Unit 1 Notes 4: Cultural Changes in the 1920’s Urban vs. Rural: Flappers, Prohibition and the Mob, and Science vs. Religion U.S. History

The Differences between Urban and Rural America

Urban vs. Rural The 1920’s saw the growth of the city and the decline of the rural. The 1920 census showed that 51.2% of Americans were living in communities with populations over 2500 people. Between 1922 and 1929, almost 2 million people left farms and towns for cities each year.

Urban vs. Rural The differences between the city and the country were at the heart of most of the cultural conflict in the 1920’s. The cities were the areas of new ideas, inventions, and lifestyles. They were also where people went to break with tradition

Urban vs. Rural The rural areas were the places that maintained tradition, shunned many of the new changes and tried to preserve American life the way it was in the 1800’s.

Prohibition

Prohibition In January 1920, one of the biggest debates between urban and rural areas was won by the rural - the 18th Amendment went into effect and banned the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcoholic beverages Why the concern about alcohol all of a sudden? 6min “A nation of drunkards”

Prohibition The Prohibition movement was backed by the church-affiliated Anti-Saloon League and The Woman’s Christian Temperance Union. Watch Carrie Nation take on drinking to help pass the 18th Amendment 7.5 min “Hatchetation” The 18th Amendment worked at first as saloons closed their doors and arrests for drunkenness declined, but the idea of Prohibition did not work with the attitude of the 1920’s

Prohibition People began to want to drink and go out to clubs at night. Many immigrant groups (don’t forget that many immigrants were still based in cities at this time) also did not believe that drinking was a sin. To outwit the 18th amendment, people began to illegally sell alcohol.

Prohibition Soon speakeasies opened to satisfy the desires of the people. These were illegal, hidden nightclubs and saloons that could be found everywhere.

Prohibition Others began to smuggle liquor in from Canada, Cuba, and the West Indies. These people were called bootleggers A “Good” Bootlegger 6min

Prohibition Prohibition generated a large disrespect for the law in America. It also helped to begin the organized crime movement in American cities. The Valentines Day Massacre 7.5 min “Murder to Massacre”

Prohibition For instance, Al Capone, a Chicago bootlegger and gangster, made over $60 million a year. Capone was able to take over the Chicago bootlegging business by killing his competition.

Prohibition The government was not able to stop much of this illegal activity because the Prohibition Bureau was only given 1500 agents to deal with the entire country. The story of a Prohibition agent in Kentucky 5 min “Kentucky Stills” By the mid-1920’s, only 19% of Americans actually supported Prohibition. But this amendment would not be repealed until 1933 with the 21st Amendment.

Prohibition Clip

Women in the 1920’s

Women of the 1920’s Women won the right to vote in 1920 with the 19th Amendment. This began a new time for women in America. Women began to throw out traditional attitudes to many things including marriage, child-rearing, work, and public behavior.

Women in the 1920’s One of the way that women chose to demonstrate their new ideas was the flapper. The flapper was a woman who embraced the new fashions and urban attitudes of the day.

Women in the 1920’s Flappers often wore waistless dresses that fell at the knee, clipped their hair into “bobs”, and smoked, drank, or talked about sex in public!

Women in the 1920’s Women also began entering the workforce in new areas such as professional and clerical fields.

Women in the 1920’s The 1920’s also saw the first time that women were legally able to acquire birth control information from their doctors. This allowed married women to choose how many children to have. Many women also experienced greater equality in marriage as marriages were based more on romantic love and companionship.

Women in the 1920’s Video Clip Clip 1 – Women in the 1920’s

Religion vs. Science

Religion vs. Science Another example of a clash between tradition and the modern world during the 1920’s was the conflict between religion and science The 1920’s were a time of new scientific inventions and discoveries. Some of these contradicted the ideas of fundamental religion.

Religion vs. Science Fundamentalism was a movement in Protestant religion that was grounded in a literal, non-symbolic, interpretation of the Bible. In the 1920’s fundamentalism showed itself in a variety of ways:

Religion vs. Science In the South and West, preachers led revivals based on the authority of the Scriptures. These revivals were also broadcast on the new media of the time - radio.

Religion vs. Science The greatest clash between religion and science in the 1920’s was the conflict over Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution, which he had advanced in the 1800’s and was gaining supporters in the 1920’s. In the 1920’s may fundamentalists began to call for laws banning the teaching of evolution in schools

Religion vs. Science Evolution Darwin’s theory of evolution states that plant and animal species had developed and changed (evolved) over millions of years

Religion vs. Science The Bible Fundamentalists particularly argued with the idea in evolution that humans evolved from apes. They turned to the Bible which said that God made the world and all living things on it (including man) in 6 days

Religion vs. Science In March 1925, Tennessee passed the first law banning the teaching of evolution. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) promised to defend any teacher who would challenge the law. John T. Scopes, a young biology teacher, accepted the challenge. The court case (known as the Scopes Trial) was extremely well publicized.

Religion vs. Science The ACLU chose the most famous trial lawyer of the day, Clarence Darrow, to defend Scopes. William Jennings Bryan, three time presidential candidate, former Populist party leader, and fundamentalist minister, led the prosecution. Darrow and Bryan

Religion vs. Science Clip What was the outcome of the Scopes Trial? How did it change America?