USA in depth study - US society

History 2024

How did entertainment change in the 1920s?

The 1920s saw a boom in cinema, jazz music, and radio. Hollywood rose as the centre of the movie industry.

What was the movie industry like before and after the 1920s?

Before 1927, films were silent and accompanied by live piano music. In 1927, sound was introduced with "talkies."

Which movie genres were popular?

Comedies, romance, and slapstick were common, especially in silent films.

Who were some famous film stars of the 1920s?

Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and Clara Bow (the "It Girl").

Why was cinema so popular in the 1920s?

With economic prosperity, cheap ticket prices, more leisure time, and widespread car ownership, cinema became a dominant form of entertainment.

What was the Jazz Age?

Jazz emerged from African American culture and spread through cities like Chicago and New York.

What city was the centre of Jazz?

Chicago, with over 100 jazz clubs on the South side of the city, especially during Prohibition, which brought jazz into nightclubs run by gangsters

What is a famous dance from the Jazz Age?

The Charleston

What criticism did jazz music face?

Critics claimed it was immoral or "devil’s music" and blamed it for encouraging promiscuity. Racism also fuelled opposition as jazz was rooted in Black culture.

How did radio grow in the 1920s?

In 1921, there was 1 licensed radio station; by 1922, there were over 500.

What was the Hays Code?

A film censorship law introduced to uphold American morals, banning profanity, nudity, and glorification of drugs.

How did women’s rights change in the 1920s?

Women gained the right to vote in 1920, increasing their role in public and political life.

What were women’s lives like before WW1?

Very restricted—chaperoned outings, controlled relationships, few job opportunities, prohibited from sports or drinking in public, and limited freedoms.

How did life improve for women after WW1?

25% more women in jobs (though low-paid), doubled divorce rates, and the emergence of ‘flappers’ who embraced new freedoms.

Who were flappers, and why were they criticised?

Young women who wore short dresses, makeup, bobbed hair, drank and smoked at cinemas and jazz clubs using money earned from their jobs, and challenged traditional roles.
They shocked older generations who saw their behaviour as scandalous and a threat to traditional values.

What is a WASP

White Anglo-Saxon protestant

What is a phrase that could be used to describe the USA in the 1920s

A melting pot where immigrants lost their cultures and became US citizens

What was the Red scare?

the red scare was the nationwide fear/hysteria of a communist revolution particularly immigrants from Russia and Europe planning to overthrow the US government after the Bolshevik revolution in Russia. This led to laws being implemented to prevent immigration and to isolate the US.

What were the two main causes of the Red scare?

The belief that immigrants would overthrow the government led to a huge intolerance of Europeans, and there seemed to be a justified reason as over 400k workers went on strike in 1919 due to poor working conditions and pay, which some may have interpreted as the start of a communist revolution. There were also frequent bombings by anarchist groups, one of which who bombed the house of the attorney general Mitchell Palmer and killed 10 people in a church in Milwaukee

What was one immigration quota placed in response to the Red scare?

The emergency quota act introduced in 1921 limited the number of immigrants allowed in the states to 3% of the foreign born population

What was the other immigrant quota placed in response to the Red scare?

The National Origins act introduced in 1921 limited the number of immigrants to 150 per year and also banned Asian immigrants.

Why could intolerance be justified?

Immigrants were poor, unskilled and uneducated. They failed to integrate with American society and learn English. There was also an increase of crime rates as Italians connected to the mafia led to organized crime

What was the Sacco and Vanzetti case

Sacco and Vanzetti were convicted of murder of Fred Parmenter on 5 May 1920. Their trial began a year later in May of 1921 and they were found guilty by Judge Thayers. They were executed by the electric chair in 1927 after many failed and rejected appeals.

Evidence against Sacco and Vanzetti

Vanzetti had previously been convicted of armed robbery in 1919, which was a cause for concern. 61 eyewitnesses identified the two men as the murderers and Fred Parmenter himself stated that the two suspects were thin immigrants with olive skin. They were also carried guns, Sacco's pistol matching up with the forensic evidence on scene. They lied in their statements and were known to be anarchists that hated the american government.

Evidence in defence of Sacco and Vanzetti

Vanzetti refused to take the stand as he was afraid that his political activities would be the main focus and he would be found guilty of that instead. 107 people also confirmed that they were alibis (but most of them were Italian immigrants who spoke poor English). Some believe that the forensic evidence was rigged and statements from the 61 witnesses disagreed on major details. Several other men confessed to the crime but they were not taken into account for

How were African Americans treated in America?

African Americans were treated as inferior, and by the time slavery ended in the 1860s there were more African Americans living in the South than whites. 41 state governments introduced measures to control black people in fear of their growing power.

What were the measures set in place to control African Americans?

These were called the Jim Crow laws, named after a song which portrayed African Americans as inferior. This law segregated white people from black.

How many people were lynched?

in 1919 at least 70 African americnas were lynched in the southern states

What was the Klu Klux Klan and what did it do?

This group terrorised black people and believed that white people were supreme. Most members were wasps, and the group died out after 1870 when the group was determined a terrorist organization. However, it revived in 1915 after a film released called "the birth of a nation", which depicted the Klan saving white families from African Americans. By 1920, they had over 100k members and claimed to have 5m in 1925

Who was James Cameron and what happened

In 1930, 16 year old James Cameron escaped a lynching by a mob as they miraculously let him free. He called it a 'miraculous intervention'.

Improvements for African americans

After the lynchings, African Americans started leaving the south to northern cities such as New York and Chicago. Numbers of Africans doubled there. A successful "black capitalist" movement encouraged them to start up business

How did African Americans respond to intolerance

They started a successful boycott of chain stores in Chicago, protesting that they would not shop there until African American workers were hired. By 1930 all shops in the North side had African American employees

What was the WEB DuBois

They founded the national association for the advancement of colored people (NAACP). It had 300 branches and 90k members in 1919 and they campaigned to end racial segregation and make lynching illegal.

Significance of Marcus Garvey

He founded the Universal Negro Improvement association and told african americnas to be proud of their race. He helped them set up their own businesses and by the 1920s there were UNIA grovery stores, laungry and resturants. The businesses eventually collpaesd du to hostility of authorities

Life expectancy for african amiercans

increased from 45 ears to 48 between 1900 and 1930 but it was 54 to 59 for whites. They had poorer housing but had to pay more and poor education and health services

Chicago prejudice

Blacks faced more prejudice from residents who lived in chicago for longer and when they tried to use parks in irish and polish districts they were beaten by white gangs called athletic clubs. The became isolated ghettos

What was the Ku Klux Klan (KKK)?

A white supremacist group that targeted African Americans, Catholics, Jews, and immigrants. It used violence and intimidation to enforce racial segregation and white dominance.

Why did the KKK grow in the 1920s?

• Rising immigration and nativism.

• Fear of social change (e.g. jazz, urban culture).

• Resentment after WWI (job competition).

• Use of modern methods—rallies, propaganda, uniformed marches.

• “Birth of a Nation” - 1915

How did the KKK intimidate its targets?

• Lynching and physical violence.

• Cross burnings.

• Threats and economic boycotts.

• Public parades and marches.

How powerful was the KKK at its peak?

• Over 5 million members by 1925.

• Influenced politics—elected governors and senators.

• Especially strong in the South and Midwest.

What caused gangsterism in the 1920s?

• Prohibition created illegal alcohol markets.

• Weak law enforcement—easy bribery.

• High public demand for alcohol.

• Lack of jobs post-WWI.

Who was Al Capone?

A famous Chicago gangster who ran a powerful bootlegging empire. Known for his wealth, violence, and corruption of officials. Controlled police and judges.

What crimes did gangsters commit during Prohibition?

• Bootlegging (illegal alcohol production/sale).

• Racketeering (forcing businesses to pay for "protection").

• Bribery of police and politicians.

• Murder and violence (e.g. St Valentine’s Day Massacre).

Why couldn’t the government stop gangsterism?

1. Police and judges were bribed.

2. Gangs used extreme violence.

3. Public sometimes supported them.

4. Laws were hard to enforce (Prohibition especially).

What was the impact of gangsterism on American society?

• Increased violence and corruption.

• Made a mockery of law and order.

• Helped turn public opinion against Prohibition.

• Showed the failure of attempts to control social behaviour.