1920s

flapper

• rebellious, fun-loving, bold young women who wore short dresses & cut (bobbed) her hair

• smoked & drank in public

demographics

statistics that describe a population

barrio

Spanish-speaking neighborhoods in urban areas with a predominantly Hispanic population

mass media

• use of print & broadcast methods to communicate to large numbers of people

• created national culture

Jazz Age

referring to the 1920s era of jazz music, cultural innovation, and rebellion against traditional norms.

Lost Generation

• Writers that rejected materialism

• scorned American culture & society as artless & uninspired.

• Expatriates – left USA for Europe. (Paris)

Harlem Renaissance

cultural movement celebrating African American achievements in art, music, literature centered in Harlem, New York.

bootlegger

People who illegally produced, transported, or sold alcohol during Prohibition

speakeasy

Illegal bars or clubs that sold alcohol during Prohibition.

fundamentalism

religious movement emphasizing strict adherence to traditional Christian doctrines, often opposing modern science

Scopes trial

1925 court case in Tennessee, where teacher John T. Scopes was tried for teaching evolution

communism

one-party control of people & land

Red Scare

intense fear of communism and radical political ideologies in the U.S

isolationism

policy of avoiding political or military involvement with other nations

disarmament

reduction or elimination of a country's military forces and weapons

quota

Immigration limits set by laws such as the Immigration Act of 1924, restricting the number of immigrants from specific countries

Teapot Dome Scandal

• One official had stolen government funds

• Others had taken bribes in order to get contracts approved or bills passed

• 2 members of cabinet commit SUICIDE

• 1921-1922 > Secretary of the Interior Albert B. Fall gave oil drilling rights on gov owned lands to 2 private oil companies

  • received $300,000 in illegal payments

Kellogg-Briand Pact

• outlawed war as an instrument of national policy

• called upon signatories to settle their disputes by peaceful means.

consumer economy

economy depending on people spending large amounts

1. Higher Wages

2. Clever Advertising

3. New Products

4. Lower costs

5. Availability of credit

installment plan

allowed payment for items over a period of time

assembly line

• manufacturing process popularized by Henry Ford

• 1 person assigned a specific role in a series of steps, dramatically increasing efficiency.

Gross National Product

total value of goods & services a country produces annually

speculation

practice of making high-risk investments in the hopes of getting a huge return

margin buying

investors buy a stock for a fraction of its price & borrow the rest

welfare capitalism

benefits like better wages, paid vacations, & healthcare to prevent unionization & improve loyalty.

Charles Lindbergh

Aviator famous for the first solo nonstop 36-hr flight across the Atlantic from NY to Paris in 1927

Amelia Earhart

first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic in 1932

disappeared during an attempted around-the-world flight in 1937

Babe Ruth

Red Sox pitcher traded to Yankees, Home Run King

Jack Dempsey

heavyweight boxing champion who dominated the sport during the 1920s

Jim Thorpe

• Olympian, College Football & Baseball, NFL

Al Jolson

• "The World's Greatest Entertainer,"

• starred in The Jazz Singer (1927), the first full-length film marking the transition from silent films to "talkies."

Greta Garbo

Hollywood star whose enigmatic performances in films like Anna Karenina and Camille made her one of the most famous actresses of the era.

Charlie Chaplin

comedic character "The Tramp" became a symbol of resilience and humor during difficult times.

Duke Ellington

• jazz composer, bandleader, and pianist,

• instrumental in shaping the big band sound and elevating jazz to an art form.

Louis Armstrong

• jazz trumpeter and vocalist

• revolutionized jazz with his improvisational style and charismatic stage presence.

Benny Goodman

• "King of Swing,"

• played a key role in popularizing swing music, breaking racial barriers by performing with integrated bands.

Ernest Hemingway

• 1926 – The Sun Also Rises – 1^st time “Lost Generation” used in print.

Sinclair Lewis

• first American to win the Nobel Prize in Literature.

• attacked American society – irony his main tool –

  • (1) conformists

  • (2) medical business

  • (3) dishonest ministers

F. Scott Fitzgerald

• This Side of Paradise (1920) – flapper culture;

• The Great Gatsby (1925) – rich, shallow

Zora Neale Hurston

• Their Eyes were Watching God (1937) used the experience of a black woman to tell her life story through different marriages.

• included phonetic spellings which garnered criticism by her peers.

Langston Hughes

• captured the struggles and joys of African American life in works like The Weary Blues.

• poet, journalist, playwrigh

John T. Scopes

Tennessee teacher charged with illegally teaching evolution

Al Capone

• Chicago gangster who rose to prominence during Prohibition

• controlled a vast network of illegal alcohol distribution

Billy Sunday

• former baseball player turned preacher,

• evangelist who passionately supported Prohibition and traditional Christian values

Clarence Darrow

defended Scopes in the Scopes Trial, arguing for academic freedom and the acceptance of evolution

William Jennings Bryan

• prosecuted Scopes in the trial, defending fundamentalist Christian beliefs.

Marcus Garvey

• fought to establish homeland in Africa

• encourage black-owned businesses & inspired racial pride

• provided inspiration for later “black pride” movements

Warren G. Harding

• promised a "return to normalcy" after WWI

• gave important government positions to acquaintances (Ohio Gang) who were dishonest, inexperienced or incompetent

• Veteran’s Bureau

• Teapot Dome Scandal

Vladimir Lenin

• Leader of the Russian Bolshevik Revolution and founder of the Soviet Union

• fueled fears of communism in the U.S., contributing to the Red Scare.

A. Mitchell Palmer

• Attorney General

• led controversial raids during the Red Scare, targeting suspected radicals and anarchists.

Calvin Coolidge

• 30th U.S. President,

• VP to Harding

• No part in scandals

• Finished Harding term; elected in 1924 on “Keep Cool with Coolidge” campaign

• “Silent Cal”

• laissez-faire economic policies & belief that "the business of America is business.”

Nicola Sacco & Bartolomeo Vanzetti

• Italian immigrants and anarchists executed for robbery and murder of a shoe factory guard

• convicted b/c they were immigrants w/ radical beliefs

Herbert Hoover

• 31st U.S. President

• sought to keep gov out of business & promoted “rugged individualism”

• reputation was marred by the onset of the Great Depression,

Al Smith

four-term governor of New York & the first Catholic major-party candidate for president

Rural v. Urban Morals & Values

• rural areas upheld traditional values like religion and temperance

• urban centers embraced modernity, secularism, and consumerism

African American Experience

• Great Migration brought African Americans from the South to urban centers

• cultural flourishing in the Harlem Renaissance.

• Despite cultural achievements, racial discrimination, segregation, and lynching persisted.

• KKK

Development of a National Culture

• Innovations in mass media (radio, film, and magazines) helped unify American culture,

• spread jazz, fashion trends, and consumerism across diverse regions.

18th & 19th Amendments

• 18th Amendment (1919) instituted Prohibition, banning alcohol but leading to bootlegging and speakeasies.

• 19th Amendment (1920) granted women the right to vote, marking a significant step for gender equality.

Key Features of Republican Administrations (1921–1933)

• prioritized pro-business policies

• reduced government regulation

• promoted isolationism in foreign policy

Schenck v. United States (1919)

• Charles Schenck, distributed pamphlets urging men to resist the military draft during WWI.

• ruling established that free speech could be restricted if it posed a "clear and present danger" to national security, especially during wartime.

Gitlow v. New York (1925)

• Benjamin Gitlow convicted for advocating overthrow of gov in his writings.

• ruled that the First Amendment applied to state governments through the Fourteenth Amendment's Due Process Clause ("incorporation").

• began the process of applying the Bill of Rights to state actions

Meyer v. Nebraska (1923)

• Nebraska banned teaching foreign languages in schools for young children

• teacher was convicted for teaching German.

• Court struck down the law, affirming that the Fourteenth Amendment protected individuals' liberty to teach and learn foreign languages.

Signs of Economic Collapse Before 1929

• overproduction

• personal debt

• uneven income distribution,

• declining agricultural prices,

• Speculation on the Stock Market & Land deals

• margin buying