By: Lydia Goff, Claire Keller, Katarina Fuhrmeister, Marina Paul, Nathaniel Degen
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Table of Contents 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12.
Cover Table of Contents The Automobile Dating Patterns: Young vs. Old Impact of New Celebrities Impact of Sports Economic Boom Credit and Installment Buying Urban vs. Rural Charlie Chaplin Harlem Renaissance New Communication and How it is Changing America 13. Scopes Trial 14. Wets vs. Dry the New War in America 15. Mass Production 16. Consumerism 17. Advertising 18. Advertisements 19+.Bibliographies 20. Credits 2
The Automobile by Lydia Goff
The automobile in America affected the everyday life of civilians more than any other invention. Although the technology for the automobile existed in the 19th century, it took Henry Ford to make the gadget accessible to the American public. Ford used the idea of the assembly line for automobile manufacturing. Ford reduced options, even stating that the public could choose whatever color car they wanted, so long as it was black. The model T sold for $490 in 1914, about one quarter the cost of the previous decade. By 1920 there were over 8 million registrations. The 1920s saw tremendous growth in automobile ownership, with the number of registered drivers almost tripling to 23 million by the end of the decade. Although the automobile was to have its greatest social and economic impact in the United States, it was initially perfected in Germany and France toward the end of the 19th century.
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Dating Patterns: Young vs. Old by Marina Paul Young people have now started what they call “dating”. They are leaving behind the old “courtship” tradition for the new ways. While the main purpose of courting was marriage, the main point of dating is just to have fun away from parents. Teenagers have been more rebellious and are going on unsupervised dates to the movies, restaurants, etc. Many young people have decided to ignore the older generation’s advice. One young person states, “the older generation had certainly pretty well ruined this world before passing it to us.” On the other hand, the older generation is worried about these new ways. They believe they are too reckless and wild. Adults believe that the media is a main cause for this. Many parents have recently pressured movie makers and authors to use more appropriate material for their kids. Young people have made dating a large part of social life and the older people are concerned about it. Society is changing fast, and the new dating ways are a large contributor. It has been causing quite the uproar between ages. Will it last? Or will courting come back to America?
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Impact of new celebrities by Katarina Fuhrmeister A new era of popular culture is beginning. From Silent films to radio broadcasts many “stars” are being made. Rowdy shootouts of the Wild West create celebrities like William S. Hart, who creates an outlaw and dangerous appeal to society. Mysterious and sexy romance stories create sexy stars like Rudolph Valentino who set the standard for today’s masculine sex appeal and for films yet to come. The way society was changed reminds us more may be to come. Today’s Silent Films are creating celebrities and standards all around. From comedies to romance, people have been idolized by starring in a film. Charlie Chaplin, a comedy actor, is popular for his looks and his acting. Rudolph Valentino, a specialist in romantic films, is popular for the added danger and sex appeal in his films. Douglas Fairbanks, an adventure actor, is popular for his dashing looks and attempts to save the maiden in distress. The way of discussing stars also changed. In 1919, tabloids debuted in society. People began to read about the fads and scandals of stars, and reviews on the way stars act. Walter Winchell developed the first gossip column, which also reviews the ways stars act and the way they dress. The new era of popular culture is more entertainment dominated then significant stories and events, but who doesn’t like a bit of juicy gossip every once in a while?
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Impact of Sports by Claire Keller “If Saint Paul were living today he would know Babe Ruth’s batting average and what yardage Red Grange made,” said a Methodist minister. Sports are changing people’s lives forever. They give people the means of individuality and let them escape their hectic world to enjoy the drama of sports. Baseball is another thing that is changing. Thanks to Babe Ruth millions are drawn to the ballpark each game. Harold “Red” Grange has also captured all of us into the game of football. From the time when he was delivering ice in the summer, working on his running, to now playing running back for the Chicago Bears. Thanks to the continuous upgrade in technology we are now able to enjoy our favorite sports live and over the radio. The radio provides play by play coverage for people who cannot afford or are not able to go to the games. Not only the radio but propaganda is now changing too. They are using sports stars to advertise for their companies. Men and Women will now have things to do in their free time. Kids will now have a new kind of person to look up to, and a new and interesting job opportunity for others. All these changes are impacting our life forever.
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Economic Boom by Claire Keller •
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After the Great War ended the United States thought all hope was lost. From the lack of job opportunities to the many periods of recession. No one gave up hope though, which is why we are now in a peacetime economy. Thankfully our soldiers were able to find jobs, but how? We are now in an urbanization period. This means that we are building more factories, which leads to more production of goods (ex. refrigerators, washing machines, dryers, etc.), and finally this leads to more jobs for Americans. As the factories created more goods, businesses are able to sell the goods making our economy all-around better. America is now also getting money, in reparations, from Germany. Another way that the United States is making money is by credit cards, installment buying, and catalog buying. Credit cards made it easier for people to buy things. Now instead of having to save up two-hundred dollars to buy a new dish washer you could just use your credit card and pay it off later but still go out and buy more items. The economy is so strong that people are wondering if they can make money off of it. Stocks are one way that people are using to make money. Although stocks are making people money some people are still skeptical. These people turn to newspaper and magazine articles for advice about weather investing is really a good idea. Some people just want money and they want it fast. These people get loyal consumers to trust them and then steal their money. One way they do this is by saying, if you invest your money with them, by 90 days they will have doubled our money. Sometimes they actually do what they say they will do so they can earn your trust. But other times they will just take your money and run. This is part of their “get rich quick” scam. All of these factors are affecting our economy but overall in a good way.
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Credit and Installment Buying by Marina Paul
Buying with cash is a thing of the past. Everyone is now using credit and installment plans. Credit and installment buying is paying a small down payment for a product and then paying it back later. Throughout the past nine years, credit has been expanding. 15% of all retail sales are on installment plans now. Recent studies have shown that because of credit growth, the stock market has skyrocketed. This is how credit and installment buying works; the buyer makes a down payment on a product and the seller loans them the rest of the money. The buyer pays off loan in a series of installments. Installments are a monthly payment. If the seller decides that the buyer is taking too long to pay off the loan, they can reclaim the item. The development of credit has allowed Americans to buy anything they want and be able to afford it. Many Americans have claimed that using credit is very easy and effective. America is entering a new era. Credit and installment will strongly benefit America’s economy and growth.
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Urban vs. Rural by Claire Keller Here in New York City we have Coney Island, football, talkies, and even alcohol. But did you know that most rural people have never even tasted bathtub gin? Life here in the city is way different than life out in the country. Here we have telephones, automobiles, and electricity. Not very many rural cities have all of this. Women in the city are also starting to loosen their morals. They drink and have romantic relations in public. This is frowned upon in rural areas because the women there are conservative and believe and live by every word in the bible. Some rural cities do not have electricity so it is hard for people to communicate, they send letters instead of calling people. The people in some rural communities have never experienced “city life�. This means that they have never seen a flapper (they only know of them through movies), or been to an amusement park. US agriculture had expanded during The Great War to sell food to Europe, but now they have returned to growing their own food. The expansion has led to overproduction and now there is too much food on the market. Farmers are finding it more and more difficult to sell their produce. This is why most of the people in rural communities are in debt and moving to the cities.
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Charlie Chaplin by Lydia Goff
Charlie Chaplin is a British-born actor, considered to be one of the pivotal stars of Hollywood`s early days. He is often associated with his popular Little Tramp character, with a toothbrush mustache, bowler hat, cane, and funny walk. It is clear the he was not altogether comfortable in Sennett’s broad, knockabout style. Gradually, especially after leaving Keystone, Chaplin developed a comedy character of richness and subtlety beyond anything Sennett had conceived.’ In 1913, he joined the Keystone Film Company; his weekly salary was $150. Given his virtually overnight success, Charlie initiated negotiations for his services from other producers.
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Harlem Renaissance by Lydia Goff Definition: The Harlem Renaissance is a period of outstanding creativity in black culture that takes place now in Harlem, New York City. The Harlem Renaissance is concerned with high art, particularly literature, rather than popular culture, and both reflected and stimulates a new confidence and racial pride. James Weldon Johnson is an American author, educator, lawyer, diplomat, songwriter, and early civil rights activist. Johnson is best thought of for his leadership within the NAACP as well as for his writing. He is also the first AfricanAmerican professor at New York University. Later he was a professor of creative literature and writing at Fisk University. He lectured not only on literature but also on a wide range of issues to do with the life and civil rights of black Americans. The years between The Great War and the Great Depression were boom times for the United States, and jobs were plentiful in cities. Between 1920 and 1930, almost 750,000 African Americans left the South, and many of them migrated to urban areas in the North to take advantage of the prosperity— and the more racially tolerant environment. The Harlem section of Manhattan, which covers just 3 square miles, draws nearly 175,000 African Americans, turning the neighborhood into the largest concentration of black people in the world.
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New Communication How it is Changing America by Nathaniel Degen The new communications today is causing change in America’s culture as more people are listening to the radio as it is the fast way at the moment to receive news at the moment. The NBC has been having a regular schedule programing. The NBC has bought the American Telephone and Telegraph in order to use the network of wires to broadcast the station around the U.S. Future plans for NBC is having two networks NBC Red and NBC Blue; were Red will have the original chin of stations. NBC Blue is will give more special programs. The radio’s success made a new type of media with advertising as companies are advertising their products out to the consumers through the radio programs. In addition to the radio, newspaper and magazines are also popular today as they have greater detail in the news with interviews, opinions, and tips. The papers offer news and highlights around the world for a low cost to every one no one needs a radio all a person needs is a few cents. The cinema has also been playing a key role with the addition of sound to the film to enhance the viewer’s experience and the cinema showed stories that the audience could relate.
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The Scopes Trial by Marina Paul
Recently, a law was passed in Tennessee that prohibits the teaching of the theory of evolution in public schools. The same law has been passed in 14 other states. The theory, created by Charles Darwin, states that humans have evolved over thousands of years from lower animals, including monkeys. The ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) supports evolution and wanted to make a test case out of the “clash between science and religion.” The case was between two of the most famous lawyers in America, Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan. John Scopes was hired by the ACLU to claim he taught the theory in a local high school. It was quickly brought to court. Judge John T. Raulston was sympathetic to Bryan and was slightly biased towards the anti-evolution case, but this did not affect Darrow. He was prepared to win a victory that would “challenge the issue of religion and science.” Darrow hammered Bryan with tough questions about the interpretation of the Bible, which weakened Bryan. In fact he died just a few days ago, just a week after the case. The judge found Scopes guilty and fined him $100, but this was just overturned because the judge fined him, not the jury. Nobody knows which side is really the victor, but Darrow certainly challenged the issue of religion and science. Who knows, will this lead to more science and religion conflicts in the future?
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Wets vs. Dry the New War in America by Nathaniel Degen The 18th amendment made all transportation manufacturing or selling of alcohol liquids illegal. The 18th amendment also gave congress the power to enforce this amendment. Since the illegal of alcohol a new war came upon America the people who want alcohol, wets, versus the people who do not want alcohol, drys. Drys are the people who does not want alcohol and believe that if alcohol is illegal it will improve society and make the world a healthier and happier place. Since most crime and problems are from someone being addicted to alcohol. The prohibition of alcohol came from the drys as most children and women did not want their husbands to be drunk. The drys first saw change happen as the average alcohol consume was 2.5 gallon and then went down to less than a gallon. Wets are the people who does want alcohol and believe that it is restricting freedoms to the American citizens. The wets knew that no alcohol will cause more crime as criminals feed off alcohol products. Crime is rising dramatically as gangs are forming and stealing are happenings everywhere. Bootlegging is becoming popular but is illegal since bootlegging is illegally transporting alcohol and then selling the alcohol. The demand of alcohol is high therefor and the supply is low therefore it is an easy way to get money but if caught breaking 18th amendment punishment could be worse than the money made.
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Mass Production by Nathaniel Degen Since the creation of the Model T by the Ford Motor Company, 15 million automobiles have been produced. First Henry Ford made to go to court against a patent of the road engine which has held by another company, the outcome of this was Henry Ford made the patent available to all car makers I America which began the inexpensive manufacturing of cars in the U.S.A. This remarkable sensation has been made possible because of Henry’s Ford improvement on the assembly line. Henry improved the assembly line by having his factory conveyor belt based. The mass production of the Model T kept the price of the car down since the product was able to be produce at a low price and quickly. So the supply is high but the demand is medium therefore the price will be low yet profitable. The prices of Model T being low and attracting consumers to the product, mass production through assembly lines brought other companies to do the same process for their product. Mass Production brings to the world a more competitive buying field as the more of the product their is then less value the product has.
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Consumerism by Katarina Fuhrmeister Today’s economy is different. A new era of consumerism and spending is in place. A woman also has more rights than she did, and more freedom. A woman is also one of the main contributors to our economy. Industries are changing, and so is every day America. Every home is a main target for consumerism. New inventions promise woman less labor, and more leisure time. That means a lot to the average mother who used to spend most of her time trying to get mud stains off the floor. More leisure time isn’t the only benefit of consumerism. Many industries are now switching to electricity to improve life at work and jobs. Instead of coal dust floating in the air, rooms are now full of light and the noise of a more productive work space. Consumerism now has made markets and jobs available for specializing in a variety of more modern products and services. The radio and the movie industry is standardizing American life and undermining regional diversity, and is offering ordinary Americans opportunities they had never dreamed of in the previous decades. Women are now joining the workforce in increasing numbers, they also becoming the main consumers. Magazines and advertising campaigns targeting the female population are luring women toward supermarkets, department stores and mail order catalogs. Lives are changing, and so are the ages. It is now the age of the salesman.
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Advertising by Katarina Fuhrmeister
Today’s advertising is different than it was. The way of advertising is completely different, with signs and posters all around town. In the earlier years of the century, products were advertised by shouting on the streets to announce the object actually existed. Today’s products are advertised via poster and advertisements galore. Today, the mass production and lowering of prices on a product mean that more goods are available to sell. With more ways of advertising, more products are being purchased. Repeat customers are now building brand loyalty, and are helping sell even more products from a company. Companies are hiring film stars and sports figures to advertise products. Companies are also teaming up with doctors of psychology to convince their audience that they need to purchase the product. And those are just a few of the many ways to advertise a product. Why do you buy a product on the market?
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Credits This magazine is made by:
Katarina Fuhrmeister Marina Paul Claire Keller Nathaniel Degen Lydia Goff 2013
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