The 1920s

Technology Electricity: Homes: By 1929 two-thirds of American households had electricity. Appliances - refrigerators, vacuum cleaners & toasters

Workplace: Power-driven machinery Community: Theaters & streetlights

Technology Mass Production: Made US the greatest economic power Automobiles: Ford Model T Homes: Workers’ homes could be farther from jobs (suburbs) Visits by family and friends & vacations (leisure time) Community: New roads and highways Relocation of businesses (large department stores)

Consumer Society New Marketing techniques - A willingness to spend money! Advertising: Manufacturers needed to convince Americans who had been raised to value thrift, that spending for the present was preferable to saving for the future Jingles on the radio, print ads filled newspapers and magazines

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFzZ6izllWo

“Have you tried Wheaties? They're whole wheat with all of the bran. Wheaties broke new ground when the world's first singing commercial was performed on Christmas Eve, 1926.The four male singers, who came to be known as the Wheaties Quartet, warbled the jingle: “Have you tried Wheaties? They're whole wheat with all of the bran. Won't you try Wheaties? For wheat is the best food of man.” http://www.old-time.com/commercials/1920's/Wheaties.html

Consumer Society Sports became an American obsession A new luxury which was a combination of more leisure time, more money, easy credit,and freedom of roads Babe Ruth - baseball (Yankees), Red Grange - football (Univ. of Illinois), Jack Dempsey - boxing, Gertrude Ederle - swam across the English Channel (21 miles) in 1926

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7Ab8HmUmR0

Consumer Society Radio, Newspapers, and Movies Standardized News - people were tempted to read paper because of tabloids Radio: 1st broadcast was in Nov. 1920. 700 stations in 1927 Weekly shows like “Amos and Andy” & News like coverage of Charles Lindbergh’s non-stop flight across the Atlantic

Movies - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlM60Nwc6CE Charlie Chaplin was most popular silent film star 1927 1st talkie was “The Jazz Singer” with Al Jolson 1928 “Steamboat Willie” was the 1st Mickey Mouse cartoon

1920s Fashion

1920s Fashion – The Men Stemmed from sports or gangsters Wanted to appear “dapper.” Baggy pants, polished shoes, and a handkerchief in the pocket The baggy zoot suit worn for fancy occasions

Flappers F. Scott Fitzgerald said "lovely, expensive, and about nineteen.“ Rebelling from societal norms Short Sleek hair, short shapeless dresses, lots of makeup Frequenters of nightclubs

1920s Fashion – The Flapper

Flappers The Playful flapper here we see, The fairest of the fair. She's not what Grandma used to be, -- You might say, au contraire. Her girlish ways may make a stir, Her manners cause a scene, But there is no more harm in her Than in a submarine. She nightly knocks for many a goal The usual dancing men. Her speed is great, but her control Is something else again. All spotlights focus on her pranks. All tongues her prowess herald. For which she well may render thanks To God and Scott Fitzgerald. Her golden rule is plain enough - Just get them young and treat them rough.

Women Opportunities for greater education Gained the right to vote in 1919 with the 19th Amendment

Prohibition 18th Amendment outlawed the transporting, selling, manufacturing of Alcohol. Widely ignored Lead to Organize Crime

The 1920s Night Club “Speakeasies” Offered an intense experience Entertainment tended toward adult fare “Alcohol" was central to the experience. The Night Clubs also had their dark side.

Art & Music Shaped the Jazz Age http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rARN6agiW7o Art & Music Shaped the Jazz Age Lost Generation Rejected societies values The only possible salvation came from art F. Scott Fitzgerald - The Great Gatsby Ernest Hemingway - The Sun Also Rises William Faulkner - The Sound and the Fury T.S. Eliot & Robert Frost - poets

Art & Music Shaped the Jazz Age Harlem Renaissance Literary and artistic movement led by well-educated and talented middle-class African Americans who expressed a new pride in the African American experience. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPJuFxl0bxY