the roaring 20s

What feature of American life began in the 1920's, which is still present today?

A feature of American life known as "the celebrity". Opera singer Enrico Caruso has often been called the first modern celebrity. Charlie Chaplin, Babe Ruth, and Charles Lindbergh are all popular celebrities from this time.

What was a flapper?

A flapper is a young woman with bobbed hair and short skirts who drank, smoked and said what might be termed "unladylike" things, in addition to being more sexually "free" than previous generations. It's the most familiar symbol of the "Roaring Twenties".

How did America's international standing help bolster the economy?

American corporations began reaching oversees and American foreign investment was greater than any other country.The dollar replaced the pound as the most important currency for trade.By the end of the decade America was producing 85% of the world's cars and 40% of its overall manufactured goods.

Why did Americans have more time for leisure during the 1920's?

Americans had more time for leisure since companies began pumping out time saving devices, such as: Vacuum cleaners, toasters, and refrigerators.

How much did working class Americans and farmers enjoy the benefits of 1920's manufacturing?

By 1930, 75% of working class Americans didn't have a washing machine and only 40% had a radio. Farmers had prospered during World War 1 due to subsidies but when the subsidies ended, farmers could not make a profit and their income dropped. Many farmers saw banks foreclose on their property. For the first time in history, farms declined in America.

What were common leisure activities of the time?

Common leisure activities included radio, baseball games, boxing matches, vacations, dance crazes, and the movies.

How popular were the movies during the 1920's?

Historians estimate that, by the end of the decades, three-quarters of the American population visited a movie theater every week.

Why can the 1920's be seen as a time of contradictions?

It preached tolerance but at the same time saw a rise in lynching's. Immigrants were necessary to fuel the economic boom of the time but were barred from entering.

What was the spirit of the Harlem Renaissance?

It rejected stereotypes and prejudice and sought to celebrate African American experience. They believed that they could fight back.

Which forms of black culture became more predominant in northern cities during the 1920's?

Jazz and blues music. The literary movement known as the Harlem Renaissance.

Why did productivity rise during the 1920's?

Productivity rises because older industries adopted Henry Ford's assembly line techniques. Also, new industries, aviation, chemical and electronics, came of age to provide Americans with new products and new jobs.

Why had Prohibition been passed in the first place?

Prohibition was a way to assert some control over the unruly immigrant masses who crowded the nation's cities. Eliminating alcohol would, some believed, turn back the clock to an earlier and more comfortable time.

What happened to smaller businesses during the 1920's?

Since big business kept expanding, small businesses disappeared. During the 1920's, the number of manufacturing workers declined by 5%- the first time this class of workers saw its numbers drop. New England actually saw deindustrialisation as operations moved to the south.

Why was spending money much easier for Americans in the 1920's? What did all of this spending result in?

Spending money was much easier because Americans had access to credit cards and layaway. All of this available borrowing power meant that it was acceptable to go into debt to maintain the American standard of living.

What did the 18th Amendment lead to?

The 18th Amendment drove the liquor trade underground-people simply went to nominally illegal speakeasies instead of ordinary bars. These were controlled by bootleggers, racketeers and other organized-crime figures such as Chicago gangster Al Capone.

What was the 18th Amendment?

The 18th Amendment to the Constitution, ratified in 1919, banned the manufacture and sale of "intoxicating liquors," and at 12 A.M. on January 16, 1920. The federal Volstead Act closed every tavern, bar and saloon in the United States.

What did the 19th Amendment guarantee for women?

The 19th Amendment to the Constitution had guaranteed them (women) the right to vote in 1920.

What were some of the popular dances of the 1920's? Why did older generations object to the jazz music that went along with these dances?

The Charleston, the cake walk, the black bottom, the flea hop were some of the popular dances of the 1920's. Older people objected to jazz music's "vulgarity," "depravity," and the "moral disasters" it supposedly inspired.

What did a Ford Model T cost in 1924? How did car ownership change America?

The Ford Model T costed $260 in 1924. An economy of automobiles was born: businesses like service stations and motels sprang up to meet drivers' needs.

Which political party dominated American politics in the 1920's? What form of economics did this party adhere to?

The Republican Party dominated the government (all of the elected presidents in the 1920's were staunch conservative republicans). The federal government bowed to the policies put forth by the business lobbyists. They believed in lower taxes on personal income and business profits, and weakened the power of unions. The Federal Reserve and Federal Trade Commission were stocked with men who shared pro-business views.

Why was Wall Street seen as a "heroic" during the 1920's?

The Wall Street was seen as a "heroic" because by 1920, 1.5 million Americans owned some kind of stock.

How did the automotive industry change during the 1920's?

The annual production of cars tripled to 4.8 million in the 1920's. The automobile companies gradually consolidated into the big three: Ford, Chrysler, and GM. As a result, by 1929, half of all American families owned a car.

How did religion and science come into conflict during the 1920's?

The best example was the trial of John Scopes in Tennessee in 1925. Scopes broke the law which barred him from teaching evolution- he was encouraged by the ACLU to test freedom of speech. Scopes actually lost the trial but it still led to evolution being taught in more American schools.

Why was all of this consumer debt Americans took on in the 1920's a bad thing?

The consumer debt Americans took was a bad thing because if the economy ever faltered (and it was going to) things were going to get very bad.

Why did the American film industry move to Hollywood?

The film industry moved to Hollywood prior to World War 1 because land was cheap and plentiful. Also, constant sunshine meant that you could shoot movies all year round. Furthermore, Hollywood was close to everything: desert, mountains, and oceans which allowed for better scenery.

How fast did radio spread in the United States?

The first commercial radio station in the U.S., Pittsburgh's KDKA, hit the airwaves in 1920. Three years later there were more than 500 stations in the nation. By the end of the 1920s, there were radios in more than 12 million households.

How did the government help business grow by great amounts in the 1920's?

The government helped businesses grow by not regulating them. This is known as laissez-faire capitalism.

What is the common stereotypical view of the 1920's?

The idea that the 1920s was the roaring 20's, a decade of exciting change and new cultural touchstones, an increase in personal freedoms and dancing, and a time of increased wealth.

What internal migration continued in the United States during the 1920's?

The migration of African Americans from the South to cities in the North continued in the U.S during the 1920's. As a result, Harlem in New York City became the capital of black America.

What was the problem with the administration of President Warren G. Harding?

There was a lot of corruption in the president's government. For instance, his Attorney General accepted money not to prosecute criminals and his Interior Secretary took half a million dollars in exchange for leases to government oil reserves.

Why could the 1920's be seen as a reactionary period of American history?

There was a resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan- it claimed more than 3 million members by the mid 20's. They were motivated by the nationalism of World War 1 and increasing immigration.

How did people from coast to coast have the ability to buy the same goods in the 1920's?

They had the ability to buy the same goods because nationwide advertising and the spread of chain stores.

Was the prosperity of the 1920's fairly distributed?

Wages for industrial workers rose by a quarter between 1922 and 1929. Corporate profits rose at twice that rate. By 1929, 1% of the nation's banks controlled 50% of the nation's financial resources. The wealthiest 5% of Americans national income, exceeded that of the bottom 60%. An estimated 40% of Americans still lived in poverty. So, no the prosperity of the 1920's was not fairly distributed.

Why was immigration an issue during the 1920's? How did attitudes towards immigrants show prejudice?

White Protestants were scared of losing their position of power since most of the immigrants coming from Europe at this time were Catholic or Jewish. A bill in 1921 limited the immigration from Europe at 357,000. In 1924 a new law dropped that number to 150,000 and established quotas based on national origin. The number of immigrants allowed in from southern And Eastern Europe was drastically reduced. Asians—except Filipinos- were totally forbidden. Whites were seen as the superior race.

How did life for women change in the 1920's?

Women found new ways to express autonomy. For instance, flappers. They kept their hair and skirts short,smoked, drank illegally in public, and used birth control.

What limits were placed on the "liberation" women experienced?

Women were still expected to marry, have children, and find their freedom at home by using the washing machine.