7 - 1920’s Innovation/7.8 - 1920’s Cultural and Political Controversies `

Henry Ford

• Revolutionized industry with mass production of cars (Model T)

• Made cars affordable for average Americans

• Paid workers higher wages → more people could buy goods

Assembly Line

• System where products are built step-by-step as they move along a conveyor

• Faster, cheaper production

• Led to mass production → goods became widely available

Consumer Society

• Economy focused on buying goods (cars, appliances, clothes)

• Growth of:
  

  • Advertising

  • Credit (buy now, pay later)

• Americans began defining success through material possessions

Radio / Cinema

• Radios brought news, music, and entertainment into homes

• Movies (Hollywood) became a major industry

• Helped create a shared national culture

Flappers

• Young women who challenged traditional roles

• Short hair, shorter dresses, more independence

• Symbol of changing gender norms in the 1920s

Scopes Trial

• Debate between science vs. religion

• Teacher John Scopes taught evolution (illegal in Tennessee)

• Showed conflict between:
  

  • Modern ideas (science)

  • Traditional beliefs (religion)

Nativism

• Fear and dislike of immigrants

• Belief that “native-born” Americans were superior

• Led to discrimination against immigrants and minorities

1924 Immigration Act

• Limited immigration, especially from:
  

  • Southern & Eastern Europe

  • Asia

• Based on quotas favoring Northern Europeans

• Reflected strong nativist attitudes

Prohibition

• Banned alcohol (18th Amendment)

• Led to:
  

  • Speakeasies (illegal bars)

  • Rise of organized crime (gangsters like Al Capone)

• Eventually repealed (21st Amendment)

Harlem Renaissance

• Cultural movement celebrating African American identity

• Centered in Harlem, NYC

• Growth in:
  

  • Music (jazz)

  • Literature

  • Art

• Promoted racial pride and creativity