Changes In American Society 22-2

Prohibition Many reformers had worked to reduce alcohol consumption in the United States in the late 1800’s Supporters of temperance began supporting prohibition, which is a total ban on the sale or consumption of alcohol During the war, Americans saw it as a way to preserve grains, so support for prohibition grew The states ratified the Eighteenth Amendment because of the large, strong support for prohibition, in 1919 The Eighteenth Amendment prohibited making, selling, or transporting alcohol, and began a specific time of federal enforcement known as Prohibition

Posters

The Experiment Fails Saloons shut down and drunken arrests declined, due to the Eighteenth Amendment There was a drop in the total amount of alcohol people consumed The law proved impossible to enforce, however, as it was easy to smuggle liquor across the borders, illegally Liquor smugglers were called bootleggers Towns often had speakeasies, which are illegal taverns that served liquor

The Growth Of Organized Crime Money made by bootlegging encouraged the growth of organized crime A series of gang wars broke out in some parts of the country Many people wanted to repeal the Eighteenth Amendment, as it was evident it didn't work February 1933, Congress approved the Twenty-First Amendment, repealing prohibition The federal government returned the control of alcohol to the states

Changing The Lives Of Women Women voted their first presidential election in 1920, due to the Nineteenth Amendment Women also joined political parties and were elected into offices, which were previously closed to them The first women governors were Nellie Tayloe Ross in Wyoming and Miriam “Ma” Ferguson in Texas Many universities and schools still barred women from administration In certain states, women couldn’t serve on juries or even keep they’re own earnings if they were married, but more women were holding jobs

Nellie Tayloe Ross and Miriam “Ma” Ferguson

A New Attitude Most young women in the 1920’s didn't seem interested in women’s rights “Flappers”, as they were called, shocked the older generation Even though there were few flappers, they became a symbol of women in the 1920’s

A New Mass Culture The automobile also became a symbol in the 1920’s, especially the Model T. Ford Henry Ford introduced the assembly line that reduced the amount it took to make cars from about 12 hours to 1 ½ hours Since prices for the car dropped, it now allowed middle class families to afford it

Impact Of The Automobile The automobile changed American life It became a symbol of individual freedom and independence It also created new jobs like gas stations, roadside restaurants, and cabins built along highways Cars and new roads made it easier for families to move to the suburbs Cars made people in rural areas feel less isolated They also encouraged tourism

The Model T. Ford

The Radio Commercial radio was an instant success Almost any family could afford a radio The radio was a leading provider of entertainment Families would listen to it after dinner Radios put families inside the scenarios they listened to, such as a baseball game It turned entertainers like singers, band members, and comedians into household names

The Radio (Continued) The first radio station, KDKA, began broadcasting in Pittsburgh in 1920 By 1926, there were over 700 radio stations and a national radio network, NBC People all over the world could now hear the same songs and thrill to the same radio dramas

Movies Movies were a large form of entertainment, as they provided an escape from everyday life Millions of Americans went to the movies at least once a week The movie industry grew up in Hollywood, where warm weather allowed year round filming The first films were silent, where a pianist or small music group would accompany them In 1927, the first major “talkie”, The Jazz Singer, created a sensation Americans especially loved action films COmedies were popular and made actors famous, like Charlie Chaplin

Movies (Continued) Animated movies also began in the 1920’s, and the Walt Disney Foundation was created in 1923 Love of films grew a fascination with movie stars Fan magazines and gossip columns attributed to the worship of celebrities

Social Conflict Not everyone shared in the new postwar social views, some were offended by what they saw They feared the rapid social and economic changes would destroy a treasured way of life

The Scopes Trial John Scopes was a high school biology teacher who was accused of violating Tennessee laws by teaching his students the theory of evolution Evolution is the scientific theory that all life has evolved, or developed, from simpler forms over a long period of time, divised by Charles Darwin in the nineteenth century Some religious leaders rejected evolution, saying it denied the world of the bible States banned people from teaching the theory of evolution, but Darwin challenged this law by announcing he taught evolution

The Scope Trial (Continued) The trial became a national sensation The prosecutor was William Jennings Bryan, who had run for president three times The defense attorney was Clarence Darrow, a famous criminal defense lawyer The trial pitted modern, urban Americans against traditional, rural Americans In the end, Scopes was convicted and lost his job Laws still remain but are rarely enforced

John Scopes and William Jennings Bryan John William

Racial Conflict African Americans went home from WWI with hopes for more equality, and they tried to get better jobs and move into better neighborhoods In 1920’s, many African Americans moved North, now known as the Great Migration They crowded in the few towns that allowed black residents Race riots and other violence broke out as racial tensions mounted Worst violence in Chicago, 13 days in 1919 left 38 dead and 500 injured

Racial Conflict (Continued) Marcus Garvey, a Jamaican immigrant, had gathered a wide following He created the Universal Negro Improvement Association(UNIA) It sponsored activities that supported black pride and black unity. and encouraged African Americans to move permanently to Africa Hatred expressed in growth of the Ku Klux Klan The group scorned blacks and immigrants The organization's power spread South and the West Several public scandals lost much support of the KKK The general economic prosperity also contributed to the organization's decline

John Henry Wattenberg :)