Chapter 31: Interwar Currents: the Roaring Twenties I. Americans A

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Chapter 31: Interwar Currents: the Roaring Twenties I. Americans A Chapter 31: Interwar Currents: The Roaring Twenties I. Americans A. Introduction 1. During the first decades of the twentieth century, the most notable changes in music— or at least those that had the largest impact on the greatest number of people—were in popular music. 2. Jazz, which had been evolving for some time, became such an important style that the 1920s are called the “Jazz Age.” 3. The dissemination of popular music through electronic means was a chief spur in the growth of popular styles. 4. A largely improvised idiom, jazz’s origins came be found in several places: ragtime, the blues, and the call-and-response techniques associated with African American music. a. The opening of St. Louis Blues (1914) demonstrated these elements. b. Performed by Louis Armstrong and Bessie Smith. c. The melodic delivery moves between pitches, some lower and some higher. These are blue notes. B. European “Jazz”: Parisians in America 1. American jazz was also popular in Europe, particularly France. a. Several influential jazz artists moved to France, including Sidney Bechet and Josephine Baker. b. Composers such as Debussy acknowledged the new style in works such as “Golliwog’s Cakewalk,” which has elements of ragtime. Stravinsky also dabbled in ragtime. 2. Milhaud traveled to Harlem to hear jazz, and his La Création de monde (1923) uses a jazz band scoring. It blends different traditions in a neoclassical vein. 3. Ravel’s Violin Sonata also includes aspects of jazz in its harmony, blues notes, and syncopation. a. His 1928 comments on jazz being a national heritage also reflect condescension for American music, likening jazz to folklore, suggesting that the music of a minority reflects the majority, and positioning Europe at the top of the music ladder. C. In Search of the “Real” America: Americans in Paris 1. During the 1920s, American composers sought to define an American style in classical music. 2. Copland traveled to Paris to study and spent time under the tutelage of Nadia Boulanger. a. Many other Americans followed his path to her. 3. Anti-German sentiments resulted after World War I, and these also affected the American composers. a. There was a degree of appreciation for Americans in France at this time. 4. Boulanger took on American students and promoted the aesthetics of Stravinsky. (She had his approval to do so.) 5. Copland was drawn to jazz after hearing a performance in Vienna in 1923. 6. Copland struggled with his own voice initially. a. His Symphony for Organ and Orchestra made him famous, but the response of the conductor Damrosch was not what the composer had wished. b. He then tried his hand at symphonic jazz in his Music for the Theatre (1925), dedicated to Koussevitzky, and then a piano concerto. 1) Reaction was mixed, but negative reviews demonstrate the negative racial associations jazz carried. 2) Further innuendos about Copland’s Jewish heritage, combined with the disdain shown for his jazz pieces, caused him to turn from specific associations with popular music. D. Tin Pan Alley and Musicals 1. Gershwin’s early life resembled Copland’s in several ways: both from Brooklyn, Jewish parents who had immigrated, study with Goldmark, musical careers that began in their teens. 2. Gershwin found work in his teens as a song-plugger and naturally began writing songs himself. 3. The songs played by song-pluggers belong to Tin Pan Alley, named for an area of music publishing in New York that sprang up in the 1890s. a. Many of the people who worked in Tin Pan Alley were Jewish. 4. Gershwin moved to Broadway not long after he started writing songs. a. At this time, musicals (indigenous operettas) were taking off in popularity. b. Leading composers were George M. Cohan and Irving Berlin. 5. Gershwin’s first big hit was Swanee, made popular by Al Jolson’s 1920 recording. a. In the early 1920s, Gershwin wrote scores for Broadway musicals, and seventy- two pieces from them were published separately. 6. Rodgers and Hammerstein were a successful duo who wrote Broadway musicals beginning with Oklahoma! in 1942 and continuing to The Sound of Music in 1959. a. A later duo were Lerner and Loewe, who composed several successful musicals including My Fair Lady (1956). E. Gershwin’s “Experiment in Modern Music” 1. In 1924 Paul Whiteman, a popular bandleader, requested that Gershwin compose a work for piano and dance orchestra, and suggested the term “rhapsody.” The result was Rhapsody in Blue. a. Whiteman’s arranger, Ferde Grofé, orchestrated the work for its premiere. b. The program touted that the Rhapsody in Blue was an “Experiment in Modern Music” in that it blended “discordant jazz” and the “really melodious music of today.” c. Rhapsody incorporates five Tin Pan Alley–type tunes with virtuoso passages for the soloist. 1) It can be interpreted as validating Dvořák’s prediction that American music would elevate folk music by treating it as art music. d. The work was very popular. 2. Gershwin later wrote a Piano Concerto in F. 3. In 1933 he agreed to write an opera, Porgy and Bess, called an “American folk opera.” 4. Gershwin’s fusion of jazz and classical music was successful and appreciated, whereas that of Copland was not. 5. Duke Ellington also sought to blend the two, but from the perspective of an African American jazz composer approaching classical music. 6. In the early 1930s he announced that he was writing a piece that would “portray the experiences of the coloured races in America in the syncopated idiom.” a. He does not use the word “jazz.” b. The work premiered in 1943 entitled Black, Brown and Beige. c. He told the story of African American music as an African American. II. Surrealism A. Surrealism: Satie’s Parade 1. American music grew in popularity throughout the 1920s and ’30s. 2. The divide between high and low music grew as well. 3. In 1917, the Ballet Russes performed Parade by Satie (and Cocteau). a. The work deliberately brings the theater experience to a lower level than audience members expected, as it is akin to a sideshow at a vaudeville theater and features carnival performers. b. It was not favorably received, because the audience expected ballet to be “high” art. 4. Satie and Cocteau avoided any conventional attempts to astonish or impress, but rather celebrated normalcy. a. Realism (and antirealism) and tribute to the film industry are aspects of Parade. b. Even though the score includes “ordinary” sounds, their use in such a work is far from ordinary. 5. Apollinaire noted the “clarity and simplicity” of Parade that elevated French music above German. a. He coined the term “surrealism” to describe this realistic work. 1) It essentially described a collage of ordinary things. B. New Fashions: Les Six 1. A new group of composers who followed Satie were known as Les Six: Poulenc, Milhaud, Auric, Honegger, Tailleferre, and Durey. 2. Satie conceived of musique d’ameublement (furniture music), which is background music—not meant to be listened to. 3. American popular music figured prominently in their aims. 4. Five of Les Six collaborated in 1921 on a project with Cocteau: Les mariés de la Tour Eiffel. a. It is a scenario in which different images emerge from camera prop as part of a wedding party. A fat boy eventually massacres the party with ping-pong balls and feeds their banquet food to the Eiffel Tower. b. Impossible and ordinary events are brought together, as are everyday genres and surreal harmonies. C. From Subject to Style: Surrealist “Classicism” 1. During World War II, Poulenc turned away from surrealism to more religious subject matter, but returned to it in 1944. 2. Milhaud’s surrealism relates to his theory of polytonality—a collage of keys. a. He described this theory in 1923. b. Polytonality is diatonicism multiplied. c. He used this harmonic language in the Saudades do Brasil, a suite for piano that reflects urban popular music in Latin America. d. Taken apart, the elements are ordinary. It is in the placing together that the surrealism is present. D. American Surrealism 1. Virgil Thomson represents surrealism in America. a. He too studied in Paris. b. He was there at the same time as F. Scott Fitzgerald and Hemingway. c. These expats are known as the “lost generation.” 2. Gertrude Stein, also a member of their circle, was interested in “stream of consciousness,” which is governed by free association. 3. Thomson’s Four Saints in Three Acts is representative. a. He uses Southern Baptist hymns in an opera—this in and of itself is surreal. 4. Like Stein, Thomson was interested in the interplay of sound and meaning. a. Tonal illustration is not necessary, like Stein’s freedom of syntax. b. Accompaniment is functional, if at all, and a collage of musical elements. 5. Thomson’s Surrealism represents the lost generation finding themselves after the devastation of war. III. Opera A. Music in the Weimar Republic 1. Germans struggled with identity after World War I. There were several different responses, including that of Schoenberg and twelve-tone technique. 2. Another alternative was New Objectivity, a foil to the Romantic make-believe. 3. Zeitoper represents an interest in popular, relevant, and communicative art. a. It is practical, about what is going on now. b. Krenek’s Jonny spielt auf (1927) is an example. 4. A related idea to Zeitoper is Gebrauchmusik—music for use. 5. The main proponent of this was Hindemith. a. His early works are Expressionistic and scandalous, but he moved toward the ordinary and topical. b. The instrumental works also reflected a relationship with the contemporary and popular elements.
Recommended publications
  • Boca Raton and the Florida Land Boom of the 1920S
    20 TEQUESTA Boca Raton and the Florida Land Boom of the 1920s by Donald W. Curl The Florida land boom of 1924-25 is commonly mentioned by historians of the twenties and of the South. Most of them see the boom as a phenomenon of the Miami area, though they usually mention in passing that no part of the state remained immune to the speculation fever. Certainly Miami's developments received major attention from the national press and compiled amazing financial statistics for sales and inflated prices. Still, similar activity took place throughout the state. Moreover, the real estate boom in Palm Beach County began as early as that in Miami, contained schemes that equaled that city's in their imagination and fantasy, and also captured national attention. Finally, one of these schemes, that of Addison Mizner's Boca Raton, probably served as the catalyst for exploiting the boom bubble. The Florida land boom resulted from a number of complex fac- tors. Obviously, the mild winter climate had drawn visitors to the state since the Civil War. Summer was said "to spend the winter in West Palm Beach." Now with the completion of the network of roads known as the Dixie Highway and the increasing use of the automobile, Florida became easily accessible to the cities of the northeast and midwest. For some, revolting against the growing urbanization of the north, Florida became "the last frontier." Others found romance in the state's long and colorful history and "fascination in her tropical vege- tation and scenery." Many were confident in the lasting nature of the Coolidge prosperity, and, hearing the success stories of the earliest Donald W.
    [Show full text]
  • "World Music" and "World Beat" Designations Brad Klump
    Document généré le 26 sept. 2021 17:23 Canadian University Music Review Revue de musique des universités canadiennes Origins and Distinctions of the "World Music" and "World Beat" Designations Brad Klump Canadian Perspectives in Ethnomusicology Résumé de l'article Perspectives canadiennes en ethnomusicologie This article traces the origins and uses of the musical classifications "world Volume 19, numéro 2, 1999 music" and "world beat." The term "world beat" was first used by the musician and DJ Dan Del Santo in 1983 for his syncretic hybrids of American R&B, URI : https://id.erudit.org/iderudit/1014442ar Afrobeat, and Latin popular styles. In contrast, the term "world music" was DOI : https://doi.org/10.7202/1014442ar coined independently by at least three different groups: European jazz critics (ca. 1963), American ethnomusicologists (1965), and British record companies (1987). Applications range from the musical fusions between jazz and Aller au sommaire du numéro non-Western musics to a marketing category used to sell almost any music outside the Western mainstream. Éditeur(s) Canadian University Music Society / Société de musique des universités canadiennes ISSN 0710-0353 (imprimé) 2291-2436 (numérique) Découvrir la revue Citer cet article Klump, B. (1999). Origins and Distinctions of the "World Music" and "World Beat" Designations. Canadian University Music Review / Revue de musique des universités canadiennes, 19(2), 5–15. https://doi.org/10.7202/1014442ar All Rights Reserved © Canadian University Music Society / Société de musique Ce document est protégé par la loi sur le droit d’auteur. L’utilisation des des universités canadiennes, 1999 services d’Érudit (y compris la reproduction) est assujettie à sa politique d’utilisation que vous pouvez consulter en ligne.
    [Show full text]
  • Jazz and the Cultural Transformation of America in the 1920S
    Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 2003 Jazz and the cultural transformation of America in the 1920s Courtney Patterson Carney Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations Part of the History Commons Recommended Citation Carney, Courtney Patterson, "Jazz and the cultural transformation of America in the 1920s" (2003). LSU Doctoral Dissertations. 176. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations/176 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized graduate school editor of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please [email protected]. JAZZ AND THE CULTURAL TRANSFORMATION OF AMERICA IN THE 1920S A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Department of History by Courtney Patterson Carney B.A., Baylor University, 1996 M.A., Louisiana State University, 1998 December 2003 For Big ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The real truth about it is no one gets it right The real truth about it is we’re all supposed to try1 Over the course of the last few years I have been in contact with a long list of people, many of whom have had some impact on this dissertation. At the University of Chicago, Deborah Gillaspie and Ray Gadke helped immensely by guiding me through the Chicago Jazz Archive.
    [Show full text]
  • Prohibition, American Cultural Expansion, and the New Hegemony in the 1920S: an Interpretation
    Prohibition, American Cultural Expansion, and the New Hegemony in the 1920s: An Interpretation IAN TYRRELL* In the [920s American prohibitionists, through the World League against Alcohol­ ism, sought to extend their war on liquor beyond the boundaries of the United States. Prohibitionistsfailed in their efforts due to anti-American sentiment, complex class and cultural opposition to prohibition, and negative reporting of the experi­ ment with prohibition in the U.S. Nevertheless, restrictive anti-alcohol laws were introduced in a number ofcountries. Moreover, the efforts ofAmerican prohibition­ ists furthered the larger process of American cultural expansion by emphasizing achievements of the U.S. in economic modernization and technical advancement. This episode in American cultural expansion occurred with the support of anti­ alcohol groups in foreign countries that embraced the message equating American reform with modernity. Prohibitionists abroad colluded in the process, thereby accepting a form ofAmerican cultural hegemony. En 1920, par l'intermédiaire de la World League against Alcoholism, les prohibi­ tionnistes américains se sont efforcés de pousser leur lutte contre l'alcool au-delà des frontières des États-Unis. Cependant, le sentiment anti-américain, l'opposition complexe des classes et de la culture à l'endroit de la prohibition ainsi que la mauvaise presse dont l'expérience américaine a fait l'objet ont fait échouer leurs efforts. Néanmoins, plusieurs pays ont adopté des lois restrictives contre l'alcool. Qui plus est, les efforts des prohibitionnistes américains ont favorisé l'expansion de la culture américaine en mettant en valeur les réussites des É.-u. au chapitre de la modernisation économique et de l'avancement de la technologie.
    [Show full text]
  • Chapter 2 Music in the United States Before the Great Depression
    American Music in the 20th Century 6 Chapter 2 Music in the United States Before the Great Depression Background: The United States in 1900-1929 In 1920 in the US - Average annual income = $1,100 - Average purchase price of a house = $4,000 - A year's tuition at Harvard University = $200 - Average price of a car = $600 - A gallon of gas = 20 cents - A loaf of Bread = 20 cents Between 1900 and the October 1929 stock market crash that triggered the Great Depression, the United States population grew By 47 million citizens (from 76 million to 123 million). Guided by the vision of presidents Theodore Roosevelt1 and William Taft,2 the US 1) began exerting greater political influence in North America and the Caribbean.3 2) completed the Panama Canal4—making it much faster and cheaper to ship its goods around the world. 3) entered its "Progressive Era" by a) passing anti-trust laws to Break up corporate monopolies, b) abolishing child labor in favor of federally-funded puBlic education, and c) initiating the first federal oversight of food and drug quality. 4) grew to 48 states coast-to-coast (1912). 5) ratified the 16th Amendment—estaBlishing a federal income tax (1913). In addition, by 1901, the Lucas brothers had developed a reliaBle process to extract crude oil from underground, which soon massively increased the worldwide supply of oil while significantly lowering its price. This turned the US into the leader of the new energy technology for the next 60 years, and opened the possibility for numerous new oil-reliant inventions.
    [Show full text]
  • Starr-Waterman American Popular Music Chapter 11: the 1970S: Rock Music, Disco, and the Popular Mainstream Key People Allman
    Starr-Waterman American Popular Music Chapter 11: The 1970s: Rock Music, Disco, and the Popular Mainstream Key People Allman Brothers Band: Most important southern rock band of the late 1960s and early 1970s who reconnected the generative power of the blues to the mainstream of rock music. Barry White (1944‒2004): Multitalented African American singer, songwriter, arranger, conductor, and producer who achieved success as an artist in the 1970s with his Love Unlimited Orchestra; perhaps best known for his full, deep voice. Carlos Santana (b. 1947): Mexican-born rock guitarist who combined rock, jazz, and Afro-Latin elements on influential albums like Abraxas. Carole King (b. 1942): Singer-songwriter who recorded influential songs in New York’s Brill Building and later recorded the influential album Tapestry in 1971. Charlie Rich (b. 1932): Country performer known as the “Silver Fox” who won the Country Music Association’s Entertainer of the Year award in 1974 for his song “The Most Beautiful Girl.” Chic: Disco group who recorded the hit “Good Times.” Chicago: Most long-lived and popular jazz rock band of the 1970s, known today for anthemic love songs such as “If You Leave Me Now” (1976), “Hard to Say I’m Sorry” (1982), and “Look Away” (1988). David Bowie (1947‒2016): Glam rock pioneer who recorded the influential album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars in 1972. Dolly Parton (b. 1946): Country music star whose flexible soprano voice, songwriting ability, and carefully crafted image as a cheerful sex symbol combined to gain her a loyal following among country fans.
    [Show full text]
  • Federal Reserve Bulletin August 1925
    FEDERAL RESERVE BULLETIN AUGUST, 1925 ISSUED BY THE FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD AT WASHINGTON Position of the Reserve Banks at Mid-Year Business Conditions in the United States Report of the Agent General for Reparation Payments WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1925 Digitized for FRASER http://fraser.stlouisfed.org/ Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD Ex officio members: D. R. CRISSINGER, Governor. EDMUND PLATT, Vice Governor. A. W. MELLON, Secretary of the Treasury, Chairman. ADOLPH G. MILLER. CHARLES S. HAMLIN. J. W. MCINTOSH, GEORGE R. JAMEB. Comptroller of the Currency. EDWARD H. CUNNINGHAM. WALTER L. EDDY, Secretary. WALTER WYATT, General Counsel. J. C. NOELL, Assistant Secretary. WALTER W. STEWART, Director, Division of Research W. M. IMLAY, Fiscal Agent. and Statistics, J. F. HERSON, E. A. GOLDENWEISER, Assistant Director, Division of Chief, Division of Examination, and Chief Federal Research and Statistics. Reserve Examiner. E. L. SMEAD, Chief, Division of BanVOperations. FEDERAL ADVISORY COUNCIL District No. 1 (BOSTON) CHAS. A. MORSS. District No. 2 (NEW YORK) PAUL M. WARBURG, President, District No. 3 (PHILADELPHIA) L. L. RUE. District No. 4 (CLEVELAND) GEORGE A. COULTON. District No. 5 (RICHMOND) JOHN M. MILLER, Jr. District No. 6 (ATLANTA) OSCAR WELLS. District No. 7 (CHICAGO) FRANK O. WETMORE. District No. 8 (ST. LOUIS) BRECKINRIDGE JONES. District No. 9 (MINNEAPOLIS) G. H. PRINCE. District No. 10 (KANSAS CITY) E. F. SWINNEY, Vice President, District No. 11 (DALLAS) W. M. MCGREGOR. District No. 12 (SAN FRANCISCO).-: HENRY S. MCKEE. Digitized for FRASER http://fraser.stlouisfed.org/ Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis OFFICERS OF FEDERAL RESERVE BANKS Federal Reserve Bank of— Chairman Governor Deputy governor Cashier Boston.
    [Show full text]
  • Final Version
    This research has been supported as part of the Popular Music Heritage, Cultural Memory and Cultural Identity (POPID) project by the HERA Joint Research Program (www.heranet.info) which is co-funded by AHRC, AKA, DASTI, ETF, FNR, FWF, HAZU, IRCHSS, MHEST, NWO, RANNIS, RCN, VR and The European Community FP7 2007–2013, under ‘the Socio-economic Sciences and Humanities program’. ISBN: 978-90-76665-26-9 Publisher: ERMeCC, Erasmus Research Center for Media, Communication and Culture Printing: Ipskamp Drukkers Cover design: Martijn Koster © 2014 Arno van der Hoeven Popular Music Memories Places and Practices of Popular Music Heritage, Memory and Cultural Identity *** Popmuziekherinneringen Plaatsen en praktijken van popmuziekerfgoed, cultureel geheugen en identiteit Thesis to obtain the degree of Doctor from the Erasmus University Rotterdam by command of the rector magnificus Prof.dr. H.A.P Pols and in accordance with the decision of the Doctorate Board The public defense shall be held on Thursday 27 November 2014 at 15.30 hours by Arno Johan Christiaan van der Hoeven born in Ede Doctoral Committee: Promotor: Prof.dr. M.S.S.E. Janssen Other members: Prof.dr. J.F.T.M. van Dijck Prof.dr. S.L. Reijnders Dr. H.J.C.J. Hitters Contents Acknowledgements 1 1. Introduction 3 2. Studying popular music memories 7 2.1 Popular music and identity 7 2.2 Popular music, cultural memory and cultural heritage 11 2.3 The places of popular music and heritage 18 2.4 Research questions, methodological considerations and structure of the dissertation 20 3. The popular music heritage of the Dutch pirates 27 3.1 Introduction 27 3.2 The emergence of pirate radio in the Netherlands 28 3.3 Theory: the narrative constitution of musicalized identities 29 3.4 Background to the study 30 3.5 The dominant narrative of the pirates: playing disregarded genres 31 3.6 Place and identity 35 3.7 The personal and cultural meanings of illegal radio 37 3.8 Memory practices: sharing stories 39 3.9 Conclusions and discussion 42 4.
    [Show full text]
  • The Trumpet As a Voice of Americana in the Americanist Music of Gershwin, Copland, and Bernstein
    THE TRUMPET AS A VOICE OF AMERICANA IN THE AMERICANIST MUSIC OF GERSHWIN, COPLAND, AND BERNSTEIN DOCUMENT Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Musical Arts in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Amanda Kriska Bekeny, M.M. * * * * * The Ohio State University 2005 Dissertation Committee: Approved by Professor Timothy Leasure, Adviser Professor Charles Waddell _________________________ Dr. Margarita Ophee-Mazo Adviser School of Music ABSTRACT The turn of the century in American music was marked by a surge of composers writing music depicting an “American” character, via illustration of American scenes and reflections on Americans’ activities. In an effort to set American music apart from the mature and established European styles, American composers of the twentieth century wrote distinctive music reflecting the unique culture of their country. In particular, the trumpet is a prominent voice in this music. The purpose of this study is to identify the significance of the trumpet in the music of three renowned twentieth-century American composers. This document examines the “compositional” and “conceptual” Americanisms present in the music of George Gershwin, Aaron Copland, and Leonard Bernstein, focusing on the use of the trumpet as a voice depicting the compositional Americanisms of each composer. The versatility of its timbre allows the trumpet to stand out in a variety of contexts: it is heroic during lyrical, expressive passages; brilliant during festive, celebratory sections; and rhythmic during percussive statements. In addition, it is a lead jazz voice in much of this music. As a dominant voice in a variety of instances, the trumpet expresses the American character of each composer’s music.
    [Show full text]
  • American Life in the “Roaring Twenties” 1919 - 1929 Overview
    American Life in the “Roaring Twenties” 1919 - 1929 Overview • Americans turned inward after activism of World War I – Attacked communism, radicalism, un- Americanism, foreigners, free trade • Prosperity – New technology, consumer products, leisure and entertainment – Veneer over wide gap between rich and poor Economic Expansion, 1920–1929 Seeing Red • 1919 – 1920 – “Red Scare” in US – 1917 – Bolsheviks took power in Russia – Tiny Communist party formed in US – Unionism and strikes of late 1910s • General strike in Seattle, Boston police – June 1919 – bomb exploded at Palmer’s home – September 1920 – bomb blast on Wall St. killed 38 people The State of the World One National Strike He Didn’t Plan All They Want in Our Flag Too Slow For Me Seeing Red • Attacks in civil liberties – Palmer Raids • Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer arrested 5,000 suspected communists on flimsy evidence and with no warrants – December 1919 – shipload of 249 alien radicals deported to USSR – State laws outlawed mere advocacy of violence for social change IWW Headquarters in New York After Palmer Raid, 1919 It is More Blessed to Give Than Receive Deporting the Reds Seeing Red • Business attacks on unions – IWW and other union members attacked through law – “closed” (all-union) shop attacked as “Sovietism in disguise” • “open” shop called “the American plan” Seeing Red • Sacco and Vanzetti – Nicola Sacco (shoe-factory worker) and Batrolomeo Vanzetti (fish peddler) – 1921 – convicted of murdering a Massachusetts shoe factory paymaster and his guard, and stealing
    [Show full text]
  • Domestic Servants Personal Lives
    Explore More Domestic Servants Personal Lives In their leisure time, domestic servants likely enjoyed the same hobbies and pleasures as people in other jobs during this era. Sewing, reading, playing musical instruments, chatting over tea, or having evening gatherings in their employer’s kitchen or servants’ hall were common diversions, and may have occurred here at Lucknow. A space like the servants' hall, set aside solely for the enjoyment and rest of the servants, would have been a luxury that existed in only the wealthiest homes. Though the servants’ hall was a spot to rest and have a meal, note that the intercom, telephone, and home alarm system were in this space so a servant’s break might be frequently interrupted. For many servants in the early 20th century, Sunday would have been a typical day off to attend church, a local festival, or perhaps go to the movies. Unfortunately, domestic service workers battled the social stigma attached to their job titles, a problem which had persisted for centuries. Service was considered by some to be a disgraceful and dishonorable profession. For the most part, its workers endured a low social status in American society. A group of domestic servants, probably early 1920s. MORE ON OTHER SIDE Explore More Domestic Servants Personal Lives We don’t know for sure what it was like to live and work at Lucknow as a domestic servant, but first person accounts from people in domestic service during this era, as well as historic documents and photographs, help illustrate the experience. By the twentieth century, domestic servants had more personal freedom than they had in previous eras.
    [Show full text]
  • Business in the 1920S Is This Photo of President and Mrs
    BECOMING MODERN: AMERICA IN THE 1920S PRIMARY SOURCE COLLECTION ONTEMPORAR Y IN OMMENTARY THE T WENTIES C — BUSINESS — * Aptly illustrating the faith in American business in the 1920s is this photo of President and Mrs. Coolidge in 1924 welcoming members of the Republican Businessmen’s Association of New York. In an address the next year, Coolidge delivered his most frequently quoted statement: “After all, the chief business of the American people is business.” For by 1925 the nation’s economy had lifted itself out of the dreadful postwar recession and was setting new highs for production and consumption. American free enterprise was robust, confident, and delivering the goods, literally. Collected here is period commentary on the “chief business of the American people,” the rewards and pitfalls of its predominance, and the proper relationship of business and government in promoting the general welfare. An early proponent of applying scientific management principles to market analysis, Percival Percival White White published this essay on Americans’ embrace of business as a national ideal, satirizing “The Almighty Minute” while applauding its centrality in Americans’ sense of the successful modern life. Atlantic Monthly, July 1920 Business is not a part of American life; it is American life. The American businessman devotes 1440 minutes a day to business. Before daybreak, an alarm clock wrests him from his fitful business dreams. He gulps down business news along with his eggs and coffee. He plans business on his way to the office. His morning is spent in reading business, dictating business, and talking business. He keeps a business engagement for luncheon.
    [Show full text]