American Culture in the 1920S

American Culture in the 1920s US History/Napp Name: ______

Do Now: “The 1920s saw the emergence of new values. Greater mobility and material comfort had a key impact on social patterns and beliefs. Many groups, especially women, the young, and African Americans, felt a new sense of power and freedom. Others felt threatened and sought to preserve traditional values. At the start of the 1920s, rural American continued to regard the rise of urban society with suspicion. The best examples of the effort to defend traditional values were Prohibition and the Scopes Trial. Prohibition The Scopes ‘Monkey’ Trial New Restrictions on 1- Protestant reformers 1- Tennessee passed a Immigration often saw liquor as law that forbade 1- After World War I, the cause of poverty teaching Darwin’s nativist feeling and crime theory of evolution against immigrants 2- In 1919, the states because it led Congress to ratified the contradicted the restrict immigration Eighteenth Biblical account of from Southern and Amendment, banning creation Eastern Europe the sale of alcoholic 2- In 1925, John Scopes, 2- The Immigration drinks. a biology teacher, was Acts of 1921, 1924, 3- By 1933, most tried and convicted and 1929 established Americans saw this for teaching evolution quotas for each ‘experiment’ as a 3- The trial illustrated nationality based on failure because many the clash between America’s existing people had refused to new scientific theories ethnic composition accept the ban on and some older 3- Under this system, alcohol. religious beliefs Great Britain, 4- The demand for Ireland, and illegal liquor Germany were stimulated the growth allowed the greatest of organized crime in number of the 1920s. immigrants, while the 5- Prohibition was ~ The Key to Understanding number of ‘New repealed by the U.S. History and Immigrants’ was Twenty-first Government severely limited Amendment 4- Asian immigration was barred altogether Questions: 1- What had a key impact on American social patterns and beliefs in the 1920s? ______2- What groups felt a new sense of power and freedom? ______3- Why did some Americans feel threatened in this time period? ______4- What did some Protestant reformers believe about liquor? ______5- Discuss the Eighteenth Amendment. ______6- Why did many Americans by 1933 view the Eighteenth Amendment as a failure? ______7- What had the demand for illegal alcohol stimulated? ______8- Discuss the Twenty-first Amendment. ______9- What law had Tennessee passed regarding Darwin’s theory of evolution? ______10- Who was John Scopes and why was he convicted? ______11- What did the Scopes Trial illustrate in American society? ______12- What feelings had increased after World War I? ______13- Define nativism. ______14- Discuss the Immigration Acts of 1921, 1924, and 1929. ______15- What is an immigration quota? ______16- What countries were allowed the greatest number of immigrants? ______17- Why do you think these countries were allowed the greatest number of immigrants? ______18- Who do you think were the “New Immigrants”? ______19- What immigration was banned? ______20- Why do you think this immigration was banned? ______21- Was this preferential treatment of some immigrants and not other immigrants ethnocentric? ______22- Do these issues regarding immigration still exist today? ______23- Does the conflict between religion and science still exist today? ______24- What was most surprising to you on the chart? ______25- How do you feel about Prohibition? ______26- How do you feel about the Scopes Trial? ______Pre- Reading: “The Scopes Trial, (July 10–21, 1925, Dayton, Tennessee, U.S.), was a highly publicized trial (known as the ‘Monkey Trial’) of a Dayton, Tennessee, high-school teacher, John T. Scopes, charged with violating state law by teaching Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution.

In March 1925 the Tennessee legislature had declared unlawful the teaching of any doctrine denying the divine creation of man as taught by the Bible. World attention focused on the trial proceedings, which promised confrontation between fundamentalist literal belief and liberal interpretation of the Scriptures. William Jennings Bryan led for the prosecution and Clarence Darrow for the defense. The judge ruled out any test of the law’s constitutionality or argument on the validity of the theory, limiting the trial to the single question of whether John T. Scopes had taught evolution, which he admittedly had. He was convicted and fined $100. On appeal, the state Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the 1925 law but acquitted Scopes on the technicality that he had been fined excessively. The law was repealed in 1967.” ~ Britannica

The Primary Source: The 1925 Scopes trial pitted defense attorney Clarence Darrow against special prosecutor William Jennings Bryan. Called as a defense witness, Bryan answered a blistering volley of questions fired at him by Darrow. As you read this transcript from the trial, think about which side – the fundamentalists or the evolutionists – prevailed. DARROW: Mr. Bryan, could you tell me how old the earth is? BRYAN: No, sir; I couldn’t. DARROW: Could you come anywhere near it? BRYAN: I wouldn’t attempt to. I could possibly come as near as the scientists do, but I had rather be more accurate before I give a guess. . . . DARROW: Have you any idea how far back the last glacial age was? BRYAN: No, sir. DARROW: Do you know whether it was more than six thousand years ago? BRYAN: I think it was more than six thousand years. DARROW: Have you any idea how old the earth is? BRYAN: No. DARROW: The book you have introduced in evidence tells you, doesn’t it? (Darrow held up a copy of the Bible.) BRYAN: I don’t think it does, Mr. Darrow. DARROW: Let’s see whether it does. Is this the one? BRYAN: That is the one, I think. DARROW: It says, B.C. 4004? BRYAN: That is Bishop Usher’s calculation. DARROW: That is printed in the Bible you introduced? BRYAN: Yes, sir. . . . DARROW: Would you say the earth was only four thousand years old? BRYAN: Oh, no; I think it is much older than that. DARROW: How much? BRYAN: I couldn’t say. DARROW: Do you say whether the Bible itself says it is older than that? DARROW: I don’t think the Bible says itself whether it is older or not. (a long pause) DARROW: Do you think the earth was made in six days? BRYAN: Not six days of twenty-four hours. DARROW: Doesn’t it [the Bible] say so? BRYAN: No, sir. ATTORNEY GENERAL STEWART: I want to interpose another objection. What is the purpose of this examination? BRYAN (Pale and trembling, he rose, shaking his fist above his head.): The purpose is to cast ridicule on everybody who believes in the Bible, and I am perfectly willing that the world shall know that these gentlemen have no other purpose than ridiculing every person who believes in the Bible! DARROW: We have the purpose of preventing bigots and ignoramuses from controlling the education of the United States, and you know it, and that is all. From L. Sprague de Camp, The Great Monkey Trial (New York: Doubleday, 1968), 401– 404. 1- What was the purpose of Mr. Darrow’s questions? ______2- So, which side [the Fundamentalists or the Evolutionists] do you believe prevailed? Why? ______3- By the way, why is the trial called the Scopes Monkey Trial? ______1. Public disregard for Prohibition 3. Which events best support the and for laws prohibiting gambling image of the 1920’s as a decade of indicates that nativist sentiment? (1) the American film industry has (1) the passage of the National great influence on public Origins Act and the rise of the opinion Ku Klux Klan (2) the system of checks and (2) the Scopes trial and the passage balances does not work of women’s suffrage (3) attempts to legislate public (3) the Washington Naval morality may be met with Conference and the Kellogg- strong resistance Briand Pact (4) American citizens have little, if (4) the growth of the auto industry any, respect for laws and the Teapot Dome Affair

2. The 1920’s are sometimes called the 4. In the United States, the decade of “Roaring Twenties” because the 1920’s was characterized by (1) foreign trade prospered after (1) a willingness to encourage World War I immigration to the United (2) the United States assumed a States leadership role in world affairs (2) increased consumer borrowing (3) political reforms made government and spending more democratic (3) the active involvement of the (4) widespread social and economic United States in Europe change occurred 5. In the 1920’s, the Immigration Act of 8. The 1925 trial of John Scopes reflects 1924 and the Sacco-Vanzetti trial were the conflict between typical of the (1) science and religion (1) rejection of traditional customs and (2) isolation and international beliefs involvement (2) acceptance of cultural differences (3) traditional roles and new roles for (3) increase in nativism and women intolerance (4) Prohibition and organized crime (4) support of humanitarian causes 9. What was a major result of Prohibition 6. Speaker A: “To preserve our American in the United States during the 1920s? culture, people whose national origins do (1) restriction of immigration not match the origins of our nation’s (2) growth of communism founders must be refused admission.” (3) destruction of family values Speaker B: “. . . let us admit only the best (4) increase in organized crime educated from every racial and ethnic group . . .” 10. During the 1920s, controversies Speaker C: “. . . there is an appalling concerning the Scopes trial, national danger to the American wage earner from Prohibition, and the behavior of the flood of low, unskilled, ignorant, “flappers” were all signs of disagreement foreign workers who have poured into the over country . . .” (1) the return to normalcy Speaker D: “Give me your tired, your (2) traditional values and changing poor, your huddled masses yearning to lifestyles breathe free . . .” (3) causes of the Great Depression In the early 20th century, most labor (4) the benefits of new technology unions supported the view of (1) Speaker A 11. Which event of the 1920s symbolized a (2) Speaker B conflict over cultural values? (3) Speaker C (1) election of Herbert Hoover (4) Speaker D (2) transatlantic flight of Charles Lindbergh 7. Which feature of the immigration laws (3) Scopes trial of the 1920’s was different from prior (4) stock market crash laws? (1) Quotas were set to limit 12. Which pair of events illustrates an immigration from many countries accurate cause-and-effect relationship? (2) Preference was granted to Chinese 1. Sacco and Vanzetti immigrants trialratification of the woman (3) Refugees from war-torn Europe suffrage amendment were encouraged to enter the 2. rebirth of the KKKformation of United States. the Populist Party (4) Efforts were made to stop illegal 3. Red Scaredemand for limits on immigration from Latin America. immigration 4. high food pricesstart of the Great Depression Analyze the Political Cartoons: What is the meaning of the political cartoon? ______

What is the meaning of the political cartoon? ______