Culture in the 1920’s Consumption of goods • New Inventions ▫ Electric irons, vacuums, phonograph, electric sewing machine, washing machine, refrigerator ▫ RADIO 1st Radio station (KDKA – Pittsburgh) broadcast in 1920 CBS, NBC networks Consumption of goods • The Automobile ▫ 1921 – 1.5 million sold ▫ 1929 – 5 million sold ▫ 1908 – $1000 ▫ 1929 – $295 • Ripple effect on other industries • Increase in road construction Consumption of goods • The Automobile • Model T most popular ▫ Difficult to operate ▫ Henry Ford, “You can have it in any color you want, so long as it’s black.” ▫ Competition from General Motors forced changes Consumption of goods • Advertising ▫ Becomes $2.6 billion/year business • Becomes psychological concept ▫ Convince consumers need for product Women’s Roles • Style – Flapper ▫ Showing more flesh ▫ Bobbed hair ▫ More makeup ▫ Loose fitting dress • Double standard Women’s Roles • Education ▫ More going to college • Work ▫ More in professional jobs (teaching, nursing, etc.) ▫ Paid less, less upward movement ▫ “Temporary”; real job at home • Family ▫ Birth rates lowered (birth-control) ▫ More family time ▫ Household chores easier Women’s Roles New Styles • Music – Jazz ▫ Began in New Orleans ▫ Rooted in African-American music ▫ Free flowing structure ▫ Migrated north with blacks Cotton Club in Harlem ▫ African-American culture becomes mainstream New Styles • Movies ▫ Silent pictures since early 1900’s ▫ First “talking” picture – 1927 ▫ Al Jolson in "The Jazz Singer" New Styles • Other Mass Media ▫ Magazines (Time) ▫ Tabloid newspapers ▫ 40% homes owned radio ▫ Market research for advertising • Role of education ▫ Four times attending high school ▫ Need for management ▫ Child labor laws ▫ Emergence of the “modern” high school New Styles • Sports and recreation ▫ City parks ▫ Public pools ▫ Recreation sports (tennis, golf) • Spectator sports ▫ Baseball ▫ Boxing ▫ College football • Creates “heroes” Heroes • Babe Ruth • “Sultan of Swat” • Held single season and career homerun record for many years Heroes • Josh Gibson • The “black Babe Ruth” • Negro Leagues Heroes • Jack Dempsey • The “Manassa Mauler” • Heavyweight champion Heroes • Red Grange • The “Galloping Ghost” • All-American running back • Led growth of the NFL Heroes • Helen Wills- Moody • Won Wimbledon eight times • Won the U.S. Open seven times • Won the French Open four times Heroes • Bill Tilden • “Big Bill” • Number one ranked for seven straight years Heroes • Bobby Jones • Won the “Grand Slam” in 1930 • Remained an amateur his entire career Heroes • Gertrude Ederle • 1924 Olympian • First woman to swim the English Channel in 1926 • Beat the men’s record by two hours Heroes • Charlie Chaplin • “The Tramp” Heroes • Rudolph Valentino • The “Latin Lover” • Died of complications from appendicitis in 1926 Heroes • Clara Bow • The first “sex symbol” Heroes • Louis Armstrong • “Satchmo” • Jazz musician Heroes • Charles Lindbergh • First solo flight across the Atlantic (New York to Paris) • Spirit of St. Louis What is happening to America culturally? Cultural Conflicts Decade of Conflict • Urban vs. Rural ▫ 1920 Census – over 50% urban (first time) • Rural America ▫ Very conservative, religious, close knit ▫ Many (especially young) left for city • The city provided ▫ new ideas and popular culture (sports, nightclubs, etc.) ▫ vices (gambling, drinking, casual courtship) ▫ judgment on accomplishment not values/name ▫ fast paced lifestyle ▫ loneliness Decade of Conflict Decade of Conflict • Nativism ▫ Goal: limit “new” immigrants ▫ radicalism (socialism, etc.) due to immigrants • Three immigration limitations Decade of Conflict • 1921 Emergency Act ▫ Limit immigration to 3 million • 1924 National Origins Act ▫ Limit 2% immigration based on 1890 Census ▫ Why 1890? ▫ Favored Northern/Western Europe ▫ Discriminated against Southern/Eastern Europe ▫ Still no Chinese/Japanese immigration ▫ 164,000 total immigrants Decade of Conflict • 1929 ▫ Reduced immigrants to 150,000 • Latin American immigration ▫ Still unlimited ▫ Increased ▫ Mexico = 1 million (1900-1930) ▫ 1917 – Puerto Ricans get citizenship • Anti-Semitism grew Decade of Conflict • Rebirth of the Ku Klux Klan ▫ Spread to North and West ▫ Became multi-bigoted Anti-black Anti-Catholic Anti-Jew Anti-immigrant ▫ WASPS White Anglo-Saxon Protestant Decade of Conflict • Klan’s popularity helped by ▫ The Birth of a Nation ▫ Wilson segregated government facilities Decade of Conflict • Membership ▫ 1920 – 4 million ▫ 1924 – 6 million ▫ 1930 – 30,000 • What happened? ▫ 1925 – Indiana Grand Wizard D.C. Stephenson convicted of rape and second degree murder Decade of Conflict • Oregon and the Klan ▫ Strong Klan state ▫ Walter Pierce won 1923 Governor’s race with Klan support ▫ Largest margin in Oregon history • Strongest in rural areas Decade of Conflict • Prohibition ▫ 18th Amendment ▫ The Volstead Act ▫ January, 1920 • Prohibited manufacture, sale, transportation, and consumption of alcoholic beverages • 1,550 men were paid to enforce the Volstead Act Decade of Conflict • Supporters ▫ Protestants (anti- alcohol) ▫ Anti-Saloon League ▫ Woman’s Christian Temperance Union ▫ South and Western United States (mostly Protestant and rural) • Drinking was sin, or results lead to sin Decade of Conflict • Anti-Prohibitionists • immigrants (alcohol part of cultures) • city dwellers (have fun) Decade of Conflict • Problems ▫ enforcement ▫ Speakeasies ▫ Moonshine, bathtub gin ▫ organized crime Decade of Conflict • Religion • Growth of Fundamentalism ▫ Rejected scientific theory ▫ Evolution vs. Creationism ▫ Scopes “Monkey” trial Decade of Conflict • Scopes “Monkey” trial ▫ 1925 Tennessee: can’t teach evolution ▫ Scopes violated it; arrested ▫ Defended by Clarence Darrow ▫ Prosecuted by William Jennings Bryan Decade of Conflict • Scopes “Monkey” trial ▫ Turning point: Darrow calls Bryan as witness ▫ Scopes found guilty; fined $100 ▫ Never paid fine ▫ Overturned by higher court Decade of Conflict • Civil Rights ▫ Marcus Garvey ▫ Universal Negro Improvement Association ▫ “Back to Africa” movement ▫ Jailed for mail fraud in 1925 ▫ Released from jail in 1927 ▫ Deported to Jamaica Literary Movements • Harlem Renaissance ▫ Racial pride ▫ Cultural identity ▫ Theme: What it’s like to be black in white America • Prominent writers ▫ Langston Hughes ▫ Zora Neale Hurston ▫ Countee Cullen ▫ Jean Toomer Literary Movements • The “Lost Generation” ▫ White writers ▫ Disillusioned with America, consumerism, horrors of WWI ▫ Many left for Europe (Paris) • Prominent writers ▫ F. Scott Fitzgerald ▫ Ernest Hemingway ▫ T.S. Eliot The Great Gatsby • Book written F. Scott Fitzgerald • Shows shallowness of people in the 1920’s ▫ Lifestyle (5:30 to 11:16) ▫ Gatsby’s parties (30:30 to 42:00) ▫ Gatsby’s funeral (2:15.30 to 2:18) ▫ Nick sums up the 20’s (2:18 to 2:21.30) What are the cultural positives and negatives in America in the 1920s?.