Individuals of the Roaring 1920s An Introduction to the Individuals and Groups That Captured the Publics Imagination During the JAZZ AGE

Sacco and Vanzetti Example of intolerance: *they were Italian immigrants * they were charged with robbing and murdering two payroll employees in Massachusetts * arrested and put on trial, little evidence was presented that Sacco and Vanzetti were guilty, estimably charged with murder.

SILENT CALVIN COOLIDGE Calvin Coolidge was known as “Silent” Cal. While he was President, the United States was a very prosperous nation. He said “The business of America is Business.”Unfortun ately, the United States economy was overproducing goods and relied too much on credit purchases – which eventually would cause a severe depression!

George Gershwin George Gershwin was an American composer and pianist.[1][2] Gershwin's compositions spanned both popular and classical genres, and his most popular melodies are widely known. Among his best known works are the orchestral compositions Rhapsody in Blue (1924) and An American in Paris (1928), as well as the opera Porgy and Bess (1935).

Aaron Copland Aaron Copland music was uniquely American and is still used today in commercials and on Broadway. By the mid-’30s Copland had become not only one of the most popular composers in the country, but a leader of the community of American classical musicians.

Dancing the Charleston FLAPPERS Flappers of the 1920's started a new era for women. Independent- minded women who cut their hair short, went to college, drank alcohol, smoked cigarettes, and became involved with politics and demonstrations during the Roaring 1920s. This was a rebellion by women that changed women's fashion and their place in society. Dancing the Charleston

F. Scott Fitzgerald One of America’s memorable authors. With his novel The Great Gatsby he depicted the Gilded Age of over indulgence and greed. Fitzgerald was a critic of what he saw as the emptiness of rich people’s lives. He seemed both fascinated and disgusted by the people he wrote about.

F. SCOTT FITZGERALD AND The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald was a member of a group of expatriate American authors known as “The Lost Generation.” He was the author of The Great Gatsby, a novel which many of America’s literary critics consider the greatest novel in American History.

Georgia O’Keefe .Georgia O”Keefe was known for her paintings of the Southwest often featured a combination of skulls and beautiful flowers.

CHRISTIAN FUNDAMENTALISTS Individuals who interpret the Bible literally and oppose teaching theories which are in opposition to Scripture, in particular the theory of evolution. They rejected the theory of evolution saying it denied the words of the bible. The Scopes ‘Monkey’ Trial

JOHN SCOPES – The Scopes-Monkey Trial of 1925 in Dayton, TN John Scopes was a substitute teacher who was arrested in Dayton, TN for teaching Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution from the book, The Origin of the Species. The law in Tennessee said that only the Book of Genesis could explain the origins of man.

Harlem Renaissance This term refers to the birth of African-American literature, poetry, art, and music which occurred during the 1920s in Harlem, New York. The movement consisted of poets like Langston Hughes, actors like Paul Lawrence Dunbar, and writers like Zora Neale Hurston.

Jacob Lawrence Jacob Lawrence, one of the most important artists of the 20th century, was born in 1917 and is best known for his series of narrative paintings depicting important moments in African American history.

LANGSTON HUGHES This African- American poet was the most famous contributor to the “Harlem Renaissance.” His most famous poems during the 1920s were “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” and “I, Too Sing America.”

Bessie Smith Bessie Smith was called “Empress of the Blues” due to her unique style and elaborate costumes. By the end of the 1920s, Smith was the highest-paid black performer of her day, and had earned herself the title "Empress of the Blues."

DUKE ELLINGTON He was born in Washington, D.C., but he really became famous after moving to New York and taking a job playing piano at the Cotton Club in Harlem. His “swing” music was a major innovation in the history of jazz. Today, he is picture on Washington DC’s quarter, standing next to his piano.

LOUIS “SATCHMO” ARMSTRONG Louis Armstrong was born in New Orleans around the turn of the century. He became the most famous jazz trumpeter and vocalist of his generation, and is considered by many to be the ‘Father of Jazz”. You know ‘It’s a Wonderful World’ and a ‘Hello Dolly’.