BUSINESS BOOM American business boomed in the 1920s due to a combination of a friendly and non-intervening government, increased consumer spending, the growth of technology, and a boom in labor Near the end of the decade, the US owned about 40% of the world’s wealth The major symbol of the business boom was the automobile, which changed American business and culture - it lead to growth in multiple industries like rubber, glass, steel; formed new industries like the construction of gas stations, paving companies, motels, shopping malls; and became a status symbol, part of American culture, even changed dating habits Other aspects of the business boom included radios, phonographs, washing machines, vacuum cleaners, sewing machines, and other household items The average worker produced 50% more by the end of the decade, and the national income grew from $58 billion in 1921 to $83 billion in 1929 It was mostly superficial, though … the wealthiest 6% of the population made as much as the bottom 40%!

CONSUMER SOCIETY People were buying a huge amount of materials on installment plans, or credit - it was easy to get a car or an appliance, since a lot of things were buy now, pay later Modern advertising was born in the 20s, as psychologists were hired to figure out exactly how to sell to the people Slogans and advertisers began to sell toothpaste, deodorant, and mouthwash - which had pretty much never existed The growth of exciting new opportunities to buy cars, appliances, and stylish clothing made the country's cultural conflicts seem less significant. Americans in the 1920s were the first to wear ready-made, exact-size clothing. They were the first to play electric phonographs, to use electric vacuum cleaners, to listen to commercial radio broadcasts, and to drink fresh orange juice year round. Cigarettes, cosmetics, and synthetic fabrics such as rayon became staples of American life. Newspaper gossip columns, illuminated billboards, and commercial airplane flights were novelties during the 1920s. As a result, older industries, such as textiles, railroads, and steel, declined, while newer industries, such as appliances, automobiles, aviation, chemicals, entertainment, and processed foods, surged ahead rapidly.

ENTERTAINMENT & LEISURE Americans had much more leisure time in the 1920s due to the advent of time saving technology in industry and at home. Many of the defining features of modern American culture emerged during the 1920s. The record chart, the book club, the radio, the talking picture, and spectator sports--all became popular forms of mass entertainment. The decade produced a generation of artists, musicians, and writers who were among the most innovative and creative in the country's history. The radio came of age, becoming the most powerful communication for - news, music, sports, shows, comedy - by 1940, 40% of households had radios, up from about 1% in 1920 Movie stars became the ideal for many Americans who flooded the theaters of the nation in record numbers - first silent movies, then “talkies” by the end of the decade - Hollywood became the “it” place Newspapers became more national in scope, and novels became much more popular Sports stars were legendary, like Babe Ruth, Jack Dempsey, Red Grange, and Gertrude Ederle Fads became all the rage - marathon dancing, flagpole sitting, crossword puzzles, doing the Charleston, playing Mahjongg, doing crossword puzzles

SOCIAL CHANGE Women changed the rules in the 20s, as many began to shed the cumbersome “women’s sphere” of the 1800s Skirts got shorter, necklines got longer, hair became bobbed, women wore make up, swore, and even danced and drank in public! Many women also went to work, since there were more opportunities for women in the workforce - equality in the workforce was still a long time coming Family life changed as well due to women - married women chose to work or have fewer children, there was more information about birth control, household life was simplified, divorce rates went up as marriages ended instead of “getting by” African American moved within the US as many southern blacks moved to Northern cities as part of the continuing Great Migration African The Harlem Renaissance flowered in New York, giving African Americans a voice in a mass cultural movement - song, art, literature and poetry

CONSERVATIVE POLITICS A time period dominated by Republican leadership in the White House and the Congress Warren Harding promised a “Return to Normalcy”, after a decade or progressive reform and world war The government was very friendly to big business, but otherwise tried to stay out of the lives of Americans - laissez faire The conservative policies included tax cuts for the wealthy and “trickle down” economics, pushed by Harding’s Secretary of Treasury Andrew Mellon Calvin Coolidge followed Harding as a pro-business President, stating “The business of America is business. This is a business country, and it wants a business government.” In foreign affairs, the US tried to be as isolationist as possible. The Red Scare led to a campaign against socialism in the United States, and immigration restrictions increased during the decade.

CULTURAL CONFLICT Note everything was rosy in the decade, as many different groups within the US came into conflict The KKK rose again, and lynching became common in the South African Americans also faced violence in the north, mostly due to racism and job competition Prohibition split the nation, as many people supported the outlawing of alcohol while others openly broke the law by going to speakeasies to consume illegal alcohol The Red Scare made many Americans scared of anarchists and immigrants, leading to huge raids of immigrants and a further restriction of the “new” immigrants from Eastern Europe Science and religion clashed in the Scopes Trial, over the concept of teaching the theory of evolution The brashness of the new woman offended many people - including women Basically, it was a conflict of old vs. new