the roaring 20s

Introduction to the Roaring Twenties

  • Known as the Roaring Twenties due to new, less inhibited lifestyles adopted by many.

  • Marked a departure from the Progressive Era, with looser government regulations after World War I.

Economic Prosperity

  • Transition from wartime to peacetime posed challenges, with a downturn between 1920-1921.

  • Post-recovery economic boom led to:

    • Mass production of goods.

    • Electrification across America.

    • New marketing techniques and cheap credit availability.

    • Increased employment contributing to consumer growth.

  • Various terms used to describe this era: Golden Twenties, Jazz Age, Flapper Era, Mad Decade.

  • Most prosperous decade in U.S. history, though prosperity was uneven.

    • Urban dwellers fared better than rural farmers.

    • The wealthy gained more than the working class.

Cultural Movements

The Jazz Age

  • Cultural movement that included new styles of music and dance.

  • Jazz music, largely credited to African Americans, spread and gained popularity among white middle class.

  • Notable musicians included Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington; jazz faced criticism, seen by some as 'devil’s music.'

The Harlem Renaissance

  • A black literary and cultural movement of the 1920s.

  • Featured works that reflected the role of blacks in American society.

  • Key figures included novelist Zora Neale Hurston and poet Langston Hughes.

  • Movement spread beyond Harlem to urban centers nationwide.

The Flapper Movement

  • Flappers were young women embodying energetic freedom and defiance of traditional norms.

  • Represented the first generation of independent American women pushing barriers in various freedom forms.

  • Considered the most dominant image of the decade.

Discrimination and Racism

  • Racism and discrimination against African Americans escalated in the 1920s, affecting both North and South.

  • Black veterans returning from WWI expected improvement in their lives but faced ongoing challenges.

  • Significant race riots occurred (e.g., East St. Louis 1917, Chicago 1919).

  • The Great Migration of blacks from the South to North for jobs also encountered racism.

  • KKK membership peaked at over 5 million by 1924.

The Red Scare

  • Following WWI, fear of communism spurred a wave of paranoia known as the Red Scare.

  • The Bolshevik Revolution in Russia heightened fears of a similar uprising in the U.S.

  • Resulted in discrimination against immigrants and labor unions.

  • The Palmer Raids targeted suspected radicals, leading to mass arrests and deportations of non-citizens.

Prohibition and Organized Crime

  • A nationwide ban on alcohol from 1920 to 1933.

  • Policies more adhered to in rural areas versus urban areas (e.g., 95% compliance in Kansas vs. 5% in New York).

  • Prohibition led to organized crime focusing on illegal alcohol trade, known as bootlegging.

  • Notorious figures like Al Capone exemplified the rise of corruption and violence associated with this era.

  • Prohibition was repealed by the 21st Amendment in 1933.

Mass Media and Entertainment

  • The 1920s saw the rise of mass media, shaping a uniform national culture.

  • Innovations included:

    • Advertising, newspapers, radio, and motion pictures.

  • Prominence of national heroes like:

    • Babe Ruth (baseball), Red Grange (football), Jack Dempsey (boxing).

  • Movie stars included Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Clara Bow, and Rudolph Valentino.

  • Charles Lindbergh's 1927 transatlantic flight became a major media event, showcasing American heroism.