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1920S Speakeasy Student Name: _________________________ Character Name: ______________________ Hr. ____ 1920s Speakeasy Come on down to the apothecary for a sarsaparilla! Be fitted at the haberdashery with a snappy straw hat that features a red, white, and blue colored band! Read the latest novels in serialized form in Colliers! Dance the Charleston with flappers whilst wearing a pinstriped suit! Enjoy a fizzy libation at the behest of the members of the local speakeasy, The 110 Club. 1920s culture represented a new celebration of the success and freedoms of American life. Many historians feel that this era was the beginning of modernism in our nation. Reflecting that trend, the people of the 1920s were a fascinating bunch. What would happen if we got them all together in one room? On ________________________ we will find out! In this packet are all of your assignments for the 1920s unit. You have been assigned a famous figure from the 1920s. You will use this person for all character assignments in this unit. This packet: 1. Reading Guide 2. Close read of Speakeasies Article 3. Character Assignment- Background Notes 4. Character Assignment- New Yorker Article (Assessment) 5. Character Assignments- Speakeasy Notes (Assessment) -If you are gone on the day we have the speakeasy you will be asked to fill out the alternate assignment instead of the speakeasy notes assignment Assignment #1#1----ReadingReading Guide (15 pts) CHAPTER 24: THE ROARING 20S 1. Vocab: Define the following terms Flappers: Red Scare: Prohibition (18 th Amendment): Fundamentalism: Great Migration: Talkie: Jazz Age: Harlem Renaissance: Expatriates: Section 1 2. Warren Harding won the presidency because he promised a return to __________________. Using the graph on page 756 answer questions 3 & 4 3. Between 1908 and 1924 the price of cars ___________________________. 4. Use graph #1 to explain why Ford was willing to produce so many more cars in 1924. Section 2 5. List 3 new experiences for women during the 1920s. 6. Americans were afraid of __________________________ because they thought they would try to take over the United States. 7. The _________________________________________________was founded in 1920 to defend people’s civil rights. 8. List 2 effects that were caused by prohibition. 9. Why was John T. Scopes put on trial? 10. ___________________________________ encouraged black people around the world to express pride in their culture. 11. Despite serving in the army during WWI, __________________________ still were not considered U.S. citizens during the 1920s. Section 3 12. List 2 advantages of the new radio technology. 13. _______________________ was the first person to ever talk in a movie 14. _______________ was an innovative music style that introduced the world to Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington. 15. People who disagree with lifestyle of the 1920s gave American society the nickname “the __________ Generation.” Assignment #2#2#2-#2 ---CloseClose Read the article on speakeasies. (5 Pts) In order to get the points you must: -Put a box around words you don’t know Key Question : How did -Underline facts that answer the key question speakeasies change life in -Write questions or comments in the margin -Star any facts you find interesting the 1920s? Speakeasies from askdefine.com A speakeasy was an establishment that surreptitiously sold alcoholic beverages during the period of United States history known as Prohibition (1920-1933, longer in some states), when the sale, manufacture, and transportation (bootlegging) of alcohol was illegal. The term comes from a patron's manner of ordering alcohol without raising suspicion — a bartender would tell a patron to be quiet and "speak easy". Speakeasies became more popular and numerous as the Prohibition years progressed, and also became more commonly operated by those connected to organized crime. Although police and federal Bureau of Prohibition agents would raid such establishments and arrest the owners and patrons, the business of running speakeasies was so lucrative that such establishments continued to flourish throughout the nation. In major cities, speakeasies often were elaborate, offering food, live bands, floor shows, and stripteases. Corruption was rampant; speakeasy operators commonly bribed police either to leave them alone or at least to give them advance notice of any planned raids. Other slang terms for an establishment similar to a speakeasy are blind pig and gin joint. The difference between a speakeasy and a blind pig is that a speakeasy was usually a higher class establishment, whereas a blind pig was a lower class dive. Public Reception of SpSpeakeasieseakeasies F. Scott Fitzgerald once commented that during Prohibition, "the parties were bigger. the pace was faster...and the morals were looser." Prohibition engendered public outcry, especially from German-Americans, many of whom were long dependent on brewing for income, and the working class and immigrants. Though national Prohibition was created in hopes of reducing crime and other problems related to alcohol, it instead precipitated an age of jazz and liquor, as well as an age of corruption, which contributed to the popular image of the "Roaring Twenties". Bootlegging seemed respectable. Ordinary people manufactured liquor in their homes. Speakeasies led to the corruption of those who owned them, those who went to them, and those who were supposed to enforce laws against them. For every saloon that closed, a dozen speakeasies sprang up (Our American Century Jazz Age: The Jazz Age, 114). They were disguised as everything from funeral homes to regular family basements. This made it easy to find speakeasies because there was generally one nearby. Those who went would see a mixed crowd of people ranging from the rich to the poor. They would see those who were against the prohibition and those who were for it (“Speakeasies, Flappers, and Red Hot Jazz: The Music of the Prohibition”). People believed the laws of America should reflect the ethics of society, not its practices. Because of this, most of the general public had broken the law at some time (The Twenties: the American Destiny, 53). Those who were best known for hanging out in speakeasies and breaking the law were flappers. Flappers were easy to spot. They were women with short skirts and bobbed hair, smoked and drank cocktails. They dared to go where women had not gone before. Their boyfriends wore knee-length raccoon coats and corrupted themselves with illegal activities. They blamed it on the fast paced jazz music. They were the spokesmen for the corruption the speakeasy caused (“Speakeasies, Flappers, and Red Hot Jazz: The Music of the Prohibition”). The speakeasies corrupted the general public by making it easy to break the laws of the prohibition. To get into speakeasies, all one had to do was know the password or have a membership to what the speakeasies called a supper club (The Twenties: the American Destiny, 54). This made it easy to obtain liquor. Many speakeasies had code words for drinks such as a cocktail. They also commonly served alcoholic drinks in tea cups. During raids, many speakeasies would have the band play a certain song or have a code word of some sort to sound the alarm. At that alarm, patrons would get rid of their alcohol and flee. This made it easy to avoid arrest (The Roaring Twenties Encyclopedia, 37). Most speakeasies were started by ordinary people who saw an opportunity to make money, and when the money rolled in, so did the criminals (The Twenties: the American Destiny, 55). Many gangs took over entire cities and began to control the speakeasies. They had a system of smuggling the alcohol around. They bribed federal officials to “protect their speakeasy for a cost.” This caused corruption all around, and the mafia was born (The Roaring Twenties Encyclopedia, 37). Many owners of speakeasies spent a good amount of the money they made to offer bribes. They had secret compartments to hide liquor from raiders, as well as secret exits used to escape. The gangs were bribing federal officials to raid rival gangs’ speakeasies, as well as stealing and having wars over alcohol. It is strongly believed that mobsters were bribing Government officials in office to keep the prohibition alive. If the prohibition ended, their main source of money would be eliminated. Corruption and gang activity became common during the time period speakeasies were open (The Twenties: the American Destiny, 53). The job of enforcing the prohibition was given to 1,550 federal agents, a small number for the problem at hand. The Feds were corrupt and protected speakeasies. They would accept bribes to report no findings of liquor. Many also worked for gangs, and would go and shut down rival speakeasies (Our American Century Jazz Age: The Jazz Age, 126-127). Some agents even blackmailed speakeasies to not reveal them to the Feds. They would return to collect money. Government officials were accepting bribes not to do anything and to keep the speakeasies going, and not end the prohibition. Corruption was a common thing in the government (The Twenties: the American Destiny, 54). The prohibition was created in hopes of reducing crime and other problems that were related to alcohol, but instead it jump started an age of jazz and liquor, as well as an age of corruption. Corruption existed everywhere, from bootleggers, and everyday people making booze in their own homes, to the most corrupt, the speakeasies. The speakeasies led to the corruption of those who owned them, to those who went to them, to those who were supposed to enforce the law against them. Assignment #3- Speakeasy Background Notes (16 pts) CHARACTER ASSIGNMENTS 1. List at least 5 facts about your early life. This might include birth, family, or childhood. 2. Describe your physical appearance during the 1920s. 3. List at least 5 facts about your adult life.
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