Chapter 8 – The Jazz Age

The 1920s is often referred to as the Jazz Age or the Roaring 20s. Why do you think the 20s are referred to as the Roaring 20s? What characteristics do you think of when hear something roaring? Why do you think the 20s are referred to as the Roaring 20s? What characteristics do you think of when hear something roaring?

The Politics of the 1920s

I’VE GOT THE POWER!!!! For the entire decade of the 1920s, the Republicans controlled the presidency

The Election of 1920 Warren G. Harding (R) Ran under the platform of pro-business, antilabor, and limits on immigration.

The Election of 1920 Now why don’t you make like a tree and get outta here!!! Harding won because he called for a “Return to Normalcy” and Americans echoed this call

BUSINESS Harding’s Presidency Huge proponent of laissez-faire 2 main economic goals Reduce the national debt Promote economic growth

Republicans Support Business Republicans pass the Fordney-McCumber Tariff, which increased the tariff on manufactured goods to an all time high How could this help business? It made domestic products more appealing to consumers Republicans cut taxes to wealthy class How could this help business? The theory was “trickle down” economics

Some Win, Some Lose Profits earned by businesses and industries in the 1920s Workers’ wages in the 1920s Businesses and industries boomed, including 1,000 mergers Workers’ wages only increased by 10% We are very anti-union!! We support the American Plan

Scandals Under Harding’s Administration Forbes’ Scandal Teapot Dome Scandal

Calvin Coolidge Took over after Harding died He won the Election of 1924 “The business of America is business” Silent Cal

Foreign Policy Under the Republicans of the 1920s REVIEW QUESTION: Did the U.S. join the League of Nations? The Myth of Isolationism Dawes Plan An agreement with Britain, France, & Germany to help them pay back war debt and reparations. Washington Conference International meeting in Washington for the disarmament of nations’ navies Kellogg-Briand Pact Agreement signed by the U.S. and 14 other nations that outlawed war Did the U.S. stay out of international affairs after World War I?

A Growing Economy

Americans buy more in the 20s Americans were able to purchase more goods in the 1920s because of two reasons: Scientific Management (decreased the cost of goods  this led to mass production) Scientific Management (decreased the cost of goods  this led to mass production) Wages Rose (increased consumers purchasing power) Wages Rose (increased consumers purchasing power)

Henry Ford and the Automobile Ford Motor Company was the industry leader in the early 1900s. Ford wanted to make the automobile even more affordable Hmmm…how do I make cars more affordable? I can apply scientific management and a new production method called the assembly line

Assembly Line In an assembly line, workers stood in one place as partially assembled products such as automobiles moved past them on a conveyor belt How could this affect companies? How could this affect workers? Ford was able to mass produce his Model – T.

Ford and the Model T

The Automobile Industry The auto industry became a huge business in the 1920s. By 1929, more than 1 million people labored in the automobile industry.

Impact of the Automobile It expanded geographic boundaries Road trips and Sunday drives Allowed for the increased development of the suburbs Decreased population of the inner cities Growth of other industries associated with automobiles

Ford’s thoughts on the “average worker” Henry Ford maintained an unapologetic attitude about the deadening nature of assembly-line work. In an autobiography published in 1922, Ford offered the following assessment of conditions in his factories: “Repetitive labor – the doing of one thing over and over again and always in the same way – is a terrifying prospect to a certain turn of mind. It is terrifying to me. I could not possibly do the same thing day in and day out, but to other minds, perhaps I might say to the majority of minds, repetitive operations hold no terrors…The average worker, I am sorry to say, wants a job in which he does not have to put forth much physical exertion – above all, he wants a job in which he does not have to think.

What do you think??? Henry Ford had some strong views regarding American workers. What are your thoughts on Ford’s assessment of the “average worker”? Do you agree or disagree with him. Write a 2 paragraph response expressing your opinion.

Consumerism What are the differences between “wants” and “needs”? I hate this old phone!!! I NEED a new smartphone!!! Changes in industrialization methods led to an increase in consumerism  people were able to buy more things they “wanted”

Why was consumerism exploding during the 1920s? Easy Consumer Credit Credit is borrowing money from a bank to purchase an item now and paying the amount back over time plus interest Advertising New advertising methods were utilized Ads were placed in magazines, newspapers, and on the newly invented radio

A Clash of Values

Nativism and Immigration Policies What is Nativism? A belief that one’s native land needs to be protected against immigrants Sacco and Vanzetti

African Americans Continue to Move North Reasons for continued migration: Economic Opportunity Escape Discrimination They were the first to lose their jobs They faced discrimination Race Riots (Chicago 1919)

The Return of the Klan Fueled by race riots and the Red Scare, the KKK returned in the early 1920s. At one point the Klan had an estimated 4-5 million members. The Klan eventually died out as scandals and corruption were exposed. The 1920s KKK also targeted Catholics, Jews, & foreigners

Changes for Women The old view of women was that of Victorian Culture. Magazines, movies, and literature expressed the emergence of a new kind of woman. These new adventurous women were called flappers.

Old WomanNew Woman

Fundamentalism was a response to the rapidly changing society of the 1920s. It was a Protestant movement that regarded every word of the Bible as literal truth. The battle between conservative religious beliefs and liberal thinking is no better illustrated than in the Scopes Trial. Fundamentalism

Intelligent Design vs. Evolution Conservative Religion New Scientific Thinking Important People: John Scopes, Charles Darwin, Clarence Darrow, William Jennings Bryan Ruling: Scopes was found guilty and fined $100; however, their were mixed feelings about the ruling. Scopes Trial

Intro Questions 1.Have you ever been told by your parents you weren’t allowed to do something? 2.How did you feel? 3.What did you do?

Prohibition Rural Protestant Americans supported Prohibition; city-dwellers were most likely to ignore it CITY SPEAKEASIES DON’T STOP THE PARTY!!!!! Since there was a strong desire to “keep the party going”, organized crime took the opportunity to meet the demand

Cultural Innovations

The Lost Generation A group of writers who became disillusioned by World War I Felt the war was a fraud Disenchanted with materialism and consumerism

Mass Entertainment

Celebrities and Heroes Media created instant appeal and mass appeal for certain individuals. Among them were… Charles Lindbergh Amelia Earhart Amelia Earhart Babe Ruth Babe Ruth Jim Thorpe

The Harlem Renaissance HARLEM (chain migration) New generation of black artists Flourishing of African American culture Express African American pride Very long lasting effects

African Americans and 1920s Politics Many African Americans felt the war would usher in a new age for race relations in the United States Racism increased Massive layoffs from returning troops Race riots broke out (1919) Marcus Garvey became a leader among African Americans Black Nationalism  A.A. should take pride in their own achievements Pan-Africanism  A.A. should return to Africa