decades-1920's

Beneath the Glamour: The 1920’s The era that started it all: the clash of cultures that still exists in America today

Introduction The 1920’s was a time of dynamic change for the American people, after WWI, and the boys came home there was a overhanging grief of what society was coming to. It was a common belief that society would continue to progress forward but WWI changed that forever. In order to escape the horror of the past there was jazz music, beers, dancing, and entertainment which lead to relaxed social norms and a culture focused on materialism. There were those who supported this lifestyle but there were others who did not and this lead to a conflict of values in America which has never been resolved.

Aftermath of WWI As stated in the introduction, WWI caused a movement by youth and the nation to move away from issues and attempt to escape from the horror of the war. In the domestic sphere, there was a change towards a return to the "good old days" and less focus on reform. In regards to foriegn relations there was a belief of focusing inwards not outwards. Progressvism was offically over.

People Woodrow Wilson

Terms Escapeism Isolationism 'Lost Generation"

Events WWI

Social Changes

the 1920’s, the urban environment of the city brought new changes to American society in regards to values. However there was a major backlash against these new changes and there was an attempt to turn back the clock by some groups to the good old days. Differences between the Old and New Old Culture
 * Emphasized Production
 * Character
 * Scarcity
 * Religion
 * Idealized the Past
 * Local Culture
 * Substance

New Culture
 * Emphasized Consumption
 * Personality
 * Abundance
 * Science
 * Looked to the Future
 * Mass Culture
 * Image

Both sides through legislation, trials, and culture tried to win over the American public. Provided below is a main list of people, events, and terms needed to know to understand this cultural conflict. Main point of understanding was that the old culture was a reactionary movement to the excesses of the new culture with the revival of the KKK, religious fundamentalism, new role of women in society, Prohibition, and the reaction against immigrants like in the Sacco and Vanzetti case.

media type="youtube" key="szntim2j9Rg" TPbpvP-okM[[media type="youtube" Movie on Prohibition

People KKK Marcus Gravy Al Capone “Lost Generation” Frank Lloyd Wright F. Scott Fitzgerald William Bryan Jennings Clarence Darrow Charles Lindbergh WCTU UNIA Sinclair Lewis

Terms Flappers Sex of Clock Speakeasies “Jazz Age” Fundamentalist Consumer culture xenophobia Events Harlem Renaissance Scopes Monkey Trial Prohibition Sacco and Vanzetti Case “The Great Migration”

Economy Stock Market 1929 Stock Crash!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Foriegn Policy After WWI, there was a great concern for Americans that America may be again involved in some far off war. As a result, the League of Nations never was joined by the US and it failed in the end. Isolationism became the general foreign policy, except in Latin America where American investment almost doubled and relations improved in that region. In Nicaragua a revolution erupted and the Marines were sent in 1925 with the Somoza family were placed in charge. Though America remained out of foreign conflict it initiated a treaty to stop all further wars and limited naval ships. There was much optimism and faith in the future and the agreements/conferences America initiated were reflective of that. People Charles G. Dawes Charles Evan Hughes Terms Reparations Open Door Events 21 Demands Dawes Plan London Naval Conference Washington Disarment Conference Five Power Treaty Nine Power Treaty Four Power Pact Kellog-Briand Pact Roger Act of 1924 Locarno Pact

Politics During the 1920’s, there was an attempt to revert back to the “good old days” in the political as well social sphere. Americans had grown weary of two decades of reform and attempts to pass moral legislation. Instead of reform there was search for prosperity in politics, and with that in mind three Republicans were elected. As seen in the Glided Age, there was a close relationship between the federal government and big business. Harding, Coolidge, and Hoover, believed that that business needed support and benefits, which can be seen below; Four Major Ways Federal Government Supported Business 1. High Tariff Policies- The Fordney-McCumber Act (1922) and the Hawley-Smoot Act (1930) created the highest-ever schedule of tariffs for foreign-made goods. 2. Andrew Mellon- Secretary of the Treasury. In response to his demands, Congress repealed the excess profits tax and reduced the rates for corporate and personal income taxes. Mellon provided business leaders with a list of tax loopholes. 3. Cutbacks in Federal Trade Commission- The federal government had created the FTC to regulate big business and to look into unfair trade practices, but the commission did less and less of this in the 1920s. 4. Herbert Hoover- As Secretary of Commerce and as President, Hoover encouraged price-fixing and believed that the government was responsible for helping businesses profit. (Specific facts came from http://us.history.wisc.edu/hist102/lectures/lecture15.html) Calvin Coolidge “Fishing” //http://us.history.wisc.edu/hist102/photos/html/1106.html// Copyright 1997 Wisconsin Historical Society

Along with there being a focus on big business in politics there was an urgency to “return to normalcy” as said by Harding and there was an attempt through legislation to turn back the clock.

What does normalcy mean? 1. Fewer foreigners-immigration restrictions 2. No radical ideologies-attack on communism 3. Return to American Values-prohibition 4. Free of labor and racial strife-less support of unions and civil rights. 5. Less government interference-there was less interference.

People Warren G. Harding Charles Evan Hughes Herbert Hoover Albert B. Fall Calvin Coolidge Alfred E. Smith Robert LaFollette A. Mitchell Palmer Andrew Mellon

1924, Cartoon depicting the power “big business’ has over consumers and producers due to government Terms “Return to normalcy”

Events 18th Amendment Volstead Act Emergency Quota Act National Origins Act of 1924 Teapot Dome Scandal 19th amendment Federal Farm Board Red Scare

Popular Culture The 1920’s popular culture grew out of the rapid developments in technology and also the social changes that were occurring. Movies, music, and the radio helped Americans escape from depression after WWI In addition, it was the first time there was a focus on youth instead of older generations. With new technology and social changes, popular culture really took off with silly fads, cool music, short skirts, fast cars, celebrities, sports heroes, the Charleston, Walt Disney, and of course Felix the cat! One must remember however, that these values promoted in popular culture were not accepted by all of American society. The 1920’s showed really two sides competing for cultural dominance, and based off what came apart of popular culture who do you think won?

Fashion The 1920’s was perhaps the most memorable for the flapper look of short hair, lots of makeup (in those days) short dresses, big beads, little hats, and boas. As Mr. Randolph said in class, “the higher the hem, the better the economy,” and as seen through the 1920’s the dresses started long and then shortened. The flapper dress was reflective of a women’s freedom and of women’s changing role in society. There were also other changes in fashion as well; formal dresses became low-cut and backless along with the entrance of Coco Chanel onto the fashion scene.

(http://www.case.edu/artsci/womn/pinup/nude_flapper_2/flapper_1/flapper_1_full/flapper_1_full.html)

Men also had their own sense of style during the 1920’s; men often emulated their sports heroes by coping their style. Fashions of coats, such as the raccoon coat and camel hair polo coat came in style from the Red Grange and the Four Horsemen of Notre Dame, World famous aviator Charles Lindbergh inspired a craze of leather driving jackets as well. Majority of men’s wardrobe became more youthful collegiate in appearance.

http://www.angelfire.com/co/pscst/men.html Sports Sports, gained popularity in the 1920’s with the formation of teams for youth in high school and college. Tennis and golf became open to the middle class for the first time ever. Football and baseball remained the two main sports with such sports heroes as Babe Ruth and the Red Grange.

Cartoons The 1920’s saw the invasion of animated shorts hit the big screen. Felix the Cat, (picture on right) was one of the first animated characters to capture the attention of the American public. These cartoons were mostly silent until Steamboat Willy, the first cartoon with sound and the first to feature Mickey Mouse and Co.

http://www.everwonder.com/david/felixthecat/

Walt Disney was also the first to franchise goods based off a cartoon character. media type="youtube" key="0TPbpvP-okM"

Bonus Fact: The story of Felix the Cat was parodied on The Simpsons

Fads The 1920’s was truly infected with the disease of fads. Dance marathons, contests of all kinds caught the imagination of the American public. Here was the start of the Miss America Contest, in 1920 at the New Jersey shore.

There were many other ridiculous competitions and contests such as what this man is doing.

Flagpole sitting, as shown here was another major fad that rocked the nation.

Complete List of Fads from the 1920’s//
 * Radio Shows
 * Peter Pan Peanut Butter
 * Bright Red Lipstick
 * Dance Marathons
 * Flagpole Sitting
 * Pez
 * Conk Hairdo
 * Cloche Hat
 * Mahjongg
 * Freudianism
 * Swing Dancing

Music and Dance media type="youtube" key="QaaHR-yQvCw" 1920’s was known as the “Jazz Age” for a reason! Jazz music grew in immense popularity in the country from the “Great Immigration” of African Americans from the South the cities of the North. However, as the flapper was criticized so were the dances and the music of youth? It was often called the “Devil’s Music” or garbage.

Famous Musicians and Singers Louis Armstrong Duke Ellington Joseph “King Oliver” Oliver Bessie Smith Benny Goodman Ma Rainey

Dances of the 1920’s Charleston Cake Walk Turkey Trot Black Bottom Bunny Hug

Movies 1920’s was really the start of the movie industry, a majority of the films made were silent but advancements were made with the The Jazz Singer, //was the first film with sound. With Americans flocking to the cinema, actors became better know and started the fascination with celebrities that continues today. However, there were negative aspects of film with the// Birth of A Nation //proving how film as a medium can be used as a form of propaganda.

Major Movie Stars Al Jolsen Charlie Chaplin Lon Chaney, Sr Rudolph Valentino Clara Bow Douglass Fairbanks Mary Pickford Greta Garbo Norma Shearer Joan Crawford

Major Movies// The Jazz Singer Birth of a Nation The Kid Ben Hur The Phantom of the Opera The Mask of Zorro Robin Hood Taming of the Shrew

//Legacy of the 1920’s 1920’s most famously had a direct impact upon 1930’s with the Stock Crash of 1929, causing “The Great Depression” which would take till WWII to be officially rid of. The 1920’s left us more than that; it started a clash of cultures that is truly present in our society. Look in our society and you will have a clash of red and blue states; red and blue states have a certain conations. Red state people are country bumpkins who shop at Wal-Mart while Blue state people cannot live with their Starbucks. The more things change the more they stay the same, for it was the same conflict that was started in the 1920’s that continues today in a different form.

Critical Questions What were the main conflcits in the 1920's? Why was there a desire to retain American Values? What effect did Prohibition have on Culture? How did a women's role change in the 1920's? What was the orginal name of Mickey Mouse? (Mortimor)

Links http://www.angelfire.com/co/pscst/ http://www.kidsnewsroom.org/elmer/infoCentral/frameset/decade/1920.htm http://www.usgennet.org/usa/il/state/alhn1920.html http://library.thinkquest.org/C005846/The_1920/the1920.htm http://ehistory.osu.edu/osu/mmh/clash/ http://us.history.wisc.edu/hist102/lectures/lecture15.html http://www.btinternet.com/~dreklind/Jazzhome.htm http://local.aaca.org/bntc/slang/slang.htm http://www.filmsite.org/20sintro.html http://www.crazyfads.com/20s.htm

All pictures, unless noted, are from,// 1920’s: Sports, Professionalism, and Young Plan.
 * SONG-**Return to Normalcy?

Roaring Twenties Watch out Herbert Hoover’s lost his clout Prohibition, Speak Easy, Charleston, lemon squeezie

Gangsters, Al Capone Bugs Moran, watch your own League of Nations, shut down Shoeless Joe, What a clown

Anarchists, everywhere, Vanzetti and the Red Scare Women’s Rights- Suffrage Passed Lindberg I’m aghast Race riots, Tulsa Communist Party of China Steamboat Willie shout out Too many dead in Gansu!

20’s were a crazy decade The world’s gone mad, What’s this music? Consumerism runs rampant Harding you lied to us You said it’d be normal

Harlem renaissance, Jazz age Tolstoy writes a page Kellog-Brian Pact is signed Mussolini is here

Evolution, what is that John Scopes, you’re a brat King Tut, Babe Ruth Black Sox Tell the Truth

KKK is popular Make way for the skyscraper Blue Sky’s are everywhere Telephone, Hello There

Stock Brokers rule the nation Children get an Education Two plus two is four Men coming home from war

20’s were a crazy decade The world’s gone mad, And what’s this music Consumerism runs rampant Harding you lied to us You said it’d be normal

Warren Harding, Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover What am I doing M.J. Meehan, Livermoor Stockbrokers get more and more

Joseph Stalin, Leon Trotsky Adolf Hitler’s not a fallin’ Permanent prosperity America lacks clarity

Investor anxiety There is no Propriety Oc-tober 29th WE ARE ALL F’D