1920’s The 1920’s are full of many revolutionary products, music, and styles. Jazz was an up and coming music that was extremely popular. Many female role models were discovered such as Amelia Earhart. The prohibition hit and had some up and down sides. The 1920’s was full of things that changed the way that Americans live.
An original Toaster oven that was used in the 1920s
Amelia Earhart, the first woman to fly across the Atlantic alone
Louis Armstrong, American trumpeter and singer
Pop Culture in 1920’s The Jazz Age (Era of 1920’s when Jazz music and dancing became popular) was a large part of the 1920’s which included many famous Musicians like Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, and Thomas Wright “Fats” Waller. Many people who were able to afford Night clubs would often go down to Harlem for the best spots in town. People who could not afford the nightclubs would save up for months for just one night out in the town.
The cotton club, a popular club in A flapper, who were known as the the 1920s most promiscuous girls of the 1920s
Many people during the Jazz Age and the Harlem Renaissance (The Harlem Renaissance was the name given to the cultural, social, that took place in Harlem till the 1930’s) changed not only their like in music but also their style. The Jazz Age introduced the Flapper. A flapper was a girl who was more promiscuous in the way they acted and dressed.
Films and Entertainment Many people were not only interested in the Jazz and Broadway scene, but also Films. Silent films were the most popular among people. Silent films were Films with no recorded sound. It had no spoken dialogue, instead it was transmitted through hand gestures, mime, and title cards. Some film stars of the decade were Charlie Chaplin, Lillian Gish, and William s. Hart. Some big films of the decade were “The cabinet of Dr. Caligari” “The Jazz Singer” and “Nosferatu”.
Lillian Gish, a famous silent film actress of the 1920s
Charlie Chaplin, probably the most famous of all the silent movie actors during the 1920s
Sports Sports in the 1920s took off and were a big part of many people’s lives. The most popular sport of the time was Baseball. Baseball was never really popular until the 1920s when Babe Ruth came around. Babe Ruth was a very famous baseball player. He was known for his power on the diamond and hit many Home Runs. Another popular sports star was Jack Dempsey. He was a heavyweight boxing champion of the 1920s. His popularity of the Era surpassed that of Babe Ruth’s. He is considered by many Historians to be the most dynamic and exciting fighter to ever enter the ring.
Jack Dempsey, the best Heavy weight boxer in the U.S. at the time
Babe Ruth, the man known for bringing homeruns to the game of baseball
Politics and Economics Racial pressure began to rise in the 1920s. The Red Scare led to raids on subversives. June 2nd 1919 the intensity of the Red Scare increased, Palmer raids sought violence and weapons. In 1921 anti-immigration pressure rose by passing the Emergency Immigration act of 1921. This introduced the quota system: A system limiting immigration to the United States by permitting no more immigrants from a country than 3 percent of the number of that country's residents living in the United States in 1910. The Immigration Act of 1924 reduced the quota to 2 percent of the number of a country's residents living in the United States in 1890. Along with immigration tension in the early 1920s The Klu Klux Klan swelled above 3 million members most in which were located in Indiana. They had a large political power throughout the country and held many marches, violence remained secretive.
Immigrants looking out onto America from Ellis Island
A Klu Klux Klan March being taken in the streets of Washington D.C.
Economic Consumer Culture Inventors of high demanded new products in the 1920s rose. In radio and print advertisements the products began to become very popular and in the process they helped created a new consumer culture. A consumer culture takes and views the consumption of large quantities of goods and how they can be beneficial to the economy and a source of personal appliance. Advertisers have built types of consumers demands through new types of creative advertisements. This created a large demand for these products and made it no longer to state only what the product was and why it was good. Through the ideal of many people wanting these products the expansion of credit had arose. Credit makes it possible for consumers to buy what they thought they needed now and worry about the bill later. One reason for this was that the new products often cost far more that the old ones they were replacing. Credit is an arrangement for buying now with borrowed money and then paying it off over a long period of time. Installment buying made it possible for americans to buy goods on credit. Buyer makes a down payment on the product and the seller loans the remainder of the purchase price to buyer.
An American woman learning how to operate her home radio
Presidents President Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921) 28th President ● ● ● ●
Women received the right to vote The Federal Reserve System was established World War I broke out in Europe between 1914 and 1918 Republican
Warren G Harding (1921-1923) 29th President ● ● ● ●
Known as the “worst” president Harding signed the first federal child welfare program Republican Harding was a Teacher and Insurance man before he ran for president
Calvin Coolidge (1923-1929) 30th President ● ● ● ●
He had a quiet demeanor, which earned him the nickname ‘Silent Cal’ Refused to join League of Nations Republican He was for tax cuts, lower government spending, and less aid to struggling farmers
Herbert Hoover (1929- 1933) 31st President ● ● ● ●
Republican President when the U.S entered the great depression Mining Engineer before Politics Only ran 1 term
Warren G. Harding
Calvin Coolidge
Herbert Hoover
Prohibition The 1920’s was full of crime and injustice. However one act that was passed caused a large majority of that crime and even introduced one of the most notorious gangsters of all time. Prohibition was passed in 1920 and remained in place until 1933. Prohibition was a national ban for the consuming, transporting, importing, and selling of alcohol. This led to many illegal production and sales of alcohol (bootlegging) and many illegal drinking spots. A wide variety of gangs came into play with the illegal transportation of liquor. The most known gangster at the time was Al Capone. Prohibition allowed Capone to become the gangster that he was known for. His reign lasted for 7 years until being caught for tax evasion at the age of 33.
People being ordered by the authorities to pour out Alcohol due to Prohibition laws
Inventions of the 1920s
Al Capone, a well-known gang leader who rose to fame during Prohibition
With the popularity of the 1920s also came many new inventions. People could now perform task easier than they used to be able to. Automobile with combustion engine (1920) - Many people view this as the most famous inventions of the 1920s. Invented by Henry Ford, was the first te engine to power itself by burning fuel on the inside. Traffic light (1920) - Invented by police officer William Potts. The first traffic light used red, amber, and green as its primary colors. Kool-Aid (1927) - Kool-Aid was invented by Edwin Perkins of Omaha, Nebraska. The original version of Kool-Aid was called fruit smack, and was later changed by Perkins to fruit smack.
Officer William Potts with Kool-Aid in the early 1900s his newly invented traffic light
An Original model of the Combustion engine invented by Henry Ford
Summary
Pop Culture - This played a huge part of the 1920s time frame. Many silent movies and clubs attracted swarms of wealthy individuals. Unfortunately for the less fortunate, many of them could only afford to go after saving up for months. Sports - Sports was the little sister of clubs and all things Harlem. However it was still a large part of people's lives and created many famous celebrities like Babe Ruth and Jack Dempsey. Politics and Economics - Many racial prejudices popped up when immigrants started coming to America. They often stayed in lower class neighborhoods and were discriminated against. Also, the Klu Klux Klan became even more popular with the racial marches and there vast population. Economic and Consumer Culture - Many people who were not rich in the 1920s often were attracted to scams to take people’s money. Credit was also introduced as a form of pay when a person did not have enough money. Presidents - 4 presidents were elected in the 1920s, all of them republican. Also all of them were only in office for 1 term. However they all varied in different ways Prohibition - The passing of the 18th amendment caused many people to start illegally transporting and consuming alcohol. This formed many gangs and gave Al Capone his fame. Inventions of the 1920s - Many new inventions such as the combustion engine, the traffic light, and Kool-Aid, played large roles in people’s lives. Cotton club from downtown Harlem
An ad from the Roaring twenties era
References
1920-1920.com. (2013). The 1920s - Also known as the Roaring Twenties. Retrieved from http://www.1920-30.com/ 2014 Teachers' Curriculum Institute. (n.d.). Subscription. Retrieved from http://student.teachtci.com/shared/sections/8341?program_id=109 American jazz culture. (n.d.). Jazz Culture: The 1920s. Retrieved from http://www.d.umn.edu/cla/faculty/tbacig/studproj/is3099/jazzcult/20sjazz/ Http://www.history.com/topics/prohibition. (2015). Prohibition - Facts & Summary HISTORY.com. Retrieved from http://www.history.com/topics/prohibition Johnson, M. V. (2013, February 9). Inventions in the 1920s timeline | Timetoast timelines. Retrieved from http://www.timetoast.com/timelines/inventions-in-the-1920s