THE CULTURE WAR UNIT III

WHY THE CHANGE?  The Progressive Era and WWI caused the birth of a whole new generation.  1920 saw the first time in U.S. history that more people lived in urban areas than in the rural country  U.S. culture experienced new divisions like never before  Young v. Old  Religion  Prohibition  Nativism

YOUNG V. OLD  First time in U.S. history that there was a true division between the young and old  Mostly fueled by urban living and mass production  For the first time, popular culture influenced a young generation on a very large scale  Older individuals saw the rebellion of the young as a break down of morals

YOUNG V. OLD CONT.  Young people were being influence by  Automobiles (“bordello on wheels”)  Music (Jazz)  Movies (exploded with invention of “talkies” in 1927)  Dance (Charleston)  Fashion

RELIGION: MODERNISTS V. FUNDAMENTALISTS  Modernists  Science, Social Gospel Movement, and changing roles of women led many to start to define religion in new ways  Adopted a loose and more critical interpretation of the Bible – maybe it didn’t happen EXACTLY how it said  Supported Darwin’s theory of evolution

RELIGION: MODERNISTS V. FUNDAMENTALISTS CONT.  Fundamentalists  Mostly rural  Followed a strict interpretation of the Bible – what it is said is what happened  Did not support the theory of evolution, believed in creationism  Believed modernists were to blame for declining morals  Use radio to bring a new religious revival to the rural U.S. – Billy Sunday and Aimee McPherson most famous

SCOPES TRIAL (AKA MONKEY TRIAL)  Most publicized battle between religion and science  John Scopes arrested and tried in 1925 for teaching evolution in TN  Followed by the entire nation through newspaper and radio  Scopes was convicted (later overturned on a technicality) and laws banning teaching evolution remained for decades but they were rarely enforced

PROHIBITION: WET V. DRY  18 th Amendment took effect Jan and was enforced by the Volstead Act  Success for the temperance movement – to them alcohol was the root of immorality and problems in the U.S. – this would save the day!  It didn’t – in fact it became quite trendy to defy the law  People still drank, officials paid to look the other way, speakeasies (bars) sprang up everywhere  Even the president still served alcohol in the White House

PROHIBITION: WET V. DRY CONT.  Although it did produce a decrease in alcoholism and alcohol- related deaths, it also sparked in increase in organized crime  Bootlegging gangs, such as those led by Al Capone, made millions from the illegal sale of alcohol which later expanded their crimes to prostitution, gambling and drugs.  In 1933, this “noble experiment” would come to an end with the passing of the 21 st Amendment

NATIVISM: AMERICAN V. FOREIGNERS  WWI interrupted immigration but after the war it exploded again (1 million immigrants between )  Involvement with the war and fear of foreign influence led many to resist immigration  Congress acted quickly to appease the people and passed quota laws that severely restricted “undesirable” immigrants (Asians/Eastern Europeans)

RISE OF THE KKK  Resurgence of popularity after release of popular silent film, Birth of a Nation Birth of a Nation  New technology allowed the group to reach more people than ever – 5 million members by 1925  Hostility wasn’t just focused on race but also on Catholics, Jews, immigrants and suspected Communists  Targeted anything that was “un-American”  Became so strong that their support was needed for some to be elected to offices