Culture, economics, and major movements of the decade The roaring ‘20s Culture, economics, and major movements of the decade

Business & Urban life Free market flourished Major industries Laissez-faire approach by the gov’t Tariffs on imports & lower domestic business tax Major industries Chain stores & convenience markets (five and dimes) Airplane Used for mail delivery, weather forecasting, transportation Automobile Began mass-production (Henry Ford) By the late ‘’20s, there was 1 car for every 5 people in the U.S.

Business & urban life Cars changed the way people lived Vacations/day trips connected rural areas to cities gave new freedom to women led to urban sprawl (workers could live outside the city & commute in; metropolitan areas & suburbs grew around cities)

Business & urban life Personal finances Avg household income grew by 35% in the 1920s New, smarter advertising reached millions of consumers Increased mobility (cars) & home-delivery People could now buy more luxury & convenience goods Homes, cars, electrical appliances, variety of clothing Installment plans allowed consumers to pay for their purchases over a period of time Businesses pushed these to sell higher priced items Convenient? Or short-sighted? http://app.discoveryeducation.com/player/view/assetGuid/2915B640-16BA-43A7-8A49-31D105B947AE

Life under prohibition 18th Amendment – 1920 Began the era of Prohibition – illegal to make, sell, or transport alcoholic beverages Supporting legislation = Volstead Act Many states already had such laws Temperance movement Alcohol was encouraging the ills of society WCTU Lack of public support Many did not see drinking as a problem Used in celebrations and business settings

Life under prohibition Led to a rise in crime People invented ways to avoid the law Bootleggers – people who illegally smuggled alcohol Speakeasies – hidden bars & clubs that sold alcohol Organized crime People like Al Capone ran vast business networks, making a fortune off supplying illegal alcohol during Prohibition

Life under prohibition The “noble experiment” largely failed May have caused more problems than it solved Law enforcement powerless to keep control Repealed by the 21st Amendment in 1933 Some positives – e.g. contributing to the changing role of women More liberated, more equal in work, marriage, and society in general Progress made through encouraging and avoiding this law Interesting facts Mixed support from Presidents Hoover supported it, FDR opposed it Capone estimated to have made $60 mil/year in his bootlegging industry Drinking was not actually illegal Some states continued prohibition after 1933 (MS  1966)

Science & religion Fundamentalism was growing Protestant religious movement based on literal biblical interpretation Many were skeptical of scientific discoveries & theories Participation in mass culture Billy Sunday’s southern speaking tours Aimee Semple McPherson’s radio broadcasts Key point of controversy was the theory of evolution

Science & religion Debate over evolution led to the famous Scopes trial of 1925 (aka “Monkey trial”) TN law (Butler Act) made it a crime to teach evolution in public schools John Scopes broke this law in his bio class and was arrested Defense = Clarence Darrow (ACLU) Argument: the law violates separation of church & state and Scopes’s right to express his professional views Prosecution = William Jennings Bryan Argument: communities can set standards for public schools Bryan called as an “expert” witness on biblical text; forced to admit there could be different interpretations of the Bible; bit hit to fundamentalist thinking

Science & religion Result: Trial was followed closely by the public Radio broadcasts; court proceedings moved to an outdoor stage Result: Prosecution won “The judge made clear to the jury that…the only issue in question was whether or not Scopes had presented evolution as fact — and he had admitted as much. The teacher was found guilty and fined $100 for his transgression. Later, on appeal, the Tennessee supreme court upheld the constitutionality of the law, but reversed Scopes’ conviction on the technical point that the fine had been excessive.” - www.u-s-history.com Other states discouraged from passing similar laws Butler Act repealed in 1967 Edwards v. Aguillard in 1987, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 7 - 2 that mandatory creation science in public schools was unconstitutional