workers due to different
languages
 Farmers who moved to the city were used
to relying on themselves
 Less than 1% of African Americans & just
over 3% whites were in union

Section 2
The Harding Presidency
The Harding administration appeals to
America’s desire for calm and peace
after the war, but results in scandal
The 1920 Election
Warren G. Harding
elected president
 Wouldn't rock the
boat
 Said America needed
normalcy

Harding Struggles for Peace
1921 - President Harding hosted
Washington Naval Conference
 Problems arose concerning arms control,
war debts, & the reconstruction of war
torn countries after WWI
 Invited major powers,
 Russia wasn’t invited due to communist
government

Harding Struggles for Peace

Sec. of State Charles
Evans Hughes
proposed
disarmament & others
agreed
Harding Struggles for Peace
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1928 – Fifteen
countries signed the
Kellog-Briand Pact
- Nations denounced
war as national policy
- Pact was ineffective
since it didn’t provide
for means of
enforcement
High Tariffs and Reparations
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Britain & France owed the U.S. $10 billion in war debts
Could pay money by selling goods to the U.S. or by
collecting reparations from Germany
1922 - Fordney-McCumber Tariff raised taxes on
U.S. imports to 60%
- Britain, France couldn’t sell enough goods to repay U.S.
Germany defaulted on its reparation payments
High Tariffs and Reparations
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Dawes Plan - U.S.
investors lent reparations
money to Germany
- Britain, France repaid
U.S.
Dawes Plan caused
resentment on all sides
- Britain & France didn’t
think the U.S. paid its fair
share for WWI
- U.S. thought Britain &
France were financially
irresponsible
Scandal Hits Harding’s
Administration
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Harding favored a limited
government role in
business,& social reform
He believed that
government was getting
the way of people's lives
and businesses
Created Bureau of the
Budget to help the
government more
efficiently
Scandal Hits Harding’s
Administration
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Had capable men in cabinet
Secretary of State Charles
Evans Hughes went on to
become chief justice of
Supreme Court ,
Secretary of Commerce
Herbert Hoover had done
great job distributing foods &
refugees in WWI
Secretary of Treasury
Andrew Mellon cut taxes &
reduced national debt
Scandal Hits Harding’s
Administration
Harding also appointed the Ohio gang –
His corrupt friends who caused him
embarrassment
- Were unqualified
- They stole money from the government
 Ohio Gang hurt Harding's presidency

The Teapot Dome Scandal
Teapot Dome scandal—
naval oil reserves were used
for personal gain
 Government had set aside
oil-rich public at Teapot
Dome Wyoming & Elk Hills
California for use by the U.S.
Navy
 Interior Secretary Albert B.
Fall leased land to private
companies
- He received over $ 400,000
in loans, bonds, & cash

The Teapot Dome Scandal

Fall became the is
first person to be
convicted of a felony
while holding a
cabinet post
- Fined $100,000 &
spent a year in prison
The Teapot Dome Scandal
Harding tried to help
his image by going on a
speaking tour in the
west
- Had heart attack &
Died on August 2, 1923
 VP Calvin Coolidge
assumed presidency
- Restores faith in
government
 1924 – Coolidge was
elected president

American Industries
Flourish
Calvin Coolidge wanted to minimize
government interference in business “ the chief
business of the American people is business”
 He favored policies that would keep taxes down
& business profits up , & give businesses more
credit to expand
 Coolidge’s approach worked in the 1920s
- Lower income taxes gave people more money
to spend
- Wages rose and new technology increased
productivity

THE
ROARING
TWENTIES
LIFE & CULTURE
IN AMERICA IN
THE 1920S
Demographical Changes

Demographics:
statistics that describe
a population.

Migration North

African Americans
moving north at rapid
pace.

Real Time Demographics
Why?
Jim Crow laws
 New job opportunities
in north
 1860 – 93% in south
 1930 – 80% in south


Struggles:


Faced hatred from
whites
Forced low wages
Other Migration
Post-WWI: European refugees to
America
 Limited immigration in 1920s from
Europe and Asia.


Employers turned to Mexican and
Canadian immigrants to work.
– As a result: barrios created
 Spanish speaking neighborhoods.
THE TWENTIES WOMAN
After the tumult of
World War I, Americans
were looking for a little
fun in the 1920s.
 Women were
independent and
achieving greater
freedoms.

ie. right to vote, more
employment, freedom
of the auto
Chicago
1926
THE FLAPPER
Challenged the
traditional ways.
 Revolution of
manners and
morals.
 A Flapper was an
emancipated young
woman who
embraced the new
fashions and urban
attitudes.

NEW ROLES FOR WOMEN
Early 20th Century teachers
Many
women entered the workplace as
nurses, teachers, librarians, & secretaries.
Earned
less than men and were prevented
from obtaining certain jobs.
THE CHANGING
AMERICAN FAMILY
American birthrates
declined for several
decades before the
1920s.
Trend continues in
1920s with
development of birth
control.
Margaret Sanger

Margaret Sanger and other
founders of the American Birth
Control League - 1921
 Birth control activist
 Founder of American
Birth Control League
 ie. Planned
Parenthood
MODERN FAMILY
EMERGES
Marriage was based
on romantic love.
 Women managed
the household and
finances.
 Children were not
considered laborers/
wage earners
anymore.

 Seen as developing
children who needed
nurturing and
education
PROHIBITION
PROHIBITION

One example of
the clash between
city & farm was the
passage of the 18th
Amendment in
1920.
 Launched era known
as Prohibition

Made it illegal to
make, distribute,
sell, transport or
liquor.
Prohibition lasted from 1920
to 1933 when it was repealed
by the 21st Amendment
SUPPORT FOR
PROHIBITION
Reformers had long
believed alcohol led
to crime, child & wife
abuse, and accidents
 Supporters were
largely from the
rural south and west

Legislating Morality
Problems:

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
Carrie Nation, an aggressive Temperance
advocate often entered private property to
destroy alcohol paraphernalia. There is a
now a bar named for her in San Jose.

Never consistently
enforced
Bootlegging: illegal sale
of alcohol
Bars turned into
speakeasies, secret
nightclubs
Corruption of police and
government officials
Expensive to prosecute
Alcohol consumption
increased 300%
Poster
supporting
prohibition


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
SPEAKEASIES AND
BOOTLEGGERS
Many Americans did not
believe drinking was a sin
Most immigrant groups
were not willing to give up
drinking
To obtain liquor, drinkers
went underground to
hidden saloons known as
speakeasies
People also bought liquor
from bootleggers who
smuggled it in from
Canada, Cuba and the
West Indies
All of these activities became
closely affiliated with …
Speakeasies
Once the alcohol had been confiscated, it had to be
destroyed. Most often kegs and bottles were
broken at the raid site and poured down city
gutters. Just as often, conscientious, law-abiding
citizens were waiting down the street with empty
jars, bottles, and buckets to collect the wasted
moonshine.
ORGANIZED
CRIME


Prohibition contributed to
the growth of organized
crime in every major city
Al Capone –
 Chicago, Illinois
 famous bootlegger
 “Scarface”
 60 million yr (bootleg alone)

Al Capone was finally convicted
on tax evasion charges in 1931
Capone took control of the
Chicago liquor business by
killing off his competition
 Talent for avoiding jail
 1931 sent to prision for taxevasion.
Racketeering

Illegal business scheme to make profit.
– Gangsters bribed police or gov’t officials.
– Forced local businesses a fee for “protection”.
 No fee - gunned down or businesses blown to bits
St. Valentine’s Day Massacre


Valentines Day –
February 14, 1929
Rival between Al Capone
and Bugs Moran
– Capone – South Side
Italian gang
– Moran – North Side Irish
gang

Bloody murder of 7 of
Moran’s men.
– Capone’s men dressed as
cops
GOVERNMENT FAILS TO
CONTROL LIQUOR

Prohibition failed:
 Why? Government did not
budget enough money to
enforce the law

The task of enforcing
Prohibition fell to 1,500
poorly paid federal
agents --- clearly an
impossible task!
Federal agents pour wine
down a sewer
SUPPORT FADES,
PROHIBITION REPEALED


By the mid-1920s, only
19% of Americans
supported Prohibition
Many felt Prohibition
caused more problems
than it solved
 What problems did it
cause?

The 21st Amendment
finally repealed
Prohibition in 1933
Science and Religion Clash
A.
Fundamentalists believe
that the biblical account
of creation is true.
1. Aimee Simple McPherson:
radio evangelist
B.
Many others believe in
Darwin’s theory of
evolution.
A Clash of Values
Traditional






Christian, religious,
fundamentalism
The way things always were
Consistency
Anti-Immigrant, Nativist
Strict social activity: no
drinking, prostitution,
dancing, smoking, etc.
Women stay at home
Modern









Experimental
Open to new ideas
Looser social activity
World travel
Acceptance of new fashion
Sexually active
Women participate equally
Rebellious
Young
SCOPES TRIAL


Scopes was a biology teacher who
dared to teach his students that man
derived from lower species
In March 1925,
Tennessee passed
the nation’s first
law that made it a
crime to teach
evolution: Butler
Law
The ACLU
promised to
defend any
teacher willing to
challenge the law
– John Scopes did
SCOPES TRIAL
The ACLU hired
Clarence Darrow, the
most famous trial
lawyer of the era and
an agnostic, to
defend Scopes
 The prosecution
countered with
William Jennings
Bryan, the threetime Democratic
presidential nominee
and fundamentalist

Darrow
SCOPES TRIAL


Trial opened on July 10,1925 and became a national
sensation
In an unusual move, Darrow called Bryan to the stand
as an expert on the bible – key question: Should the
bible be interpreted literally?


Under intense questioning, Darrow got Bryan to admit
that the bible can be interpreted in different ways
Nonetheless, Scopes was found guilty and fined $100
Bryan
Darrow
Scopes Monkey Trial



Bryan "I do not think
about things I don't
think about."
Darrow "Do you think
about the things you
do think about?"
Bryan "Well,
sometimes."
EDUCATION AND
POPULAR CULTURE



During the 1920s,
developments in
education had a
powerful impact on the
nation.
Enrollment in high
schools quadrupled
between 1914 and
1926.
Public schools met the
challenge of educating
millions of immigrants
SCHOOLS AND THE MASS
MEDIA
A.
1.
2.
3.
Public High Schools take on new roles in
preparing students for the future.
Vocational schools for industrial jobs.
Home Economics for future home
makers
Traditional to prepare college bound
students.
Mass Media

Increases in Mass media during the 1920s
– Print and broadcast methods of communication.
 Examples:
–
–
–
–
Newspapers
Magazines
Radio
Movies
Newspapers:
27 million to 39 million
Increase of 42%
Motion Pictures:
40 million to 80 million
Increase of 100%
Radios:
60,000 to 10.2 million
Increase of 16,983%
EXPANDING NEWS
COVERAGE

Literacy increased in
the 1920s…
as a result
 Newspaper and
magazine circulation
rose.

By the end of the
1920s…
 10 American magazines - including Reader’s
Digest, Saturday Evening
Post,Time – boasted
circulations of over 2
million a year.
 Tabloids created
RADIO COMES OF
AGE



Although print media
was popular, radio was
the most powerful
communications medium
to emerge in the 1920s.
News was delivered
faster and to a larger
audience.
Americans could hear the
voice of the president or
listen to the World Series
live.
Charlie Chaplin

Silent film actor

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v
=DvVQOOu1AUY&NR=1
ENTERTAINMENT AND
ARTS

Even before sound,
movies offered a means
of escape through
romance and comedy
 ie. talkies

Walt Disney's animated
Steamboat Willie marked the
debut of Mickey Mouse. It was
a seven minute long black and
white cartoon.

First animated with
sound: Steamboat
Willie (1928)
By 1930 millions of
Americans went to the
movies each week
Movies
1.
The “Jazz Singer”
staring Al Jolson
becomes the first
talkie.
Icons of 1920s
AMERICAN HEROES OF
THE 20s
In 1929, Americans
spent $4.5 billion on
entertainment.
(includes sports)
 People crowded into
baseball games to see
their heroes
 Babe Ruth was a larger
than life American hero
who played for Yankees
 He hit 60 homers in
1927.

II. SPORTS AND HEROES
A.
1.
2.
BASEBALL:
George Herman
“Babe” Ruth of the
New York Yankees.
Hit 60 homeruns in
1927.
Leroy “Satchel”
Page of the Negro
Leagues.
II. SPORTS AND HEROES
B. In Boxing: Jack
Dempsey turned
boxing into a
legitimate sport.

William Harrison "Jack"
Dempsey ("The Manassa Mauler")
(June 24, 1895 – May 31, 1983) was
an American boxer who held the
world heavyweight title from 1919
to 1926. Dempsey's aggressive style
and exceptional punching power
made him one of the most popular
boxers in history. Many of his fights
set financial and attendance
records, including the first million
dollar gate. He is listed #10 on The
Ring's list of all-time heavyweights
and #7 among its Top 100 Greatest
Punchers. He is a member of the
International Boxing Hall of Fame.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmaPxa-eZss
SPORTS AND HEROES
Gertrude Caroline
Ederle (October 23,
1905 – November
30, 2003) was an
American
competitive
swimmer. In 1926,
she became the first
woman to swim
across the English
Channel.
MUSIC OF THE 1920s

Famed composer George
Gershwin merged
traditional elements
with American Jazz.
 Someone to Watch Over
Me
 Embraceable You
 I Got Rhythm
Gershwin
EDWARD KENNEDY “DUKE”
ELLINGTON

In the late 1920s,
Duke Ellington, a jazz
pianist and composer,
led his ten-piece
orchestra at the
famous Cotton Club.
 Band: “The
Washingtonians”


Ellington is known as
one of America’s
greatest composers.
Mood Indigo
LOUIS
ARMSTRONG



Jazz was born in the
early 20th century
In 1922, a young
trumpet player named
Louis Armstrong joined
the Creole Jazz Band.
Louis Armstrong: the
single most important
and influential
musician in the history
of Jazz.
BESSIE
SMITH
Bessie Smith, blues
singer, was perhaps
the most outstanding
vocalist of the decade
 She achieved
enormous popularity
and by 1927 she
became the highestpaid black artist in the
world

BILLIE HOLIDAY


Born Eleanora Fagan
Gough
One of the most recognizable
voices of the 20s and 30s.
– Embraceable You
– God Bless the Child
– Strange Fruit
1920s DANCING
Charleston
 Swing Dancing
 Dance Marathons

More Fads

Flagpole sitting:
Where young people
would sit for hours
and even days on top
of a flagpole. (The
record: 21 days!)
Walt Disney
Walt Disney only
attended one year of
high school.
 He was the voice of
Mickey Mouse for two
decades.
 As a kid he loved
drawing and painting.
 He won 32 Academy
Awards.

ART OF THE 1920s
 Georgia
O’ Keeffe
captured the
grandeur of New York
using intensely
colored canvases
Radiator Building,
Night, New York , 1927
Georgia O'Keeffe
WRITERS OF
THE 1920s
Writer F. Scott
Fitzgerald coined
the phrase “Jazz
Age” to describe
the 1920s
 Fitzgerald wrote
Paradise Lost and

The Great Gatsby
 The Great Gatsby
reflected the
emptiness of New
York elite society
WRITERS OF THE
1920

Ernest Hemingway, became one
of the best-known authors of
the era
 Wounded in World War I

In his novels, The Sun Also
Rises and A Farewell to Arms, he
criticized the glorification of war
 Moves to Europe to escape the life
in the United States.
Hemingway - 1929
 “Lost Generation” (Gertrude Stein)
 Group of people disconnected from
their country and its values.

His simple, straightforward
style of writing set the literary
standard
THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE
Great Migration saw
hundreds of
thousands of African
Americans move
north to big cities
 1920:

 5 million of the
nation’s 12 million
blacks (over 40%)
lived in cities
Migration of the Negro by
Jacob Lawrence
HARLEM, NEW YORK
Harlem, NY became
the largest black
urban community
 Harlem suffered
from overcrowding,
unemployment and
poverty
 Home to literary and
artistic revival
known as the Harlem
Renaissance

LANGSTON
HUGHES


Missouri-born Langston
Hughes was the
movement’s best known
poet
Many of his poems
described the difficult
lives of working-class
blacks
 “Thank you Ma’am”

Some of his poems were
put to music, especially
jazz and blues
Zora Neale Hurston



Write novels, short
essays, short stories
Traveled throughout
the South in a battered
car collecting folk tales,
songs, and prayers of
black southerners
Published these in her
book, “Mules and Men”
Harlem Renaissance
African-Americans
performers.
1. Paul Robeson a major
dramatic actor. Widely
acclaimed for his
performance in Othello
and in The Emperor
Jones.
2. Cab Callaway:
popularized “scat” or
jazz singing.
AFRICAN AMERICAN
GOALS
Founded in 1909,
the NAACP urged
African Americans to
protest racial
violence
 W.E.B Dubois, a
founding member,
led a march of
10,000 black men in
NY to protest
violence

Back to Africa
Marcus Garvey and the
UNIA





United Negro Improvement
Association challenged the
NAACP and idea of racial
equality
Criticized passivity of early
Civil Rights activists Du Bois
and Washington
Advocated militant racial
separation and a return to the
African homeland
Instituted Liberia, a home for
freed slaves
Garvey, himself, was criticized
for dividing the movement
A Jamaican by birth, Garvey prompted
thousands to leave the U.S. for Africa.